Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

This kale pesto pasta salad is vibrant, flavorful and so delicious. Although it's a summery recipe, this one is good year round to bring some color into your life. It features garden fresh produce like cucumbers, yellow squash, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. Cannellini beans bring plant-based protein to the party. The easy blender pesto is made by combining dino kale with Brazil nuts, lemon, garlic and nutritional yeast. The colors in this gorgeous vegan pasta salad make this an ideal salad for bringing to parties and picnics when you want to impress.

What is dino kale?

Dinosaur kale is also known as lacinato kale or tuscan kale. The leaves are a darker green color than regular curly kale. They are bumpy and resemble dinosaur or reptile skin. Dino kale's leaves are thinner and more tender than regular kale making them ideal for raw preparations. They do not require as much massaging and their stems are not as woody. I love using dino kale in this kale pesto pasta salad. The vegan kale pesto is super green and vibrant.

How do you make vegan pesto?

Pesto is made by blending greens with garlic, olive oil and other ingredients. Classic Italian pesto usually includes basil, parmesan and pine nuts. But you can make pesto with any greens. I love to make it with arugula, spinach or kale. Varying the nuts can also create delicious combinations. Since this pesto is vegan, I omit the parmesan and instead opt for nutritional yeast and Brazil nuts to bring the umami flavor. The fresh pop of lemon juice really brings out all the flavor. A high speed blender or a food processor work best for making pesto but an immersion blender can work also.

Ingredients for Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

The ingredients for this salad are a combination of garden fresh and pantry staples. The gold bar squash can be replaced with zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower. You can add olives, sundried tomatoes or even capers if the fresh ingredients are not in season. This recipe is extremely versatile. If Brazil nuts are not available you can add cashews or skip the nuts entirely.

For Salad

• whole wheat fusilli
• gold bar squash
• cucumber
• cherry tomatoes
• red onion
• baby bell peppers
• cannellini beans
• artichoke hearts
• black pepper
• red pepper flakes

For Pesto

• dino kale
• garlic
• lemon
• olive oil
• brazil nuts
• salt
• nutritional yeast

How to Make Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a really easy recipe to make. Even though it looks fancy this is a recipe that is suitable for a beginner cook.

• Cook pasta according to box, add squash for last minute of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain well then add to a large bowl.
• Make pesto by combining kale, garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt, brazil nuts and nutritional yeast and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Pour pesto on pasta, add beans and chopped vegetables and mix well. Garnish with pepper and red pepper flakes(optional).

Other delicious kale recipes

• Zesty Wild Rice and Kale Salad
• Orzo and Kale Stew
• Kale and Bean Salad