Orzo Kale Salad with Cranberries

This orzo kale salad with dried cranberries, cheesy pecan parmesan and a sweet lemon garlic dressing is a hit to everyone who tries it. It keeps really well for meal prep and is delicious warm or cold. This pasta salad is vegan, whole food plant-based, oil-free and refined sugar-free.

white bowl of kale orzo salad with cranberries and pecans with spoon resting on side and slice of lemon on counter

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This kale orzo pasta salad can be served cold or at room temperature. Because it doesn't have to be heated up, it's convenient (not to mention delicious) to take on a picnic in the park, for a work lunch.

But, it's special enough to take to a potluck or serve at a family dinner or to company.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Ingredients for cranberry pecan kale orzo pasta salad: tuscan lacinato kale shredded, dried cranberries, shelled pecan halves, orzo pasta, nutritional yeast.

Ingredients for creamy lemon garlic oil-free pasta salad dressing: lemon juice, maple syrup, white cannellini beans, black pepper, salt and garlic clove

Lacinato kale - This type of kale is also called tuscan kale or dinosaur kale. It is a very dark green color and the leaves are flat, thin and long, kind of like swiss chard. They are not ruffled like their more common "cousin", curly green kale. You can find it at well-stocked grocery stores, such as Whole Foods, Central Market or HEB. Trader Joe's carries pre-washed and cut tuscan kale in a bag, although you'll still need to cut it down into smaller pieces. Do try to find lacinato kale for this recipe, as it works especially well with the dressing and pecan parmesan.
Orzo pasta - Orzo is a small pasta that is shaped somewhat like rice. It works really well in pasta salad.
White cannellini beans - Instead of oil in the dressing, we're using white cannellini beans to give the dressing body and thickness.
Nutritional yeast - Lovingly referred to as "nooch", nutritional yeast gives the pecan parmesan a slightly cheesy flavor. Some prefer the flavor of unfortified nutritional yeast instead, so if you've only had fortified and didn't care for it, try the unfortified nooch and see if you like it better.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this kale salad recipe:

Lacinato kale - instead of lacinato kale (which is also called tuscan or dinosaur kale), you can use curly green kale or curly purple kale instead. Do try and source the lacinato kale, though - it's best, flavor-wise!
Orzo pasta - instead of orzo, try another small pasta shape, such as ditalini, mini bowties, rotini, conchiglie (medium shells), gemelli, casarecce or gigli.
Pecans - instead of pecans, you can use walnuts or pepitas.
White cannellini beans - Instead of canned white cannellini beans, you can use other cooked white beans. I find canned cannellini beans more tender than navy beans, but you can use them as a substitute. If you use oil in your cooking, you can use olive oil instead.
Fresh lemon juice - Do try to use fresh lemon juice, but if you can't, bottled lemon juice will work. If using bottled, try to find one that is "not from concentrate" - it will taste better.
Maple syrup - Instead of maple syrup, use agave nectar or honey (if you eat honey - keep in mind this would not be considered vegan).
Garlic clove - Instead of a whole garlic clove, you can use minced or crushed garlic (2 teaspoons).
Nut-free - make this nut-free by using pepitas instead of pecans

Switch things up with these variation ideas!

Kale Orzo Feta Salad - mix in some crumbled vegan feta cheese
Kale Chickpea Pasta Salad - mix in some drained, cooked chickpeas
Kale Chopped Side Salad - omit the pasta and reduce the dressing for a kale chopped side salad
Kale Apple Pasta Salad - add thinly sliced apple to the salad for a refreshing crunch

Love Chick-fil-a's kale crunch salad? See this copycat Chick-fil-a kale crunch salad (oil-free!) on my website!

🔪 Instructions

Here are the step-by-step photos on how to make this vegan kale orzo pasta salad.

Step 1: Dry roast shelled pecans in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 1-3 minutes. Be careful because they go from fragrant to burnt very quickly. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 2: Once the pecans have cooled a bit (they can still be warm, but not piping hot), transfer them to a mini food processor, along with the nutritional yeast and pinch of sea salt.

Step 3: Process until the pecans are a little bigger than breadcrumbs. Do not over-process (we don't want pecan butter). Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.

Step 4: In a blender (a small blender works best), add maple syrup, lemon juice, white beans (or olive oil), water, peeled garlic clove, sea salt and black pepper. Blend until completely smooth and there are no pieces of garlic or beans left. If you only have a large blender, it may be best to double or triple the dressing recipe. You can also use a small food processor as an option for making the dressing.

Step 5: How do you cut lacinato kale for salad? Remove the stems from your lacinato kale by cutting the stems out with the tip of your knife or using your hands to strip the leaves off. (Don't throw away the stems. Finely chop them and put them in a plastic baggie in the freezer. Next time you make soup, throw them in!)

Step 6: Using a large knife, thinly slice the kale into strips ¼ to ½ inch wide. Then, chop them into smaller strips, so they are not super long in the salad. Alternate method: To save time chopping, you can roughly chop or tear the kale into large pieces and blitz them in a food processor to get pieces about ½ inch wide.

slotted spoon with some cooking orzo in it

Step 7: Bring a medium pan of well-salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta and cook according to package directions, about 7-10 minutes. Stir orzo frequently, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan (this is a common problem with orzo).

stirring orzo pasta frequently while it's boiling

Step 8: Start tasting the orzo each minute after it's been cooking 7 minutes (or the minimum time on the package). Once it is cooked through when you taste it, drain the pasta and rinse lightly with water. Drain thoroughly and set aside in a large salad bowl to cool.

Step 9: In the large salad bowl with the orzo, add your chopped kale, dried cranberries and pecan parmesan. If you want, you can reserve a little parmesan to sprinkle on top of each serving.

serving kale orzo pasta salad from salad bowl to white plate

Step 10: Pour dressing onto kale orzo pasta salad. Toss to combine and let rest for 5 minutes to allow the dressing to tenderize and soften the kale before serving.

Expert tips

Save time cutting the kale by buying the pre-washed, chopped tuscan kale from Trader Joe's. Then, blitz it in a food processor until it's in smaller pieces. You want the pieces to be no larger than ½ inch wide.
Don't over-process the pecans! It's better to have slightly larger pieces than for it to go too far and become chunky pecan butter.
Double or triple this pasta salad recipe next time, if you like it! It keeps well. Making a larger batch of dressing is easier to blend smooth, too.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

Store the combined pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will be good for up to 5 days. The pecan parmesan stored by itself is good refrigerated for up to 10 days.

You can freeze the pecan parmesan for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

❓ FAQ

My dressing is gritty, what happened?

You probably didn't blend the dressing long enough. Or, the beans were not tender. The white beans must be blended thoroughly into the dressing. I find that white cannellini beans in a can are more tender than other white beans, like navy beans. Next time, blend the dressing longer and use tender, cooked white beans.

Can you eat lacinato kale raw in a salad?

Yes! You can eat kale raw in a salad. Kale can be a bit tough or bitter at times, so it's best to 1) cut the kale pieces small, 2) pair it will a sweet dressing that has lemon juice or another acid to soften the kale and 3) allow the kale to marinate in the dressing for 5-10 minutes before serving to tenderize it.

Do you cook orzo covered or uncovered?

Cook orzo uncovered, with no lid on top. It should boil while it's cooking.

How long do you cook orzo for al dente?

To cook orzo al dente, it should take about 8-9 minutes. But, be sure to taste the past every 30-60 seconds at the end of cooking to get it just right.

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📖 Recipe

This recipe was inspired by a kale salad recipe from Oh She Glows into an oil-free pasta salad recipe.