It’s only the second week of June but it’s already a million degrees outside. I barely want to eat, let alone cook when it’s this hot outside, so I practically live off of big batch cold salads. This Kale White Bean and Pesto Salad is the perfect example of a refrigerator sturdy salad that can be changed up daily with a variety of add-ins to prevent burn-out. Or you know, eat it as-is and don’t put any more thought into it. Because there are beaches to see, sports games to attend, and summer fun to be had!
Salad Add-Ins
This Kale White Bean and Pesto Salad already has good bones. I can eat it as is and be perfectly happy. But when I do want to switch it up I can add things like a chopped hard boiled egg, some crumbled feta, leftover roasted vegetables, avocado, croutons or toasted pita triangles, or even leftover cooked quinoa. You can make each bowl unique.
Substitutions
If you’re not a kale fan, you can use chopped spinach in a pinch, but it won’t give this salad as much volume, or hold up as well in the refrigerator as kale. I’m almost more inclined to suggest using chopped parsley, which has a similar sturdiness to kale.
You can feel free to simply leave the chicken out, or add an extra can of white beans in its place. And while cannelini beans are the best for this salad due to their creamy, yet firm texture, I can see chickpeas also working well.
If you can’t find pesto for a good price in your area, my parsley pesto is a great homemade substitute to the convenience of store bought pesto. You can also swap it out for my tangy Tomato Basil Vinaigrette.
How to Store Leftovers
I try to design my recipes with as little leftovers as possible, but for this recipe I had leftover kale, tomatoes, and pesto. The tomatoes will be no problem because I like to snack on grape tomatoes, add them to my scrambled eggs, and many other things. When faced with large amounts of fresh kale, I like to sauté it down with a little garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s so good that I can eat it straight, and because it wilts so much when it’s cooked, one big bag of kale quickly becomes one serving. And for the leftover pesto, I’ll consult my archives.
Kale White Bean and Pesto Salad
Servings 4 about 2 cups eachIngredients
- 6 cups kale, finely chopped ($1.50)
- 1 15oz. can cannellini beans ($0.69)
- 1 cooked chicken breast* ($2.00)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1/2 cup pesto ($1.44)
- 1 large lemon, cut into wedges ($0.43)
Instructions
- Place the finely chopped kale in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the cannellini beans, slice the tomatoes in half, and then add them both to the bowl. Chop or shred the chicken, and add it to the bowl as well.
- Add the pesto to the bowl with the other salad ingredients, then toss until everything is lightly coated in pesto. Taste and add more pesto if desired (I used only 1/2 cup).
- Serve the salad immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve each portion of the salad with a wedge of lemon and squeeze the fresh lemon juice over top just before eating.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Kale and White Bean Pesto Salad – Step by Step Photos
Pre-chopped kale is one of the very few produce convenience items I buy. It’s usually about the same price as a kale bunch where I live, but all the hard work is already done for you, so why not?! I like this brand in particular because there are very few stems to pick out and it’s already chopped quite fine…
But I ended up chopping my kale even a bit more finely. I just took a handful or two at a time and ran my knife over it a few times until it was very small pieces like this. You’ll want about 6 loosely packed cups of finely chopped kale for this salad.
Place the kale in a large bowl. Rinse and drain one 15 oz. can of cannellini beans. Chop or shred one cooked chicken breast (mine is from a rotisserie chicken), and slice 1 cup grape tomatoes. Add the beans, chicken, and tomatoes to the bowl with the kale.
This is the type of basil pesto I’m using this time around, because it was the best price per ounce at the store (this is Kroger’s private label brand). I find that you can usually find pretty good deals on store brand pesto, whether it be 365 brand from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s brand, or any other store brand. You can usually find them near the pasta sauces.
Start by adding 1/2 cup pesto to the salad, then toss until everything is lightly coated.
You can add more pesto if you prefer, but I stuck with just the 1/2 cup.
And that’s it! I highly suggest serving the salad with a lemon wedge for an extra pop of bright flavor. Squeeze the lemon over top just before eating, and enjoy!
Not a huge bean fan so this was one recipe i was trying without being certain i’d like it. Not my favorite, but i hope i can learn to like beans better and kale for that matter as i try to eat healthier. The recipe was simple and i liked that. And I’m definitely going to eat more and probably make it again since it’s so nutritious. If you love beans already you’ll probably like it a lot. I know my sister would!!
So with you on the heat, this is crazytown! Love that this is make ahead so that dinner can be cool and easy!
I meal prepped with this as one of the meals and it held up really well. Super easy, convenient, and healthy. Definitely adding it to the rotation
I’m taking this salad to work for lunch this week and honestly, it’s delicious. I found a bunch of kale for $.75 at the grocery store and grape tomatoes for $1.98, which in my opinion is affordable. I cooked two boneless skinless chicken breasts the night before and decided to assemble the salad before going to work. I added some grated Parmesan cheese for an extra bite. Thank you so much for this phenomenal recipe, Beth. I’m definitely going to make it again!! :-)
So easy and so delicious! I added avocado and a little Pecorino Romano – just because I believe cheese belongs in most things :) Great recipe and a great way to use up my giant bunch of kale from my CSA box. Thanks.
This turned out great! I used arugula instead of kale, because that is what I had on hand, and it has held up surprisingly well over the last 3 days in the frig. I am going to try adding chopped hard boiled egg to the last serving I have left for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for such a delicious and easy recipe!
I’ve made this with chopped mixed greens and good, drained canned tuna….everyone here like it and the leftovers didn’t last long.
Lunch today and for the rest of this week! Used a kale slaw mix and pulled chicken for this recipe. Forgot the lemon, darnit!!
This was so good! Any specific suggestions for add-ons to make it different each day?
Check out the second paragraph titled “Add-ins” for some great ideas!
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I missed that paragraph. Thank you! And adding a hardboiled egg was AWESOME!
This was delicious!! I added an extra can of cannellini beans because I’m vegetarian, and ate my first bowl slightly warmed with a fried egg on top.
I’m making this right now! I wanted to suggest you try the organic chopped kale from Aldi if you haven’t already; I typically hate using chopped kale because I feel like there are so many stems, I don’t save any time. I only picked out a few for the six cups and it was super fresh & vibrant as well. I could eat this straight from the bowl, can’t wait to taste it after it sits 🤤
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it soon! Thanks Beth!
Perfect summer treat !
This is in my lunch bag tomorrow. I’ve rarely encountered a bean salad I didn’t enjoy, and this one has it all. I also love kale in just about any form, so this salad is perfect for me. It would also work with some cooked grains, but I prefer this lower carb version.
I still have issues with recipes that call for a specific number of chicken breasts, although I have started seeing recipes that specify weight per breast–those here in NC are .85-1.1 lb skinless/boneless, and on the bone about 1.25 lbs or more. The roasted whole breasts that show up on Tuesday at my local supermarket are 2.5-3 lbs, or only slightly lighter than a whole rotisserie chicken which runs 3-3.5 lbs–I weigh those suckers in the produce department right next door to the cooked chicken display. I’m looking at this recipe as using about 3/4 lb or 2 c. chopped chicken, probably a higher percentage of chicken to the rest of the ingredients than your photo above. .
This recipe is perfect for me to take to lunch to work!!! :-)