• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • New Magazine!
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

May 3, 2016 by Joy the Baker 22 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

I know I know I know it’s not donuts that taste like cookies, but hang in there with me.

Occasionally we have to empty our produce drawer into our bodies.

Today we’re talking Kale Pesto and making a lazy salad. This pesto has all sorts of lives atop scrambled eggs, on toast, or warmed and dolloped on top of skirt steak.  It’s like, if you have Kale Pesto in your refrigerator you’ve got a meal no matter what.

Shall we?

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

First things first, get in the kitchen and raid your produce drawer of most green things and lots of lemons.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

I filled a food processor to the brim with kale leaves.

Other green things include scallions, fresh parsley, and later… pistachio nuts, amen.

Garlic is peeled, halved, and added to the bowl for blending.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

It’s nice being in the kitchen with Leela and Food with Friends. It’s simple and earnest and delicious without any fussy fuss.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

I love pistachios in pestos because you get to shell pistachios (and eat most of the stash), and the nuts are soft and salty and easy in the food processor.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

Olive oil is streamed into the whirling kale and herbs along with the pistachios, garlic, lemon, and parmesan.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

Look at this green goodness!

Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

Kale pesto, heaps of it, are tossed with warm cooked orzo pasta.

This is about when I start eating it with the serving spoon before I can even get it on a serving platter.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

Lettuce leaves, washed and shaken dry.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

Salad.  Like adults do on occasion.

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

Plus hard boiled egg.  Plus extra pistachios.  Plus more lemon juice.  Plus a grapefruit spritzer.  Plus a fine friend.  That’s a fine day.  Fine and good.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the Kale Pesto

  • 4 cups roughly chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 cup shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped, plus more for serving
  • 1 small handful fresh parsley, stems and all
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

For the Salad

  • scant 1 pound orzo pasta, cooked to tender
  • 1 head butter or romaine lettuce
  • juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, combine kale, garlic, scallions, pistachios, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cheese. Pulse until just barely combined. Mix on low speed while slowly streaming the olive oil into the mixture. Blending until well chopped and completely emulsified. Taste and season according to your preference.
  2. Toss the pesto over warm, cooked orzo pasta and toss to combine. Tear lettuce leaves and divide between plates. Top with pasta salad. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Enjoy!


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Healthy, Recipes, Savory

Previous Post: « Let It Be Sunday!
Next Post: Internet Speak Strawberry Pies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Russell

    December 4, 2016 at 11:15 am

    Great collection of recipes. I would like to add a link to this page from my website, would you be okay with this? These recipes are great for people that are new at making pasta and want to learn more recipes, and I think these recipes could help out a lot of my visitors. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      December 8, 2016 at 1:31 pm

      No, that’s great, go for it!

      Reply
  2. Borhan

    May 29, 2016 at 9:11 am

    This step by step pasta salad recipe is great. I’m in the process of making this for Memorial Day dinner. Thanks for the nice recipe.

    Reply
  3. Betsy

    May 12, 2016 at 11:02 am

    Made this and used it with beet, zucchini and carrot noodles so i feel slightly less guilty about the large spoonful(s) of pesto i mound on top. Delish!

    Reply
  4. gerry @ foodness gracious

    May 5, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    Yes to all of these flavors but pistachios are genius!!

    Reply
  5. vanessa

    May 5, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    I have everything except pistachios think walnuts will work???

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      May 5, 2016 at 5:06 pm

      yes! i think so!

