pasta with braised kale

Molly Wizenberg has a column in Bon Appetit now. Last night I made one of her recipes from the column. It was perfectly good, but very basic, and relied on Parmesan cheese for flavor. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just didn't learn anything new. Also, I used whole-wheat penne instead of regular spaghetti, and left my half-cooked kale sitting on the stove for three hours while I went to volunteer. These little alterations can make a big difference.

I'm jealous of Molly, can you tell? I relate to her and there are some similarities in our pasts, but she is vastly more successful.

spaghetti with braised kale

I've often made a pasta recipe like this with tons more stuff -- cannellini beans, chopped tomatoes, canned artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, etc. etc.