Italian White Bean and Kale Salad

This kale dense bean salad with a zesty Italian dressing is the perfect meal prep lunch! It has cannellini beans, kale, red peppers, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, and optional tuna for extra protein. It is packed with nutrients, veggies, and flavor, and ready in 15 minutes!

Italian white bean and kale salad with tuna and shaved parmesan in a bowl.

The dense bean salad trend, made popular by TikToker Violet Witchel, is going viral right now and for good reason! Canned beans are an often overlooked ingredient, but pack tons of protein and fiber into a dish. They are filling and neutral in flavor making them a great addition to a salad like this one. 

My favorite thing about these types of salads is they are specially created with ingredients (like kale) that won’t get mushy as they chill in the refrigerator, so they are great for making ahead of time. You can prep a big batch in the beginning of the week, and have a ready to go nutritious meal when you need it. 

Meal Prepping Tips

  • This dense bean salad won’t get mushy in the fridge, so it’s great for meal prepping ahead of time. You can even mix in the dressing! Just add the croutons right before serving. 
  • Chop the veggies all into similar sized pieces, about the size of the beans, for a better overall texture. 
  • To prep the kale, hold your fingers around the leafy part, then pull the stem out with your other hand. After that you can massage and chop the kale into thin strips.  
  • Use a vegetable peeler to shave flakes of parmesan. 
  • If you’re not a fan of canned tuna, swap it out with a second can of beans or add chopped leftover chicken. Adding rotisserie chicken is good too!
  • You can eat this salad right away, but it’s better after it chills and marinates in the fridge for a few hours. 
  • This salad lasts 4-5 days in the fridge, and is best eaten cold. 

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Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Anchovy paste – Trust me! It will add a zestiness to this salad, similar to a cesar dressing. I buy anchovy paste in a squeezable tube. 
  • Kale – I prefer lacinato kale, aka dino kale. 
  • Red bell pepperSubstitute for yellow or orange. 
  • Cherry tomatoes – I don’t like when cherry tomatoes burst in my mouth, so I slice them before adding to the salad. 
  • Red onion – The pungent flavor will mellow out once the salad marinates. 
  • Cannellini beansSubstitute for other canned white beans. 
  • Tuna – I use canned tuna in oil, drained. Substitute for an extra can of beans or chopped leftover chicken.

The Process

Process of making kale tuna and bean salad.
  1. Chop the veggies into small uniform pieces. Cut the kale into thin strips. 
  2. Whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and anchovy paste together until smooth. 
  3. Toss the rest of the ingredients except for the tuna and croutons, then break the tuna into bite sized pieces. 
  4. Gently toss everything together. Add croutons right before serving.

Lauren’s Meal Planning Tips

  • Prep a batch of this in the beginning of the week, and it should last you 4-5 days before getting mushy. Kale really holds up well once dressed. 
  • This recipe makes 4 servings, so double the recipe if you want lunch for 2 people all week. 
  • Prep in individual containers for an easier grab and go lunch. Pack the croutons separately, and don’t refrigerate them.

Learn more meal planning tips in Meal Planning 101.

Meal prepped bowls of dense bean salad with kale and tuna.

Italian Dense Bean and Kale Salad

A zesty dense bean salad with cannellini beans, kale, red peppers, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, and optional tuna for extra protein, tossed in a zesty Italian dressing. Perfect for a meal prepped lunch! Ready in 15 minutes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon anchovy paste
  • 4 ounces Lacinato kale, about 4 cups
  • ½ red bell pepper
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cup artichoke hearts, drained
  • ¼ cup red onion
  • ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
  • 15 ounces cannellini beans, 1 regular sized can
  • 5 ounces tuna, optional
  • ½ cup croutons, crushed

Instructions

  • PREP: Chop red bell pepper. Thinly slice red onion. Slice cherry tomatoes. Remove stems from kale and massage. Chop into bite sized pieces. Thinly slice or tear basil. Drain and rinse cannellini beans. Drain tuna.
  • WHISK: Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and anchovy paste in a large bowl with a pinch of salt until smooth.
  • TOSS: Add kale, red bell pepper. cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, red onion, parmesan cheese, and capers to the bowl and toss together with dressing. Then add beans. Break up the tuna into smaller chunks and gently fold in with the beans and rest of the salad.
  • SERVE: Just before serving, top with crushed croutons.

Notes

  • This dense bean salad won’t get mushy in the fridge, so it’s great for meal prepping ahead of time.
  • Chop the veggies all into similar sized pieces, about the size of the beans, for a better overall texture. 
  • To prep the kale, hold your fingers around the leafy part, then pull the stem out with your other hand. After that you can massage and chop the kale into thin strips.  
  • Use a vegetable peeler to shave flakes of parmesan. 
  • Substitute canned tuna for a second can of beans or chopped chicken. 
  • Substitute red pepper for yellow or orange. 
  • Substitute Cannellini beans for any other white bean.
  • Add the croutons right before serving. 
  • Salad is better after it chills and marinates in the fridge for a few hours.
  • Lasts 4-5 days in the fridge, and is best eaten cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 17gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 765mgPotassium: 267mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 3461IUVitamin C: 51mgCalcium: 228mgIron: 4mg

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