This Mediterranean Kale Pasta Salad is made with cavatappi pasta, shredded kale, feta cheese, shredded Parmesan, and sundried tomatoes in a fresh basil garlic oil. It's a flavorful summer side dish or a deliciously satisfying lunch!
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A couple weeks ago, I spent the day with my parents. Like most trips to their house, I ended up raiding their fridge. What did I find this time? A container of Sam's Club Mediterranean Kale Pasta Salad. My mom was telling me how good it was and that I would love it. So I made myself a plate and dug in.
Mom was right! It was so good! The salad was made with cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta, shredded kale, feta cheese, shredded Parmesan, and sundried tomatoes in a basil garlic olive oil. You can't go wrong with a Mediterranean flavor medley! The small plate of salad I had was so satisfying and held me over until dinner.
Because Sam's Club is a bit of a drive for me, I looked up the ingredients online and told my mom I'd try to figure out a copycat recipe.
We figured that all you had to do was cook the pasta, make an easy basil garlic olive oil, massage the kale with a little of the oil, and toss everything together with the feta cheese, shredded Parmesan and sundried tomatoes. Easy enough!
Mediterranean Kale Pasta Salad
If you're anything like us and eat a ton of pasta salad during the summer months, you might want to hang onto this recipe. It's full of delicious Mediterranean flavors and gets better as its sits - as most pasta salads do. Plus, the kale holds up a lot longer than regular lettuce, so it won't get soggy.
The first thing we need to do to start this salad is cook the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the cavatappi. Cook the pasta according to the box. Then, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside to cool.
While the pasta is cooling, make the basil garlic oil. In a blender or food processor, add olive oil, fresh basil leaves, garlic, a tablespoon of water, a tablespoon of white vinegar, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Add the kale to a large mixing bowl. Then, drizzle about a tablespoon of the basil garlic oil over the kale. Using your hands, massage the oil into the kale leaves just until they begin to soften up a bit.
Add the cooled pasta to the bowl of kale. Cut the feta cheese into cubes (or you can use crumbled, if desired) and add to the bowl, along with the shredded Parmesan, and sundried tomatoes.
Drizzle the rest of the basil garlic oil over the top of the salad. Stir to combine.
Serve the salad immediately or chill in the fridge.
Mediterranean Kale Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cavatappi corkscrew pasta
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2/3 cup fresh basil washed and torn
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 6 cups chopped kale
- 8 oz. feta cheese block cubed
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- In blender or food processor, add garlic, basil, olive oil, water, vinegar, and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and pulse until smooth.
- Add kale to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of basil oil over kale and massage into leaves.
- Add the cooled pasta, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and sundried tomatoes to the kale. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the rest of the basil garlic oil and stir to combine.
- Season the pasta salad with salt and pepper and serve immediately or chill in the fridge.
This pasta salad is so satisfying on its own. But if you want to turn it into a full meal with some added protein, tossing in some chopped grill chicken would be really good, too!
Did you make this Mediterranean Kale Pasta Salad recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
