Description
This artichoke pasta salad with kale and white beans comes together fairly quickly with minimal cooking. It’s dressed in a punchy lemon parmesan dressing with fresh dill, chives, green olives, and toasted sunflower seeds packing in even more flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried pasta, such as fusilli or rotini
- Sea salt, to taste
- 5 large lacinato kale leaves
- 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/3 cup pitted green olives, such as Castelvetrano
- 1/4 cup fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh chives
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
- 1–2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil, season with a huge pinch of salt, then cook the pasta according to package directions for “al dente”. Drain the pasta, then run it under cool water for about a minute. Set aside to drain.
While the pasta cooks, strip the leaves of the kale away from the stems. Discard or compost the stems. Chop or tear the kale leaves into bite sized pieces then add them to a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Massage for 30-60 seconds until the kale has softened.
Roughly chop the artichokes. Chop the green olives, then finely chop the dill and chives.
Add olive oil, lemon juice and zest, 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, oregano, garlic powder, and parmesan to a small bowl. Whisk to combine, then season with salt to taste. Taste and add more maple syrup if needed to balance the acidity.
Add the cooked and cooled pasta to the large bowl along with the kale, then add the chopped artichokes, olives, dill, and chives. Add the drained navy beans and sunflower seeds. Pour the dressing over the top then toss well to combine. Taste then add more salt as needed.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Make it GF: use a GF pasta such as fusilli, rotini, or penne.
- Make it vegan: use an equal amount of grated vegan parmesan or 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan.
- Make it higher protein: use a high protein pasta or chickpea pasta.
- Any cooked white bean can be used here such as navy beans, cannellini beans, or great Northern beans.
- Any small/medium pasta shape will work here but I prefer fusilli or rotini since their shape helps trap and hold onto the dressing and other salad elements.
- I prefer buttery green Castelvetrano olives here but feel free to use your favorite kind of olive instead.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: main