I probably wouldn’t survive the summer if it wasn’t for big cold “meal salads” like this Big Kale Pasta Salad. It’s cold, filling, has tons of flavors and textures to keep me interested, and it’s just super easy to pull together. Oh, and it holds up REALLY well in the fridge, too. So yeah, it pretty much wins the “perfect summer meal” prize. :)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What’s in the BIG Kale Pasta Salad?
I combined a few of my favorite things for this BIG kale pasta salad. I used my favorite homemade balsamic vinaigrette to massage the kale and make it a little more tender, then added some chickpeas for extra bulk, grape tomatoes for freshness, red onion for a savory note, and a little Parmesan for more umami. This one is hitting all the bases!
Dressing Options
If you’re not into balsamic dressing or you just don’t want to make your own, any store-bought vinaigrette-style dressing will be great with this salad. Italian dressing, Caesar dressing, or tomato basil vinaigrette would also be good.
What Else Can I Add?
As with most salads, this Big Kale Pasta Salad is extremely flexible. Here are some other great ingredient options that you could add in place of or in addition to what I used:
- Grilled chicken
- Kidney beans
- Feta
- Pickled red onions
- Crispy chickpeas
- Olives
- Shredded carrot
- Toasted pita
- Baked salmon
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Avocado
- Hard boiled egg
- Diced mozzarella
- Cured meat (salami, pepperoni, etc.)
How Long Does it Last?
This salad will stay good in the fridge for about 4-5 days. Kale holds up beautifully to dressing and pasta salads in general also hold up very well. If you plan to meal prep the salad, I do suggest that you reserve the rest of the dressing after massaging the kale to add to the salad just before serving (to prevent the salad from drying out as it’s refrigerated).
BIG Kale Pasta Salad
Servings 6 2 cups eachIngredients
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil ($0.85)
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.42)
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.09)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Salad
- 8 oz. penne pasta ($0.67)
- 8 oz. chopped kale* ($1.50)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($2.00)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.22)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($1.09)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan ($0.72)
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette first. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mayonnaise, Dijon, minced garlic, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Set the dressing aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and boil until tender (7-8 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander and allow it to cool.
- Add the kale to a large bowl. Drizzle ⅓ of the prepared balsamic dressing over the kale and then use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale. Massage the kale for 3-5 minutes, or until it has wilted to half its volume.
- Slice the grape tomatoes in half, thinly slice the red onion, and rinse and drain the chickpeas.
- Add the drained and cooled pasta to the bowl with the kale, along with the tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, and Parmesan.
- Pour the rest of the dressing over top, then stir the salad until everything is evenly combined and coated in dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make A BIG Kale Pasta Salad – Step by Step Photos
Make the dressing first. Whisk together ⅓ cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 clove of minced garlic, ½ tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add ½ lb. of pasta (any short shape). Boil until tender and then drain in a colander.
Meanwhile, begin to prepare the kale. I use this pre-chopped kale because it’s super convenient and also inexpensive. If you are using a bunch of kale instead of pre-chopped, simply remove the stems and chop the kale into 1-2 inch pieces. I used half of this one-pound bag for my salad.
Before massaging the kale, it has a lot of volume and entirely fills my big salad bowl.
Add about ⅓ of the prepared dressing to the kale and then use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale. The kale will get softer and lose volume as it is massaged. Set the kale aside.
Slice ½ of a red onion. If red onion is a bit too strong for you, you can soak it briefly in ice water to take the sharp edge off.
Slice one pint of grape tomatoes in half.
Add the drained and cooled pasta, tomatoes, sliced onions, one drained 15oz. can of chickpeas, and ½ cup grated Parmesan to the bowl with the kale. Pour the remaining dressing over top.
Stir everything together, then season the salad to taste with salt and pepper.
Enjoy the salad immediately or refrigerate for later!
Absolutely delicious. I just realized I left the parm out and I didn’t even notice. Absolutely will make again.
Had this salad with shredded rotisserie chicken and it was excellent!! For just two people, this is a VERY generous portion, but I think this will hold up nicely in the fridge for a day or so, so that takes care of lunch! xoxo
This salad is DIVINE! Paired with pan fried salmon… absolutely delicious. Perfect lunch pick me up! We swapped chickpeas for white beans and upped the kale.
SO GOOD and so easy to adapt with whatever you have hanging out in your fridge that needs to get used up.
