Lemony Pasta with Collard Greens
This super quick pasta dish is tossed with thinly sliced and sautéed collard greens, lemon juice and pine nuts. It's bold, bright and delicious.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on February 4, 2026
This lively pasta recipe came to mind as I twirled my fork through strands of quickly cooked collard greens. Wouldn’t it be good to combine the greens with some warm spaghetti? The shapes are similar, and the textures and flavors complement each other. This dish been one of my favorite creations since I shared it back in 2012.
The recipe tastes bold, earthy and bright, and comes together in a flash! The one-to-one ratio of spaghetti to produce is just the way I like my pasta. If you’re new to collard greens, this recipe offers the perfect introduction to my favorite preparation method, which is actually Brazilian, rather than the slow-cooked Southern style.
How to Make Pasta with Greens
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s more insight into why it works:
Cook the pasta in salted water.
Your cooking water should actually taste salty, but don’t worry, your pasta won’t absorb much of it. This is your chance to enhance the pasta’s flavor—no amount of salt you add later will make up for its absence here.
Prepare the collard greens.
While you wait for the water to boil, remove the ribs from the collards, stack and roll them, then slice them thinly (see the photo above).
Toast the pine nuts.
Freshly toasted pine nuts offer so much extra flavor! Many recipes omit instructions on how to toast nuts, but they’re easy to burn. My recipe includes details to help you get it right.
Sauté the greens.
Tip: You control the spice level by using more or less red pepper flakes (or none, if you prefer a mild dish).
Reserve some pasta cooking water before draining.
This starchy, salted water is magical—it will unite the olive oil, pasta and greens in a simple sauce.
Toss it all together.
Combine the sautéed greens and pasta with a splash of cooking water and olive oil. Divid them onto plates, and use a cheese plane (affiliate link) or vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan on top. Add a sprinkle of the toasted pine nuts and lemon wedges, then serve.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this dish on its own for a simple and light meal, or add your protein of choice to round it out. Vegetarians might enjoy a lacy fried egg or two on top. If you’d like to add a side dish, consider an improvised green salad with Italian Dressing or colorful Roasted Vegetables.
For dessert, try a miniature and make-ahead option like Lemon Posset or Pots de Crème. For a before-dinner drink, you might enjoy an Americano, or perhaps serve a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir with your meal.
More Green Pasta Dishes
Here are just a few of my greenest pasta recipes, featuring greens like arugula, spinach, kale and herbs.
- Arugula Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese
- Green Goddess Tortellini Salad
- Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & Ricotta
- Pesto Pasta
- Spinach Lasagna
- Spring Pasta with Peas and Asparagus
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Lemony Collard Greens Pasta
This super quick pasta dish is tossed with thinly sliced and sautéed collard greens, lemon juice and pine nuts. It’s bold, bright and delicious. Recipe yields 2 generous servings or 4 medium servings (you can stretch the servings by using the full amount of spaghetti).
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of fresh collard greens (about 8 to 10 ounces or 10 big leaves)
- 5 to 8 ounces thin spaghetti or “spaghettini” (whole wheat or gluten-free if desired)
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 small cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (omit if sensitive to spice)
- Fine salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
- ½ or more of a lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to directions. Reserve about ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain the noodles and return them to the pot.
- Cut out the center rib of each collard green. Stack a few greens at a time and roll them up into a cigar-like shape. Slice across the roll as thinly as possible (⅛ to ¼ inch). Shake up the greens and give them a few chops so the strands aren’t so long.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat and toast the pine nuts until they turn golden and fragrant, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes (don’t step away from the stove, as they burn quickly). Pour them out of the skillet and save for later. Let the skillet cool for a few minutes off the heat.
- Return the skillet to medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Sprinkle in a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using) and the garlic and stir. Once the oil is hot enough to shimmer, toss in all of your collard greens. Sprinkle the greens with a pinch of salt. Stirring often (try not to let them clump), sauté the greens until they’re wilted and dark green, about 3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Scoop the greens into the pasta pot and toss with another drizzle of olive oil, adding just a splash of pasta cooking water if necessary to loosen the mixture. Taste, and add more salt for extra flavor, plus some black pepper. Divide onto plates, top with pine nuts and Parmesan shavings and serve with two big lemon wedges per person.
Notes
Change it up: Try chopped walnuts instead of pine nuts, or kale instead of collards.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the cheese.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This recipe is fantastic!
I typically sauté or steam collard greens and then mix vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a 3:3:2 ratio and add to greensfor a light sauce. I think it’s a Korean-inspired recipe.
Delicious — thank you! I substituted slivered almonds for the pine nuts, and they worked fine, too.
