Feta Alfredo with Red Lentil Rotini

1. Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions. Avoid overcooking. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
2. While waiting for the pasta, place the feta, milk, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt in a blender or food processor. Turn on and blend until fully smooth and creamy. The sauce will thicken a bit as it sits. Set aside.
3. Heat the pot you cooked your pasta in over medium heat with 2-3 teaspoons of oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds – 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir constantly. Add the kale to the pot and let cook until vibrant green and just starting to wilt, 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Keep heat over medium/med-low. Stir in a scoop of the sauce with the kale and then add in the pasta and add your desired amount of sauce.
   Gently fold in the sauce until well combined. Add the olives and sun-dried tomatoes and gently stir to combine. Taste the pasta and add more sauce, lemon zest, salt, and pepper if desired. Stir occasionally until just heated through. Do not over-heat or the sauce will dry out. Serve warm.

Tips:

For the best authentic feta flavor use sheep or goat feta (or a blend of the two) and not cow’s milk feta. Cow’s milk feta is much more bland.
I recommend using block feta not crumbles, as the crumbles are more dried out.
If your sun-dried tomatoes are too tough to slice, pre-soak them for about 10-15 minutes in hot water. Blot dry before slicing and adding to the pasta.