This kale white bean salad is packed with an extra lemony dressing, crunchy rosemary croutons, and pecorino—fresh, hearty, and so good as leftovers too!
In case you couldn’t tell, I have a thing for kale salads and beans—so this recipe was really just a matter of time. And in particular, I love weaving Tuscan kale (which can be labeled a million different ways: flat-leaf kale, dinosaur kale, cavolo nero) in wherever I can.
One day, when our fridge was overflowing with containers of cooked cannellini beans, this dream finally came together.
Ribbons of dark kale, creamy cannellini beans, crunchy rosemary-scented crouton crumbs, and a very lemony dressing. Finish it off with thick shavings of pecorino for a hit of umami richness, and you’re done.
The best part here is the simplicity (isn’t it always?). So it’s extra important to lean into quality: gorgeous kale (save the older stuff for beans and greens), cook good dried beans if you have the time, and don’t be cheap with your olive oil. Also—and this one’s for me as much as for you—squeeze an actual lemon if you can. It’s got way more flavor than that bottle of pasteurized lemon juice!
The little things really do matter.
Here's how to make this white bean and kale salad:
make it for leftovers:
I love this as a leftover lunch salad. The kale is so sturdy, it can handle sitting in the dressing and soaking up all that flavor. Same with the beans.
- Toss it all together for dinner, eat what you can, then pack the rest away and enjoy it for tomorrow’s lunch.
- If the olive oil in the dressing solidifies in the fridge, just microwave the whole salad for about 30 seconds. Somehow the salad is even more lemony and delicious.
- It will keep, tossed in dressing and refrigerated, for 4 days.
It’s become one of my favorite grab-and-go lunches—something I can eat (without it wilting on me) while our four kids are melting down around me. And I feel so good because I actually got a vegetable in—and it wasn’t another boring salad kit. Win!
If you need another great lunchtime savior, this garlicky gigante bean salad is so good and so filling.
Printextra-lemony kale white bean salad
This kale white bean salad is packed with an extra lemony dressing, crunchy rosemary croutons, and pecorino—fresh, hearty, and so good as leftovers!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Salad
- Method: Toss
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
crunchy rosemary crumbs
- 2 thick slices sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
kale white bean salad
- zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large bunch tuscan kale (flat-leaf), stemmed and sliced into ½-inch thick ribbons
- 1 ½ cups cooked cannellini beans (or 1 15-oz can), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup rosemary breadcrumbs, above
- ½ cup shaved pecorino, plus more for serving
Instructions
crunchy rosemary crumbs
- Use a serrated knife to remove crust from the bread and slice into 1-inch cubes. Pulse the cubes in a food processor until the bread resembles coarse chunks of bread, about ¼-inch in size. Alternatively, tear them up with your fingers.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and garlic clove; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until crunchy and golden brown, 5- 7 minutes.
- And rosemary and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.
kale white bean salad
- To make lemon dressing, combine lemon zest, juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and olive oil in a glass measuring cup. Whisk until combined.
- Place kale in a large bowl and massage with a pinch of salt until the leaves are dark green and soft.
- Toss with beans, breadcrumbs, pecorino, and half the dressing. Taste and add more dressing, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 530
- Sugar: 2.4g
- Sodium: 352mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 6.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 5.7g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
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