This kale pasta salad is made with red onion, red bell pepper, freshly shaved parmesan, and balsamic for a great nutritious make-ahead dish!
Looking for a good hearty dish to take to your next pot-luck? Check out this flavorful kale pasta salad. This unique pasta salad dish is made with tender kale, balsamic, and parmesan cheese! Talk about delicious! This pasta salad knocks others right out of the park! Don’t pass this salad up for your next get-together!
Kale Pasta Salad
Don’t you love when something is easy to make? We need those dishes that don’t take a lot of effort and that we can throw together quickly. Pasta salads are great for a quick meal or side dish. They can be made ahead of time and eaten cold so they make a great meal-prep food. They are also good for a quick on-the-go lunch! These kinds of dishes are great because they are filling and can help us not to grab unhealthy fast food!
Some dishes have so many ingredients. They may also have ingredients that are hard to find! This pasta salad only has a few ingredients. So, if you’re looking for a dish that isn’t ingredient heavy, here you go! Here’s what’s in it!
- 1 box of pasta
- kale
- red onion
- red or orange bell pepper
- fresh parmesan
- And the dressing is made up of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Thats it! flavorful and simple!
How to modify this pasta salad
Pasta salads are easy to modify, and this one is no exception! There are a couple of things I would not mess with. The balsamic vinegar. This was the inspiration to make this salad. I was at a fancy eatery and was served a pasta salad with balsamic vinegar. I had never thought of adding it! It was so delicious and I loved the touch of sweetness the vinegar gave. I thought it was genius! I love being inspired by great food!
The other is the kale. Kale has a great texture in this pasta salad and doesn’t get soggy or weird. It holds up well against other greens for storage also. Make sure to massage the kale with olive oil before adding it to the dish. This makes a big difference in the texture of the kale and helps it not to be tough.
- Not a parmesan fan? I think mozzarella would be a great sub for this dish.
- If you want to add some protein, chicken would be a great addition.
- You could add other vegetables of your choice!
- You can add pepper seeds to this for a little kick and some added flavor! I always love looking for ways to spice things up.
How to store this pasta salad
This pasta salad will store well for 3-4 days in the fridge if it is in an air-tight container. Some of the flavors may get absorbed by the pasta when it’s being stored. You may need to add a splash more balsamic or a little salt for flavor. But it stores well!
Other healthy pasta dishes
Pasta dishes are a great way to feel full and get some veggies in our loved ones! I notice my kids will eat more veggies when they are in pasta. Here are a few more of our favorite pasta dishes!
Creamy parmesan broccoli pasta
Pasta Primavera
Kale Pasta salad
Ingredients
- 1 box cellentani pasta cooked with 2 teaspoon salt in water One pound. looks similar to macaroni.
- 4 cups washed kale with stems removed messaged with 2-3 tbsps of olive oil
- ½ red onion diced
- ½ large red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Dressing
- ½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions adding 2 teaspoon of salt to the water. Strain and add to a large bowl.
- Chop the onion, and bell pepper and set aside.
- Wash the kale and pull the leaves off of the stems. Chop the kale into bite-size pieces. Add your washed kale to a bowl and add 3 tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt. Massage the kale leaves for a couple of minutes to make them tender.
- Add kale, onion, and bell pepper to the pasta. Pour on the balsamic dressing. Shave in a ½ cup of fresh parmesan and stir well.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Dressing
- Mix all ingredients together well.
