This Pesto White Bean Kale Salad is a healthy & refreshing mix of flavorful vegan ingredients. It includes protein-rich white beans, savory sun-dried tomatoes, chopped kale, & a homemade vegan pesto. Ready in 15 minutes & makes for the perfect easy plant-based salad or nourishing meal prep option!
Get ready to make your new go-to salad. This Pesto White Bean Kale Salad is fresh, filling, & will leave you feeling so good.
The combination of ingredients used to create this plant-based salad is totally a keeper. The mix of white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, massaged kale, & homemade vegan pesto, will have you digging in for more.
Without a doubt, this creation will be on repeat during the warmer months. Plus, it’s just as good for leftovers, which makes it perfect for meal prep!
Why You’ll Love This Pesto White Bean Kale Salad
- Full of Flavor & Loaded with Nutrition: Fiber-rich, protein-packed, healthy-fats filled, & so much more. This vegan pesto salad recipe has it all!
- Quick & Easy: Ready in 15 minutes & super straightforward to make, this plant-based salad is a keeper!
- Great for Meal Prep: This Pesto White Bean Kale Salad stores well in the fridge, making it the perfect vegan recipe to meal prep for healthy meals throughout the week.
Ingredients
- Organic Kale: The star & the base of this pesto salad!
- Organic White Beans: White beans are loaded with fiber & plant-based protein. Any type of white beans work well too. Great northern, cannellini beans, or navy beans.
- Organic Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Chopped up to add so much flavor. Feel free to swap with cherry tomatoes, if you don’t have them on hand.
- Organic Fresh Basil: Not only does it make the pesto green, but it truly elevates the freshness.
- Organic Raw Pine Nuts: A must for any pesto! If organic raw pine nuts aren’t available to you, use organic raw walnuts or organic raw cashews in its place.
- Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Be sure to use extra-virgin olive oil for optimal flavor + health benefits.
- Organic Nutritional Yeast: It adds the perfect plant-based cheesy flavor to the pesto.
- Organic Lemon: Just a squeeze of fresh lemon takes the pesto to the next level!
- Organic Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, as opposed to powdered. This is an ingredient that you never want to skip!
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper: Just a healthy pinch of each to add to the pesto.
How To Make
- Kale. Add the washed & chopped kale to a large mixing bowl along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Using your clean hands, massage for 1 – 2 minutes to soften the kale.
- Vegan Pesto. To a food processor or a high-speed blender, add all of the pesto ingredients. Blend until smooth. If needed, add more spring water to achieve your desired pesto consistency.
- Combine. To the massaged kale bowl, add the drained white beans, pesto, & sun-dried tomatoes. Toss until well combined.
- Serve. Divide between bowls. Garnish with the hemp seeds & a pinch of red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Tips for Making this Vegan Pesto Salad Perfectly
- Always Massage the Kale. Kale can be very tough & chewy if not massaged. Thus, make sure to massage the kale for at least 2 minutes – you’ll get a nice hand workout in.
- Organic Beans: Great northern, cannellini beans, or navy beans will work.
- Drain the Beans: Be sure to drain your beans, this ensures that the salad does not have any bean liquid in it.
- Organic Raw Pine Nuts: If organic raw pine nuts aren’t available to you, use organic raw walnuts or organic raw cashews in its place.
Storing
As mentioned above, this Pesto White Bean Kale Salad is the perfect vegan recipe for healthy leftovers & meal prep!
Fridge Storage. Transfer the salad to an air-glass container & refrigerate for up to 4 days.
More Kale Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Copycat Erewhon Kale White Bean Salad
- Kale Chickpea Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- White Bean & Avocado Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potato Fries
- Roasted Chickpea & Japanese Sweet Potato Salad with Avocado Dressing
- Black Bean & Avocado Crema Kale Salad with Sweet Potato Fries
Sharing Is Caring!
If you make this easy 15 minute plant-based salad recipe please leave a review & rating below. I love hearing from you & it helps others learn more about the blog as well. Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, & TikTok for even more healthy content!
Xoxo.
CMG.
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Pesto White Bean Kale Salad
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Pesto White Bean Kale Salad is a healthy & refreshing mix of flavorful vegan ingredients. It includes protein-rich white beans, savory sun-dried tomatoes, chopped kale, & a homemade vegan pesto. Ready in 15 minutes & makes for the perfect easy plant-based salad or nourishing meal prep option!
Ingredients
Always opt for organic ingredients.
KALE
- 5 cups kale, stems removed & chopped
- Fresh lemon juice
VEGAN PESTO
- 1 cup packed basil
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup raw pine nuts
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp spring water, more as needed
- Sea salt & black pepper, to taste
SALAD
- 2 (15-oz) cans white beans, drained
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Kale. Add the washed & chopped kale to a large mixing bowl along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Using your clean hands, massage for 1 – 2 minutes to soften the kale.
- Vegan Pesto. To a food processor or a high-speed blender, add all of the pesto ingredients. Blend until smooth. If needed, add more spring water to achieve your desired pesto consistency.
- Combine. To the massaged kale bowl, add the drained white beans, pesto, & sun-dried tomatoes. Toss until well combined.
- Serve. Divide between bowls. Garnish with the hemp seeds & a pinch of red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Always Massage the Kale. Kale can be very tough & chewy if not massaged. Thus, make sure to massage the kale for at least 2 minutes – you’ll get a nice hand workout in.
- Organic Beans: Great northern, cannellini beans, or navy beans will work.
- Drain the Beans: Be sure to drain your beans, this ensures that the salad does not have any bean liquid in it.
- Organic Raw Pine Nuts: If organic raw pine nuts aren’t available to you, use organic raw walnuts or organic raw cashews in its place.
- Storing: Transfer the salad to an air-glass container & refrigerate for up to 4 days.
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