Last Updated on January 19, 2026 by Sabrina Currie
Italian lemon, parmesan, kale and cannellini bean salad makes a great lunch, flavourful starter, side dish, or even a main dish for dinner. It's my favorite way to get in lots of fresh leafy greens and is loaded with fibre, plant-based protein, and healthy fats. This is like an Italian antipasto salad with tangy flavors and lots of textures and it only takes minutes to make.
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Why I Love This Salad
Mostly, I love this salad because of the flavors and textures. Artichokes, sundried tomatoes, parmesan and a great lemon vinaigrette have me eating every last leaf of kale, every time! These hearty ingredients also keep well the next day so it's a perfect make-ahead lunch for picnics, school or work.
This kale salad is pescatarian but easily made vegetarian or even vegan with the omission of anchovies and/or parmesan.
Ingredients
- Kale - Any kind of kale is great in this recipes, as long as it's fresh so use whatever looks best at the market or grocery store. Wash and dry raw kale in a salad spinner, then trim off any tough stems or ribs and chop into large, bite-sized pieces. Alternatively, if you can get baby kale, use the whole little leaves. Tuscan kale, lacinato (aka dinosaur kale), curly kale (green or purple) all work well as long as they are fresh looking.
- Parmesan cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano shredded finely, adds great depth of flavor and a light 'creaminess' to the salad dressing. Shave or grate more parmesan cheese over bowls when serving for even more WOW factor.
- Beans - I like to use creamy white beans for this delicious salad. Navy beans (my favorite swap), lupini beans, great northern beans, large butter beans or even lima beans are great substitutions for cannellini beans.
- Anchovies - This is a great use of good quality anchovies. These briny, salty little gems bring everything they touch to life. If you find them too salty, give them a little rinse first and then lay them over top as a delicious garnish.
See recipe card for amounts.
Substitutions + Variations
This kale and white bean salad recipe is easy and fun to customize. Add or swap some of these ingredients to make your favorite flavor combination.
- More - Creamy avocado is a tasty add-in as are black olives.
- Dressing ingredients - Sherry vinegar is a delicious substitution for the red wine vinegar, as is balsamic vinegar. In a pinch, you can swap the wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar.
- Herbs - any soft herbs but particularly rosemary and thyme leaves, savory, marjoram, and fennel or anise seed.
- Add some crunch - Add a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts (my fave), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds (hemp hearts), slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts at the end for little extra crunch.
Step By Step Instructions
This salad is super simple. Whisk up the dressing ingredients and toss with the veggies. Add a few garnishes if you want, or not, and ENJOY!
Step 1. Slice the anchovies into small pieces and finely chop the fresh garlic. Mash garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper together until it's like a paste, then stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar.
Step 2. Add finely grated parmesan cheese.
Step 3. Stir it again until blended. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper.
Step 4. Place kale in the bowl, add half the dressing and toss to coat. (For softer kale, you can let it marinate for 30-60 minutes at this stage and the dressing will soak in, softening the kale.)
Step 5. Add the remaining ingredients and more dressing to taste.
Step 6. Toss and serve with your chosen garnishes. (Extra Parmesan, toasted pine nuts, olives, anchovies or freshly ground pepper.)
Cook's Tips
Toss the kale and half the dressing together up to an hour before serving to make it softer and more flavorful.
Pin It For Later
Save this kale and cannellini bean salad recipe to Pinterest for next time or share it with your friends on Facebook!
More Delicious Salad Recipes
No boring salads here! Just beautiful, vibrant salads that celebrate the best ingredients.
- Greek Beet Salad With Feta And Greek Yogurt
- Roasted Beet Pumpkin Salad With Feta And Pistachios
- Easy Arugula Burrata Salad With Oven Roasted Grapes
- Apple Walnut Salad
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Italian Lemon Parmesan Kale and Cannellini Bean Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- zest of 1 lemon about 1 tbsp
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 anchovies plus more for garnish if you like
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese about 2-3 oz
Salad
- 10 cups kale washed, trimmed and chopped into large bite sized pieces.
- ½ cup red onion slivered
- 1 cup fennel (1 small bulb) thinly sliced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes slivered
- 1 cup artichoke hearts quartered
- 1 can rinsed cannellini beans or 1 ½ cups cooked cannellini beans
- 1 cup basil sliced as chiffonade
- 1 cup parsley roughly chopped
- Optional: ⅔ cup black olives, extra anchovies, toasted pine nuts or shaved parmesan to top.
Instructions
- Place garlic, chopped anchovies, salt and pepper in a bowl and mash together well with a fork or the back of a spoon. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar, stir and then add the grated parmesan cheese. Whisk it all together well. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper if you like.
- Place kale in the bowl, pour over half the dressing and toss to coat. Add the onion, fennel, tomatoes, artichokes, beans, basil and parsley. Toss again adding more salad dressing to taste. Serve topped with extra parmesan and fresh cracked pepper on top and any extra add ins you like, such as toasted pine nuts, olives or anchovies.
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