When we were putting together dinner on a whim a few weekends ago we combined prepared pesto, feta and kale into the most delicious three ingredient salad. It was so good I knew I had to replicate it for a blog post.
I complicated things by adding two more ingredients: toasted pine nuts and smoked salmon but feel free to leave those off if you’d like to keep this ASAP….as simple as possible : )
Start with two heads of kale. Any variety will do. Cut off the thickest part of the stems (bonus points if you freeze them and use them in soup!)
Then chop the rest in both directions so you have bite-sized pieces.
Give it a nice wash.
I couldn’t live without my salad spinner!
Add half a cup of pesto (bonus points if you use homemade!) Give the kale a nice massage with clean hands to toss the pesto well and break down the kale a bit.
Toss in 1 cup of crumbled feta (bonus points if you start with a solid block and break it up yourself – tastes so much better than pre-crumbled!)
Add 1/3 cup pine nuts (bonus points if you take the time to toast them!)
This recipe serves 4-6, so portion some in a bowl and top with any protein of your choice for an all-in-one lunch or light dinner!
Easy Pesto Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 2 heads of kale
- 1/2 cup pesto
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Remove stems from kale and chop into bite-size pieces.
- Add pesto and massage kale with clean hands for about a minute incorporating pesto throughout.
- Add feta and toss.
- Toast pine nuts until fragrant and toss into salad.
Bethany @ Athletic Avocaod says
October 30, 2015 at 8:19 amSimple yet delicious, I love it!
Stacey says
October 30, 2015 at 9:31 amThat looks so good and so easy!!! I love pesto and pine nuts! What do we win if we get all the bonus points! 🙂
Linda @ The Fitty says
October 30, 2015 at 9:39 amOh gosh, easy and YUM!
Bethany says
October 30, 2015 at 10:07 amBonus points for Friday! Looks yummy!
Kori says
October 30, 2015 at 10:48 amThis sounds incredible! I made a kale pesto that Matt & I have been using on everything from his savory oatmeal scramblers to sandwiches & salads. I need to make a classic pesto next time & leave the kale as the star green. 😉 Thanks for the recipe!
Taryn says
October 30, 2015 at 10:51 amNot sure how much Kale you eat raw but I came across this the other day and thought it was interesting
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/green-smoothie-recipe/
laura says
October 30, 2015 at 11:10 amPesto in the freezer from this summer’s basil crop! This looks AMAZING!
Belle says
October 30, 2015 at 11:24 amcan you send a link to your exact salad spinner? is it a small one? I’m looking for one that’s not gigantic.
KathEats says
October 31, 2015 at 9:14 amThis is the newer version of the one we have. It’s not that small, but it’s not huge.
robin says
October 30, 2015 at 5:41 pmLooks really good
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
October 30, 2015 at 8:21 pmThis looks so yummy!
Amanda says
October 31, 2015 at 3:34 pmI have so much trouble enjoying kale salads. I’ll have to give this one a try!
Lisa @ Lisa the Vegetarian says
November 2, 2015 at 10:20 amI have the same salad spinner as you! And I can’t imagine how I ever made salads without one. It’s so handy.