This vibrant vegetarian Black Bean and Kale Salad is my new favorite way amp up my daily servings of veggies and fiber! It’s fresh, flavorful, and so totally delicious!
Hellooooo delicious! This salad is easily one of my favorites. It checks a LOT of boxes thanks to the fact that it’s a literal vegetable smorgasboard loaded with fiber, vitamins, antioxidants. It’s a nutrition party and everyone’s invited!
The ingredients in this salad are fresh, colorful, and pretty darn simple:
- black beans
- kale
- bell peppers
- tomatoes
- avocado
- red onion
- fresh lime juice
For the dressing you can keep things ultra simple by dressing this salad with some fresh lime juice, olive oil, white or red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper. I’ve done this often when I don’t have cilantro handy or if I don’t feel like making a proper dressing and it’s still crazy delicious.
For a little something extra, let’s let some cilantro, cumin and a little drizzle of your favorite sweetener (honey, sugar, agave etc…) to make a restaurant-style dressing for this salad.
Black Bean and Kale Salad
This rockin’ recipe yields 6 side salads but can also be used to yield 3-4 larger servings of kale salad. I’ll typically house about a 1/3 of the bowl for lunch, haha! See post below the recipe card for lots of pairings and serving suggestions for what to serve with it.
Need a make-ahead or meal prep option? You’re in luck because this salad tastes AMAZING the next day! The only thing that is sensitive to browning is the avocado, so you can just add the avo over the portion you are going to eat and then pack the rest up for later!
FIRST MAKE THE DRESSING
For the cilantro lime vinaigrette, combine all the above ingredients in a small mason jar and shake well.
PRO TIP: If you’d like to take some of the harshness out of the red onion, go ahead and add your finely minced onion to the dressing jar and let it soak while you prep the rest of the salad. This will result in the most delish marinated onions that will have more flavor and less sharpness. Win-win!
NEXT MASSAGE THE KALE
Remove kale leaves from the center stem. Wash and dry (I use my trusty salad spinner) then chop into small pieces.
Add to a large mixing bowl and squeeze juice of half a lime over the kale. Reserve the other half to slice and garnish the salad. Massage the kale with your fingers until it darkens slightly in color and takes on a more tender texture.
PREP THE REMAINING VEGGIES
Dice all the remaining vegetables nice and small (so we can fit more into each forkful) and save chopping the avocado for the very end before serving.
Add to the kale along with the drained and rinsed black beans and the salad dressing. Mix well to coat.
Give it a taste-test and adjust the dressing to your personal tastes. You can add more acidity (an extra splash of lime or vinegar) or some extra salt/pepper/cumin to liven up the flavors even more. Extra sweetness can be added if desired and feel free to toss in any of the optional extras from the list above if you’d like. Let your taste buds be your guide.
Nutrition Facts below are estimated for both the salad and dressing using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on any extras added and enjoy!
Calories: 245kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Sodium: 310mg, Potassium: 671mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2562IU, Vitamin C: 71mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 3mg
Q: How do I massage Kale?
First wash, dry, and chop your kale. Teeny bites of kale mean you’ll get lots of kale, veggies, and dressing to fit on each forkful.
Add the kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle kale with a tsp or two of your favorite healthy oil (like avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil) *OR* some fresh lime juice and a pinch of sea salt.
Massage/rub the oil/juice into kale with your fingers until kale darkens in color. This little rubdown turns the curly kale leaves into a tender and silky salad green!
Q: CAN i USE Lacinato kale instead of curly kale?
Lacinato kale, sometimes called dinosaur kale because of its texture, is a fantastic swap for curly kale and will work great for this salad! Both are absolutely delicious options and I’ll often just buy what’s on sale or what looks best when I’m at the store that day.
Q: Can I use dried beans instead of canned?
Yeah buddy! I have an excellent recipe for cooking dried beans in the crock-pot if you need it. Sometimes I’ll make a big batch and then freeze little can-sized portions (usually around 1.5 to 2 cups each) so I can use them for recipes that call for a can of beans. Then just defrost them when you need them and you’re good to go!
Serving Suggestions
I will typically have this Black Bean and Kale Salad as a simple vegetarian lunch all on its lonesome, but you can round it out into a balanced meal by pairing it with a soup or sandwich.
It also makes a fabulous side dish forveggie burgers, paninis,pizza, and even compliments a good old fashioned cheesy quesadilla!
T-rex friends are welcome to add their favorite protein to the mix (it’s great with some shredded rotisserie chicken) and as written it’s actually vegan, so it’s really one of those salads that’s great for everyone! Customise it any which way you’d like and enjoy!
If you get a chance to try this black bean and kale recipe, let me know! Leave me a comment or review using the form below.
I’m always so excited to hear from you, and can’t wait to hear all about your tasty salad creation!
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