Thank you for sharing, Vicki!
I’m really looking forward to making this, and just put collard greens on my grocery list! I’m mostly vegan but cheat occasionally with parmesan lol. My very easy pasta is a hit every time I make it, and it takes about 7 minutes. Massage baby spinach with a little olive oil and lemon and place in pasta bowl. Then place pasta on top. If you want, add (any left over grilled or roasted veggies or none),halved cherry tomatoes, quick squeeze of lemon, drizzle with evoo, and top with shaved parmesan. Looks really pretty and tastes great! Use spices, salt and pepper to taste.
Thank you for sharing, Stace!
Violife Just Like Parmesan is delicious and can be shaved nicely. It’s daily free, gf, and soy free. It’s delicious.
This is delicious. The idea to chiffonade the collards is brilliant!
I zested my lemon and tossed it in with the pasta. I used walnuts instead of pine nuts. Thanks
You’re welcome, D! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Fantastic recipe. I was looking for something to do with collard greens I got in my CSA share that did not involve cooking them to death in bacon. Stumbled upon this and decided to give it a try. Healthy, easy, filling, and quick to prep. And, mostly importantly, delicious!
I’m glad you loved it, Sarah!
I just made this for dinner using collatd greens from our garden. My husband raved about it. Each piece (garlic, lemon juice, etc.) added a specific element. I’m looking forward to making this often this summer. I also used slivered almonds instead of pine nuts and it turned out great!
So…I don’t fully understand the phenomenon of folks rating a recipe before making and tasting it.
On another note: I have been making this recipe for several years and love it, as is. It was my introduction to eating collard greens and it is now on regular rotation. I love the lemon & red-pepper-flake flavor combination, with the toasted pine nuts, and also, yes, with the collard greens! Kudos to Kate for this fantastic creation.
Hi Kate! Could I still make this recipe omitting the pine nuts due to a tree nut allergy or would an important ingredient then be missing? I know your recipes often note how to adapt for various situations but didn’t see that here so was unsure. Thank you for your help!
Hi Alyssa! I have’t tried it with an alternative, sorry.
Wow! Didn’t expect such a delicious result. It is awesome.
Great to hear, Immanuel!
I had never tasted collards before age 18 when I married into a Black family. Now I grow collards. And I invited those same relatives over to try collards in this new way. Well received.
I love to hear that, Juli! Thank you for you review.
i loved this recipe too much and my wife enjoyed it too. ty Kathryne
Absolutely DELICIOUS!! I needed a Collard Greens recipe that did not include stewing with pork and took a chance on this one. SO GOOD! I added shredded rotisserie chicken for protein (will try flaked, cooked salmon next time too) but otherwise followed the recipe. Will definitely make it again. YUM!
The dish was dry and plain but I think we didn’t have enough greens and olive oil for our amount of pasta. I would mix in some pesto for depth or add lemon before serving next time.
This is a wonderful recipe – easy, delicious, healthy! It is my go-to for collards from my CSA share.
My farm share sent me collard greens (normally I can pick, but was overseas and the website didn’t let me log in to edit my shipment) and I had no idea what to do with them. I was looking for a healthy preparation and stumbled upon this. INCREDIBLE! I made it exactly as described. I appreciated your comment about not walking away from the stove while toasting pine nuts. It hurts me to think of how many times I have burned those little tidbits ($$$ in the garbage). Every bite of this dish was so delicious, now I will seek out this vegetable just so I can make it again. Husband and I enjoyed it as a side dish to grilled Kurobata pork chops – great combo!
Just bought fresh collard greens at the farmer’s market today, and ran across your recipe looking for a way to cook them. I made a couple of changes (no pasta, I’m keto, no red pepper flakes, subbed walnuts for pine nuts, and had to add a few packs of Taco Bell taco sauce, which gave it the spice it needed without the red pepper flakes). It was good! I liked the chiffonade way of cutting the greens. Thanks! I’ve got leftovers, so I may try cooking some low carb pasta to mix in.
Would Daiya brand and other so called cheese substitutes be a good substitution in this recipe?
Hi Edwyna, yes you can substitute your favorite vegan cheese or you might like. My preference is my recipes for a vegan parmesan.
Made this last night, it was quick, easy, and DELICIOUS!! Thank you for testing, creating, and posting this recipe!
I grow Swiss Chard. Could I use that instead of collard greens?
Hi Wendy, yes that is a fine substitution.
So Good! I made this last night with Rainbow Chard because that’s what I had in the fridge, and brown rice pasta. I am already planning my next time, hoping to find collards this time! So simple and crave worthy. Thank you Kate!