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. Enjoy this easy vegetarian pasta salad for lunch, dinner, or a sunny picnic.
It’s getting warm out which means I’m craving more light and fresh recipes these days. Enter pasta salad! I love that I can enjoy leftovers straight outta the fridge without fussing over reheating. I also love that there’s minimal cooking involved (just the pasta in this case) so that I have more time for messing about in the garden or playing with my pup Frankie! This easy pasta salad features artichokes, massaged kale, white beans, dill, and a punchy lemon parmesan dressing.
Why I Love This Recipe
- There’s minimal cooking involved making this an easy vegetarian dinner or lunch!
- Leftovers can be enjoyed straight from the fridge without the worry of reheating.
- This vegetarian pasta salad is packed with flavor, fiber, and a good bit of protein.
- It travels well and is perfect for a picnic.
Artichoke Pasta Salad Ingredients and Substitutions
While this artichoke pasta salad recipe is vegetarian as written (make sure to use a vegetarian parmesan made without animal rennet), it can EASILY be made gluten free and vegan. For a gluten free version, use your favorite GF pasta such as fusilli or rotini (my favorites). For a vegan version, simply sub grated vegan parmesan (love Violife). Or, keep it lower cost by using 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast instead. For those looking for high protein, this entire recipe is about 82g which means it’s 27.3g per serving for 3 servings, or 20.5g protein for 4 servings. Use a high protein pasta if you want even more. You can find the entire ingredient list and more substitutions in the recipe card below.
Recipe Tips and Putting Everything Together
The two most important things when it comes to making this artichoke pasta salad are that you cook your pasta until it is al dente (check the package for timing!) and that you massage your kale. Massaging the kale softens it while also making it easier on the digestive system. The massaged kale gets to hang out while the pasta cooks, the veggies and herbs are chopped, and the dressing is whisked together. To balance the acidity in the lemons and artichokes, I love to add a touch of maple syrup or honey to the dressing but you can leave it out if you’re watching added sugars.
If you’re craving another easy pasta salad recipe, I highly recommend my summer picnic pasta salad! It’s packed with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes and is ready in less than 30 minutes.
Artichoke Pasta Salad with Kale and White Beans
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
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
