White Bean and Kale Salad (Printer Friendly)

Creamy white beans and crisp kale tossed with zesty lemon-garlic dressing

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 1 (15 oz) can white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
02 - 1 large bunch kale (about 6 cups), stems removed, leaves chopped
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
06 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

→ Dressing

07 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
11 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined
02 - Place chopped kale in a large salad bowl. Pour half the dressing over the kale and massage with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes, until the leaves soften and darken
03 - Add the white beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and seeds to the kale. Drizzle with the remaining dressing
04 - Toss everything gently to combine. If using, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese before serving

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The kale actually becomes tender and pleasant when you massage it with dressing, which sounds weird but tastes like a total revelation.
  • It comes together in twenty minutes and feels impressive enough to serve to people, but casual enough to eat standing over the sink on a busy day.
  • Everything holds up beautifully, so you can make it ahead and it gets better as it sits, unlike most salads that turn into sad, wilted situations.
02 -
  • If you skip the kale massage step, you'll end up with a salad that feels aggressive to eat, but those two minutes of massage time transforms it into something genuinely pleasant.
  • Make the dressing and coat the kale first, then add everything else right before eating—if the beans and tomatoes sit in dressing too long, they get mushy and sad.
03 -
  • Toast your own seeds in a dry pan for three minutes and you'll taste the difference immediately—it's one of those small efforts that pays off huge.
  • Don't be shy with the kale massage—really work it until it changes texture and color, because that's where the magic happens and why people will actually enjoy eating it.
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