[1] Pretty pasta, with colorful nutrition from kale and tomatoes (photo and recipe © DeLallo).

[2] DeLallo’s authentic Italian spaghetti (photo © DeLallo).

[3] Different varieties of kale. Through the Middle Ages, kale was one of the most common green vegetables in Europe. Curly-leaf and flat-leaf varieties were cultivated in Greece as far back as the fourth century B.C.E. Today, varieties of kale have different stem lengths, varying leaf types, and leaf colors from light to dark green and violet-green to violet-brown (photo © National Kale Day).

If you combine an equal amount of spaghetti with kale, does the kale offset the carbs?

No, but it does create a textured, flavorful, and with added cherry tomatoes, colorful dish of spaghetti. Here’s the recipe from DeLallo.
 
 
RECIPE: SPAGHETTI & KALE

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of hot pasta water.

2. COOK the pancetta over medium heat in a large pot until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-covered plate and reserve the drippings in the pot.

3. ADD the oil and garlic and to the drippings and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant and light golden, about 6 minutes.

4. ADD the kale in batches, and cook, tossing until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. ADD the pasta, pancetta, tomatoes, lemon juice and reserved pasta water. Cook, stirring, until a sauce forms, about 2 minutes. Divide the pasta mixture among bowls and serve.
 
 
HOW SPAGHETTI IS MADE

Meaning “small strings” in Italian, spaghetti may be the best-known pasta.

This long form originated in southern Italy, where it is traditionally served simply, with a sauce of fresh tomatoes and herbs.

The durum wheat fields of Puglia, Italy, have a climate and soil that produce premium grains of wheat. They are milled into semolina flour and combined with spring water. Premium pasta is then extruded using bronze plates (instead of the steel ones you may have seen on home pasta machines).

The bronze plates give pasta its authentic texture: a coarse surface to which sauce will cling. The traditional method of slow drying at low temperatures gives the pasta its fresh-bread taste and the ability to cook perfectly al dente.
 
 
Check out more types of pasta in our Pasta Glossary.
 
 
Plus:

 
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*Substitute bacon, Canadian bacon, pork belly, prosciutto, smoked ham or smoked sausage.