20-Minute Kale Pesto Pasta with White Beans and Toasted Walnuts
Kale pesto pasta made with toasted walnuts, lemon and nutritional yeast, then tossed with creamy cannellini beans. A bright, garlicky dinner ready in 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
20-Minute Kale Pesto Pasta with White Beans and Toasted Walnuts is a vegan dinner recipe made with lacinato or curly kale, walnut halves, garlic. It takes 20 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 732 calories, 24 g of protein and 10 g of fiber.
Blanching the kale for one minute in the pasta water softens its rough texture and keeps the pesto bright green. You also don't need a second pot. Toasting the walnuts brings out a deep, buttery flavor that helps balance kale's slight bitterness. Starchy pasta water loosens the pesto into a glossy sauce, and the cannellini beans warm up in the pot during the last minute of cooking.
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 bunch140 glacinato or curly kale, thick stems removed (about 6 packed cups leaves)
- ½ cup59 gwalnut halves, toasted
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic, peeled
- ¼ cup15 gnutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp46 gfresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup71 gextra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt
- ¼ tsp0.6 gblack pepper
Pasta
- 1 tbsp18 gsalt, for the pasta water
- 12 oz340 gshort pasta, such as fusilli, penne or orecchiette
- 1 can240 gcannellini beans, drained and rinsed, one 15-oz can
- 1 cup237 greserved pasta cooking water, you'll use 1/2 to 3/4 cup
To serve
- ¼ cup29 gwalnuts, toasted and roughly chopped, for topping
- 1 tsp2 glemon zest (optional)
- 1 pinch0.2 gred pepper flakes (optional)
Kit: large pot, small skillet, food processor or blender, slotted spoon or spider, colander
Tips
- Strip the kale by holding the stem end and pulling the leaves away with your other hand. Discard the tough ribs, or save them for stock.
- Squeeze the blanched kale well. Extra water dilutes the pesto and dulls its flavor.
- Toss the pesto in off the heat. Direct heat turns it olive-colored and can make the garlic taste harsh.
Swap ideas
- Use toasted pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts
- Makes the dish nut-free and gives the pesto a greener, slightly earthier flavor.
- Replace a third of the kale with fresh basil
- Gives a more classic pesto aroma with a softer, sweeter flavor.
- Use chickpeas instead of cannellini beans
- Adds a firmer, nuttier bite. Cannellini are creamier.
- Use whole-wheat pasta
- Adds a heartier, nuttier flavor and more fiber. Cook it 1–2 minutes longer, or as the package directs.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
732kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 4.2 g 21%
- Sugars
- 3.7 g
- Sodium
- 2076 mg 90%
- Potassium
- 844 mg 18%
- Calcium
- 192 mg 15%
- Iron
- 6.8 mg 38%
- Vitamin C
- 38 mg 42%
- Vitamin B12
- 14.07 µg 586%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Kale, raw, Nuts, walnuts, english, Garlic, raw, Nutritional Yeast Seasoning by BRAGG (fortified; legacy USDA Branded Foods entry as reproduced by NutritionValue.org), Lemon juice, raw, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black, Pasta, dry, enriched, Beans, white, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Beverages, water, tap, drinking
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp salt. While it heats, toast all 3/4 cup walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and a shade darker, 4–5 minutes. Tip them onto a plate. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping and roughly chop it.
Drop the kale leaves into the boiling water and blanch until bright green and just wilted, about 1 minute. Lift them out with a slotted spoon or spider, leaving the water in the pot. Rinse briefly under cold water and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Add the pasta to the same boiling water and cook until al dente, following the package time (usually 9–11 minutes).
While the pasta cooks, pulse the garlic in a food processor until minced. Add the blanched kale, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil and blend until mostly smooth, scraping down the sides once. If it's too thick to move, add 2–3 tbsp of the hot pasta water.
About 1 minute before the pasta is done, add the cannellini beans to the pot to warm through. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and beans.
Return the pasta and beans to the warm pot off the heat. Add the pesto and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and toss until the pasta is evenly coated in a glossy sauce. Add more water a splash at a time if it looks dry. Taste and adjust the salt and lemon.
Divide among bowls and top with the chopped toasted walnuts. Add lemon zest and red pepper flakes if you like, and serve right away.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pesto darkens a little over time but still tastes good. Reheat gently with a splash of water, or eat it at room temperature as a pasta salad. You can also refrigerate the pesto alone for up to 4 days with a thin layer of olive oil on top, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Questions
- How much protein is in 20-minute kale pesto pasta with white beans and toasted walnuts?
- Each of the 4 servings has 24 g of protein, 10 g of fiber and 732 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is 20-minute kale pesto pasta with white beans and toasted walnuts vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does 20-minute kale pesto pasta with white beans and toasted walnuts take to make?
- 5 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, so 20 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make 20-minute kale pesto pasta with white beans and toasted walnuts ahead?
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pesto darkens a little over time but still tastes good. Reheat gently with a splash of water, or eat it at room temperature as a pasta salad. You can also refrigerate the pesto alone for up to 4 days with a thin layer of olive oil on top, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- What can I substitute in 20-minute kale pesto pasta with white beans and toasted walnuts?
- Use toasted pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts — makes the dish nut-free and gives the pesto a greener, slightly earthier flavor.. Replace a third of the kale with fresh basil — gives a more classic pesto aroma with a softer, sweeter flavor.. Use chickpeas instead of cannellini beans — adds a firmer, nuttier bite. cannellini are creamier.. Use whole-wheat pasta — adds a heartier, nuttier flavor and more fiber. cook it 1–2 minutes longer, or as the package directs..
- Does 20-minute kale pesto pasta with white beans and toasted walnuts contain gluten or tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten and tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 8, 2026 ·Italian