Cooking with Essential Oils: One-Pan Lemon Garlic Pasta with Kale

Since I discovered doTERRA essential oils back in March of this year, it's been a solid 6 months since ANYONE in our family has gotten sick. With 2 toddlers and 2 working parents, that's a pretty darn good track record if you ask me.

They are part of our everyday lives from rubbing on our feet at night, using them to clean and refresh, to using them for medical applications. We use essential oils for everyday wellness, but what good is wellness when you can't get your kids to eat healthy?

Cooking with Essential Oils

Everyone loves a hot home-cooked meal, but often times things tend to get away from us and we reach for convenience over quality. I'll admit I've been there all too often. And pizza is way too easy... then it becomes too easy to fall into the rut of convenience.

One day after cruising Pinterest, I found this recipe and adapted it to what I had on hand and our family's tastes. It quickly became a family favorite, which is saying a lot with two picky toddlers.

Instead of reaching in the freezer for pre-packaged whatever-it's-made-of, try this simple recipe that can be made in about a half hour with little to no prep time and is super adaptable to whatever you have on hand. Here's what you'll need:

One-Pan Garlic Lemon Pasta with Kale

• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups of low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
• 4-5 large leaves fresh kale cut into 1/4 inch ribbons
• 2 oz neufchatel cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2-4 drops doTERRA Lemon Essential Oil

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook kale and garlic for 2 minutes until soft and fragrant.
2. Add broth, water, and pasta to pan and turn heat up to high. Be sure that all ingredients are submerged in liquid.
3. When mixture begins to boil, cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Cook covered on low for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, remove cover and allow mixture to simmer another 5 minutes uncovered until liquid reduces by about half. There will still be a good amount of liquid in the pan, but don't worry -- this will make a delicious sauce.
5. Remove from heat and add neufchatel cheese, basil, and lemon essential oil. Stir to combine, let sit about 2 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

Serves 2-3 people, depending on how hungry you are. 

We have also tried this recipe with chicken which is delicious, just brown about 1/2 lb of diced chicken breast before adding kale and garlic. Make it vegan with a vegan cream cheese. Use quinoa pasta for a healthy gluten-free option. 

I use doTERRA essential oils because they are the most concentrated and pure. They are the only brand that I trust to ingest. Please do not ingest lemon essential oil unless the bottle states that it is safe to do so. Many brands of essential oils like to dilute or use other fillers in their oils, but doTERRA brand essential oil is safe for consumption. 

Need Lemon Essential Oil? Visit my doTERRA shop to stock up!

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