I made this for a ladies night and it was a huge hit! I even had to make a second batch halfway through the night cause we ran out. The dressing is awesome, I used an immersion blender to bring it together. Massaging the kale made it perfect. It was my first time using that technique. Great recipe! It will now be in my rotation.
Thank you!
I’m in love with this pasta salad recipe! I did do a few changes to suit my taste but I highly recommend this dish!
So good!! Dressing is delicious. I copied another commenter’s method and let my kale sit in the dressing while I chopped veggies and cooked the pasta. The end result was 10/10.
Another Budget Bytes keeper! We had this tonight with rosemary bread from the Lidl bakery. I used baby kale, so instead of massaging it, I just dressed it and let it sit while I cooked the pasta, prepped the other veg, and made soft-boiled eggs (also using the BB method, of course!) so the dressing wilted the baby kale just slightly. Delicious!!
This was pretty good. The highlight was the vinaigrette. I’ve actually prepared a small bottle of it for other meals. The salad its self was fine, but didn’t really cohesively come together. I think one or two more salad ingredients could help, maybe cucumbers or olives? Also, I think a bowtie pasta would make the textures a little more even. We had hard time getting all the ingredients into a single bite. This recipe has definitely inspired me to start adding pasta to salads and experimenting with this formula for weekly meal prep. In the end, it was a good lunch for my partner and me, and I’m looking forward to enjoying more of this dressing!
My dressing was still super dark brown, not light like yours. Wondering if I did something wrong??
It’s hard to say as I wasn’t there for the cook, but my guess is the measurements were off or you left out an ingredient. Did you add the mayo? XOXO -Monti
Delicious! Added some chicken breast for more protein
This is so delicious! I had to make 2 batches in one week because my husband loved it as much. He usually hates kale, so that’s saying something!
Might be my favorite BB recipe yet!
Made this two days ago and just finished the leftovers. I love that it’s a salad that holds up over a couple of days. I dropped out the chickpeas (they contain a chemical I’m supposed to avoid) and added grilled chicken, and it was delicious! I’m thinking I’ll add smoked sausage coins next time since that’s pretty easy to cook without fully heating the kitchen. Thanks for the recipe!
This one is a keeper! Great dressing, holds up well, easy to add new stuff to to mix it up a little. Very welcome with all this awful heat, thank you!
Amazing pasta salad! Great alternative to my usual veggie pasta salad with a completely different flavor. Dressing was easy and definitely worth making. Was still great the second day. This will definitely be made again!
Oh my gosh, why is this so amazing????? 10/10
Really lovely! Added sundried tomatoes.
This is delicious! I saw this post on Instagram and thought it would be perfect to have in the fridge all week during a high heat wave, but it only last three days between my boyfriend and myself! We ate it with every lunch and dinner, it was so good! I already plan to make it again just two weeks later. I love love love the creamy balsamic dressing, it has the perfect amount of tang and creamy – and I’m usually not a fan of homemade dressings! This is my new summer staple, thank you!
I’m loving that you like it so much! Thanks Esme! XOXO -Monti
I’ve spent 10 years making fun of people who eat Kale salads-turns out the joke’s on me! I’ve made this salad (with substitutions because I didn’t have that much parm..or any tomatoes) and even with me messing with the recipe it is delicious!
This was absolutely delicious and came together in less than 25 minutes. Who knew massaging kale was a thing! Even my none kale eating household loved it. Thank for another hit Beth!
What an easy and delicious dish. I added 3/4 cup of Parmesan but otherwise followed the recipe. I will make this again and again. It would also make a good side dish or a potluck contribution.
So easy and true to timing. Personally, I’d a little more parm. ;) Otherwise, easy and yummy!
Omg!! This is so delicious 😋
I made this today and it was delish, though I’m not sure it would convert the kale haters out there. The dressing was a perfect balance of creamy and zingy. I used sundried tomatoes instead of fresh ones cos I thought they’d hold up better over a couple of days. My puppy really liked munching on the kale spines which was an unexpected bonus. I reckon next time I’ll try it with lightly steamed broccoli or grilled Brussels sprouts.
I agree, it was delicious. I love your idea of using sun dried tomatoes – I will try that next time!
This was so delicious 🤤
Can I use spinach instead of kale?
Of course!
But I will add that you won’t need to massage the spinach like you do the kale. :) Just add the dressing at the end and you’ll be good to go!
Do you think Swiss Chard would work in place of kale.
Absolutely!