PASTA SALAD WITH KALE AND PESTO

Pasta Salad with Kale and Pesto is a fast and easy summer meal that packs in the leafy greens! Use homemade pesto if you have it, or keep it simple with your favorite jarred pesto. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan.

bowl of pasta salad with kale and pesto

THIS !

If you love pasta salads in the summer but also want to make sure you’re getting some vegetables, this is just the dish for you. Pasta salad with kale and pesto is a delicious classic, taken up a notch.

The slightly bitter bite from the kale plays off of the rich and herby sauce. Extra parmesan on top helps to make it super satisfying (and also feel a bit fancy!). 

INGREDIENTS

Here’s the (super short!) list of ingredients you’ll need to make this summer dish.

pasta kale pesto and parmesan cheese in separate bowls

PASTA 

Any short pasta will work here (think rotini, rigatoni, or shells). I love this shape because the little ridge holds on to sauces like pesto really well.

I wouldn’t recommend using a long pasta like spaghetti or fettuccini in pasta salads because it can easily clump together, especially after chilling.

If you want to level up the nutrition, you can also go for whole grain or even a chickpea pasta.

PESTO

A homemade pesto will take this dish over the top. Since there are so few ingredients, it’s even more important to focus on quality of each.

My herbs de Provence pesto is a fabulous choice!

Of course a classic pesto will work just fine too. And in a pinch, a 6-ounce jar of store bought pesto is a huge time-saver. Whole Foods 365 pesto and Delallo Foods pesto are both good options.

jar of pesto on a cutting board

PARMESAN CHEESE

Make sure you opt for high-quality parmesan cheese. Look for a wedge in the cheese section of your grocery store and then use a box grater (or food processor!).

The rectangle opening on the side of a box grater will help you get those beautiful, imperfect shaved pieces!

KALE

The kale is wilted slightly to take away that unpleasant texture it has when raw.

Use lacinato, purple, curly, or even kale straight from the garden. The trick is to slice it thin (or chop it small) so it gets very evenly distributed in the pasta salad. You won’t be biting into any huge chunks this way. 

shredded kale on a cutting board with knife

HOW TO CLEAN KALE

Cleaning kale can sometimes be a hassle, and I prefer to use a salad spinner.

First fill with water and let the leaves soak, pushing them around with your hands. Then dump and spin to dry.

If you buy a bag of chopped kale that’s ready-to-eat, you won’t need to wash it. Just make sure to remove those huge stems before chopping!

kale in a salad spinner

HOW TO MAKE IT: QUICK AND EASY!

This fresh summer pasta salad with kale and pesto comes together in just 20 minutes!

If you can boil water, you can make it. It’s as easy as cooking the noodles, tossing everything together, and dusting with some parmesan cheese. It’s looks gourmet but is so incredibly easy. Perfect for entertaining or a light lunch!