Kale White Bean Salad is the perfect rustic side dish for your garden kale! Healthy and hearty white beans and kale are balanced with cozy homemade croutons, crispy bacon and Parmesan cheese for a simple salad that goes from weeknights to holidays! Kale fans will love this easy, earthy, and delicious salad!
- For the Kale Fans! - Now I know kale isn't always the most popular vegetable, but if you're a kale lover, this salad is for you! Healthy kale and white beans are balanced nicely with a generous amount of bacon, croutons, and Parmesan cheese!
- Versatile - This white bean and kale salad can work as a Thanksgiving side dish, as a stand alone lunch, or as a weeknight dinner side! It's perfect for using up the late fall garden abundance of kale, which was the case for me!
- Love Unique Side Salads? Try this Tomato Feta White Bean Salad and this Kale Apple Slaw Salad!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Super healthy ingredients balanced with some comforting not-so-healthy ones is what makes this salad so yummy!
- Kale - Any type of kale will work for this salad and the amount is flexible. Depending on the size of your kale leaves (which can be huge to pretty small) you could use anywhere from 1 to 6 leaves! If you love kale, you can add extra, and if you only kind of like kale, just do a little! The salad will be different, but fine with really any amount of kale that looks right to you. You could also substitute fresh, roughly chopped, spinach.
- White Beans - Use any kind of white beans such as cannellini, navy, or great northern beans.
- Croutons - You can use store-bought croutons, but making your own is really easy with any crusty bread you have on hand. The croutons absorb the dressing and soften, similar to a Panzanella Bread Salad.
- Bacon - It gives the salad a salty rich protein! You could also use crispy prosciutto. See how to make it in this recipe for Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Crispy Prosciutto.
- Parmesan Cheese - Buy a block of Parmesan cheese and use a vegetable peeler to get big shavings. Then crumble them with your fingers into the salad. Feta cheese could be substituted.
- Vinaigrette - A quick shake in a jar is all it takes to make your own Honey Garlic Vinaigrette. The clove of minced fresh garlic is really important for flavor in the salad.
See recipe card below for full quantities.
Instructions
Cook up your bacon and croutons and toss it all together, this salad is quick and easy!
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the cubed bread on a sheet pan with olive oil and dried herbs and lay out the bacon on another pan.
Bake both together, but watch them carefully. The croutons will take about 12 to 14 minutes and the bacon about 18 to 20 minutes.
Step 2 - Wash the kale well, checking the underside. Pull the leaves from the stems, wad it into a pile, and roughly chop.
Add the ingredients for the dressing to a jar with a lid and shake to emulsify.
Step 3 - Toss the kale with a bit of the dressing to break it down and tenderize it. You can even "massage" the dressed kale using your hands to tenderize it further!
Step 4 - Add the beans, croutons and about half the bacon and cheese to the bowl and toss well with a bit more dressing.
Step 5 - Add the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining bacon and Parmesan over the top so everything is visible and even. Garnish with fresh oregano or thyme leaves if you have them!
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Using Raw Kale - Especially if it's from your garden, wash and inspect your kale carefully. Kale is pretty rough and fibrous, so tossing it with the dressing ahead of time will tenderize it. You can even "massage" the kale with the dressing using your hands to break it down. You can use as much or as little kale for this salad as you like, or substitute fresh spinach.
- Vinaigrette - This salad uses a very basic homemade vinaigrette, a variation I use for lots of my salad recipes! It makes a small jar and you won't need all of it for this salad. You can store extra in the fridge, it will keep for a month, and use it on any salad.
- Storage and Leftovers - Extra salad, even with the dressing, can be stored in the fridge and eaten the next day. Great leftovers for lunch!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If making ahead, you can make the croutons, bacon and dressing, keeping each in separate containers. Then just add the chopped kale, beans and Parmesan to a bowl and toss everything together when you are ready to serve. Or, you can make the complete salad, tossed with the dressing, about an hour before serving and refrigerate. You will lose the warm bacon and crouton aspect, but it will still be good.
I used curly kale for this recipe, but dinosaur or any type of kale should work just fine.
Yes! At least pre-toss it with the dressing using tongs, or use your hands to really "massage" the leaves into the dressing, breaking down the tough fibers even more for a tender bite!
More Favorite Salad Recipes!
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Kale White Bean Salad
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 cups crusty bread cubed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fresh or dried oregano or thyme
- 5 strips bacon
- 2 to 5 leaves fresh kale stems removed, about 2 cups chopped
- 1 can white beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shaved with a vegetable peeler
For the Dressing
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Add the cubed bread to a sheet pan and toss with olive oil and oregano. Add the bacon strips to another sheet pan.
- Bake the bacon and croutons in the oven together, check on them both after 10 minutes, toss and flip if you like. The croutons should take about 12 to 14 minutes and the bacon should take about 18 to 20 minutes. Take them out when done and don't burn!
- Transfer the bacon to a plate, chop when slightly cooled.
- Wash the kale well under running water, remove the stems and chop.
- Shake all ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid to emulsify. Add the kale to a bowl and toss well with a bit of the dressing, use tongs or your hands to "massage," tenderizing the kale.
- Add white beans, croutons and half the bacon and Parmesan to the bowl and toss with a bit more dressing.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Add the remaining bacon and Parmesan cheese over the top. Garnish with fresh oregano or thyme if you like!
Notes
- Kale - Use any type of kale such as curly, dinosaur or any type. Wash kale well, especially if it's from the garden, inspecting the under side of the leaves for bugs! Toss or massage first with the dressing to break down the kale and tenderize.
- White Beans - Use great northern, cannellini, or navy beans.
- Croutons - Any type of crusty loaf will work including French or Italian Bread, baguette or sourdough.
- Vinaigrette - Red or white wine vinegar will work. Honey can be substituted with maple syrup or omitted. Fresh garlic is really important! You likely won't use all the dressing, extra will keep in the fridge for a month and can be used on any salad. Let it come to room temperature and re-shake to emulsify.
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