      Reply
« Older Comments
Comments Page 2 of 2
« Previous 1 2

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Healthy

assembling chicken burger on wooden board
Bacon Jalapeno Smashed Chicken Burgers

Allow me to sneak in at the start of your holiday weekend, here at the unofficial beginning of summer (and my favorite weekend of the year) with a humble but high-key FANTASTIC chicken burger. This is one of those smash burger recipes that once you know, you cannot unknow.  This will color your burgers for…

Read More

An easy chicken dinner recipe of tomatoes and feta in a cast iron skillet.
One-Pot Greek Oregano Chicken

I hope you have at least one Greek friend.  With one good Greek friend you’ll know that whatever you’re cooking needs more olive oil and whatever you’re working on, well you should stop to relax by the sea.  My dear friend Anastasia is my Greek friend.  She also happens to give the most incredible culinary…

Read More

Glasses of milk and frosted small batch chocolate cupcakes on a wire rack
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

Just peeking my head in here. I know we’re in the absolute dog days of August. We’re at the beach (God willing). We’re eating ice cream with the freezer open. We are most certainly not wearing pants. We are walking on the shady side of the street when we venture out. We are prone and…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe

Joy the baker with dyed bandana around neck

HOW TO MAKE DYED BANDANAS

as seen in JtB Magazine!

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Berry crostata topped with whipped cream with coffee.

A Single Serve Berry Crostata Recipe

fresh baked blueberry cobbler on a plate with vanilla ice cream on top.

The Secrets To My Favorite Blueberry Cobbler

POPULAR CAKES

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Slice of coconut cake on small white plate with coffee.

My favorite Coconut Cake is actually made with cake mix

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
My EASIEST Strawberry Sheet Cake is also my absolu My EASIEST Strawberry Sheet Cake is also my absolute favorite. Get into a box of white cake mix and fresh 🍓🍓 purée! Topped with a thick layer of strawberry cream cheese frosting - this cake is a little pink dream! ⁣
⁣
The Easiest Strawberry Sheet Cake recipe linked in the bio for you! 💋
Our resident reader, @tobyfels shares my favorite Our resident reader, @tobyfels shares my favorite list of the summer on Joy the Baker this year: The Best Books for Summer 2022!  As a person who reads Beach Reads all year long, this is IT! With titles by @ashleymcoleman_ @anarasong @annleary @bonnie_garmus_author @heyashposton @annabelmonaghan @greerhendricks @sarahpekkanen @shelbyvanpeltwrites @marilynsimonrothstein @@misterosman and @kirstin.chen. The guide to your bookworm summer linked in the bio!
Over here testing the limits of “you are what yo Over here testing the limits of “you are what you eat” and will soon be taking my final form as a summer tomato. ⁣🫠🍅
⁣
This Mediterranean Feta and Fresh Tomato Tart is an absolute show stopper with a buttery crisp, press-in crust, whipped feta, and layers of fresh tomato, cucumber, onions, and olives. I’ll leave the recipe linked in the bio - it’s really very special. Join me. We are 🍅🍅.
Here are my two best kept secrets for getting thro Here are my two best kept secrets for getting through this summer.  I’ve never been much for secrets so I’m letting you right in! ⁣
1.	I’m committed to folding crumbled chewy brownies into the easiest homemade no-churn ice cream.⁣
2.	I’m shopping for all of my baking and summer entertaining essentials, wine and cheese at the new @aldiusa stores opening across the Gulf Coast! Wait… you’re as obsessed with ALDI as I am, right? The shopping is always easy and affordable and I always come home with a fun treat among my essentials. Hit up my stories to see my grocery haul (and the chips I ate in the car on the way home) and head to your nearest ALDI for your summer essentials!  #ad⁣
⁣
I’ll leave the recipe and your #ALDILove grocery list linked in the bio!
Let’s just make one! ⁣ ⁣ One Single Berry Cr Let’s just make one! ⁣
⁣
One Single Berry Crostata just you for. Double the recipe (🔗 in the bio) only if you want to share. ⁣
⁣
#joythebaker #berry #crostata #smallbatch #dessert #foodblogfeed
The freezer is packed with ice cream treats from h The freezer is packed with ice cream treats from here on out, and that’s a promise. ⁣
⁣
Find this Milk and Cereal Ice Cream Bar and loads of other semi-homemade ice cream treats linked in the bio! 💓🍦🫠
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up