White Bean and Kale Salad (Printable)

A nourishing Mediterranean salad with creamy white beans, massaged kale, fresh vegetables, and zesty lemon-garlic dressing.

# Ingredient List:

→ Salad Components

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→ Lemon-Garlic Dressing

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# Steps:

01 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified and smooth.
02 - Place chopped kale in a large salad bowl. Pour half the dressing over the kale and massage with hands for 1–2 minutes until leaves soften and darken in color.
03 - Add white beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and toasted seeds to the kale. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
04 - Gently toss all ingredients until evenly coated. If desired, sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top before serving.

# Expert Advice:

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  • The creamy beans and bright dressing create this perfect balance between satisfying and refreshing
  • It actually gets better as it sits, making it ideal for meal prep or picnics
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  • The kale massage step is not optional, it completely transforms the texture from tough to silky
  • Letting the salad sit for 15 minutes before serving allows the flavors to meld beautifully
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  • Dried beans work beautifully here if you have time to cook them from scratch, they hold their texture even better than canned
  • Toasting the seeds yourself in a dry pan for just 2 minutes makes a huge difference in flavor depth
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