This cannellini bean recipe with kale pesto is cooked on the stove top with fresh tomatoes and lemon juice. It's a healthy "go to" white bean and pesto dish for a delicious vegetarian dinner.

Stainless steel deep skillet filled with white beans and diced tomatoes with a lightly pulsed pesto of kale and almonds.

This bean and pesto recipe is versatile. Cannellini beans with kale pesto can be served on it's own as a main dish or over pasta, quinoa, rice, or farro.

A touch of grated Parmesan cheese is a nice garnish for this bean and pesto recipe. Vegans leave out the Parmesan garnish or substitute nutritional yeast instead.

Serve this white bean and kale pesto recipe at room temperature, cold, or warm.

Chunky vs Smooth Kale Pesto For The White Beans

Hey look - pesto and beans are a classic combo so if smooth pesto is your thing, then knock it out and blend the heck out of the pesto.

I personally love chunkier pesto for this cannellini bean and kale pesto recipe. I lightly pulse the pesto ingredients in a food processor to make a chunkier pesto in order to taste and see all the pesto parts.

Ingredients on a wood cutting board. White beans in a strainer, bowl of cherry tomatoes, bowl of grated Parmesan cheese, bowl of chili pepper flakes, lemon cut in half, head of kale, whole almonds, and 4 garlic cloves. Side view. — Dark green lacinato kale gives the pepper a deeper and darker color than curly lighter green kale. The lighter green kale retains it's color longer. Pick whole tomatoes and dice or just cut cherry tomatoes in half. Use whole almonds or sliced almonds depending on what you have on hand.

Whole Tomatoes Diced Up Vs. Cherry Tomatoes Halved

Pick whole tomatoes and dice or just cut cherry tomatoes in half depending on what looks and tastes better.

Cherry tomatoes will give it a more vibrant look and different texture but a ripe cut up tomato is just as good!

I tend to use cherry tomatoes if eating cold or room temperature and a nice ripe large tomato if warming up / cooking. Either will work - don't sweat it 🙂

Stainless steel deep skillet filled with white beans and diced tomatoes with a lightly pulsed pesto of kale and almonds with a wood spoon. Close up.

Different Kale Varieties For Kale Pesto

Pick the best looking most vibrant head of kale for this white bean and pesto recipe. There are generally, at least, two kinds available at the grocery store or farmers market.

Dark green lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale gives the pesto a deeper and darker color than curly lighter green kale. Lacinato kale is flatter and easier to clean in my opinion.
The lighter green curly kale retains it's color longer so choose that if you are a visual person and will have leftovers. Curly green has lots of nooks and crannies for dirt and small aphids to hide.

Take off most of the fibrous stem of the individual kale pieces (see video). This is easily done by running your hand down the stem and then chopping off the leaves or by using a knife to cut the stem away.

Side view of white beans and halved cherry tomatoes with Kale pesto in a white bowl with a wood spoon. Close up. — *I tend to use cherry tomatoes if eating cold and/or if they look better at the grocery store. Either a whole ripe tomato or halved cherry tomatoes will work for this recipe.*

Use Nuts To Add More Flavor To Kale Pesto

Use whole almonds and crush 'em up or use sliced almonds depending on what you have on hand.

Toast the nuts for a richer flavor. Skip toasting if you don't have the time for the extra step or don't want to clean a baking sheet.

Side view of white beans and halved cherry tomatoes with Kale pesto in a white bowl. Bowl of chili flakes and grated Parmesan cheese in background.

Final Words on Cannellini Bean and Kale Pesto

Spice up this white bean and pesto recipe with crushed red pepper flakes.

Serve as is or over penne pasta, wild rice, or quinoa. Serve warm or cold.

Don’t want to use canned beans? Check out my blog post on cooking dry beans.

This is definitely a "check your teeth" after you eat kinda recipe. Your welcome 🙂

grated cheese on a see-through cutting board with a hand held cheese grater in the background. — *Add a little grated Parmesan Cheese for extra extra.*

Things In My Kitchen:

Salad Spinner - Remember to clean your kale. Lots of stuff can get hidden in there.
Zester / Grater - Good for shredding / grating Parmesan finely.
8 Cup Food Processor - Affordable workhorse food processor for pulsing the kale.

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Cannellini Beans with Kale Pesto

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EatSimpleFood.com

This cannellini bean recipe with kale pesto is warmed up on the stove top with fresh tomatoes and lemon juice.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 3
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

⅓ cup (~2.5 ounces) sliced almonds, toasted
1 large head of kale, de-stemmed & roughly chopped
1 ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
3 tablespoon (~ 1 lemon) fresh lemon juice
2 + tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 large tomatoe, diced
½ Cup water (optional as needed)
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and toast sliced almond 5-7 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to brown.

Make Pesto:

Destem, rinse, and roughly chop kale.
Into food processor add: kale, toasted almonds, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (optional). Pulse a handful of times until it's finely chopped. You do not want it pulverized - you should still be able to see pieces of kale.
Bring a large pan to medium high heat, add olive oil to lightly coat the pan.
Add cannellini beans, kale pesto, and tomatoes. Add ½ cup water if you want a thinner consistency. Cover & cook ~ 5-7 minutes or until warm.
Add more olive oil, lemon juice, and/or salt to taste.
Top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with red pepper flakes if you like. Happy eating! Beckie

Notes

This dish can be served warm or cold and cooking is optional. Just mix all the ingredients together if you don't want to cook it!
Dark green lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale gives the pesto a deeper and darker color than curly lighter green kale. The lighter green kale retains it's color longer so choose that if you are a visual person and will have leftovers.
Use whole almonds and crush 'em up or use sliced almonds depending on what you have on hand.
Spice it up with crushed red pepper flakes.
Serve as is as a main dish or over pasta, wild rice, or quinoa.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this Cannellini and Kale Pesto Dish with a complementary recipe like:

Cannellini Beans with Kale Pesto

Chunky vs Smooth Kale Pesto For The White Beans