Kale Pasta Salad (Spiced Olive Oil, Almonds, Raisins)

A not-boring kale pasta salad with jammy raisins, crunchy fried almonds, and a coriander-spiced oil. Sweet, salty, sharp, and a little unexpected!

This kale pasta salad is light, aromatic, and a little unexpected (in a super fun way!). I massage delicate kale ribbons until tender and vibrant green, then toss them with a garlicky spiced coriander oil, fried almonds, and tangy, vinegar-plumped raisins. There’s very little vinegar or dressing, just the spiced oil to keep it flavorful and elegant.

I dreamt up this kale pasta salad with coastal Italian vibes in mind… lemony scented, warm spices, lots of peppery olive oil, feta, and jammy bits of raisins. I wanted something light but with layers of Sicilian flavors for summer dinners with crisp rosé and salmon crudo.

We especially love to serve this with saffron aioli and homemade grissini for a fabulous Mediterranean-inspired spread. This salad holds well and actually improves as it sits, though I love to enjoy it slightly warm so the spices are extra flavorful.

here's how to make it:

and a few recipe tips:

Use white balsamic if you have it. It’s softer and slightly sweet, which works well with the raisins and lemon.

Slice the kale thin. If using tuscan kale, I prefer to slice the leaves into delicate ribbons. For curly kale, slice into strips as best you can.

Let the almonds cool fully. They crisp as they sit, which gives you contrast against the soft pasta.

Choose a short, textured pasta. Shapes like casarecce, gemelli, or mezzi rigatoni catch the oil, almonds, and raisins in every bite. Orecchiette works too, but the twisty shapes really shine in this pasta salad (and they’re extra fun).

Taste with the vinegar at the end. A small splash of the vinegar freshens it up, but too much will overpower the oil.

Add protein to make it a meal. Grilled shrimp or oil-packed tuna are a natural addition!

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