Warm Kale Pasta Salad

Sauteed garlicky kale, warm orzo, grilled chicken, bacon, and lemon all come together to form this warm kale pasta salad. This is a great weeknight meal that creates delicious leftovers.

Warm Pasta Salad

I’ve never been a fan of cold pasta salads, but warm ones? Count me in! I made a warm orzo salad before, my Orzo Salad with Feta, and ever since then I have been thinking of new flavor combinations to make. I liked the idea of garlic, kale, and lemon paired with grilled chicken and thought it would be a simple way to meal prep for the week.

Orzo is a small pasta that looks a little bit like rice, but feels like pasta when you are eating it. I love how easy it is to blend with other ingredients and it goes well with so many flavors. The orzo is especially delicious in this warm kale pasta salad.

Kale and Chicken Pasta

Sauteed kale is one of the vegetables that my toddler is really into this month, so that means I am trying to incorporate wherever it makes sense. We buy the pre-shredded organic kale from Trader Joes, and it is like little strips of kale. Then we saute it with garlic, olive oil, and salt in a pan and normally eat it like that. For this recipe, I doubled the amount of garlic because I wanted it to really shine when it was mixed with all of the other ingredients, especially lemon and grilled chicken.

Grilled chicken breast is one of my favorite proteins when it is grilled fresh. It is easy to reheat and as long as you don’t overcook it, it can last for days. Grilled chicken goes great with garlic and kale, so I knew it would go great in this dish. I like to cook my chicken right in a saute pan, and then I use that same pan to saute the kale.

I like to buy pre grilled chicken from Trader Joe’s and then I just dice it up and use it for proteins. This saves me a lot of time when I am doing a quick weeknight dinner after work.

Lemon Kale Orzo Salad

Orzo is such a fun pasta shape. It mixes so well with chopped ingredients. You can add it to a cold salad, eat it as warm pasta mixed with seasoned ingredients, or even use it for macaroni and cheese. It is very versatile and definitely a crowd pleaser.

I have made this warm kale pasta salad with parmesan cheese instead of bacon and it came out tasty too. However, I am trying to occasionally make some dairy free dishes to have in my collection, so that is why I chose to use bacon instead of parmesan cheese. Also, in my opinion, the bacon gives more of a tastier impact than the parmesan cheese.

Tips and Substitutions:

1. You can buy pre grilled chicken breast at a grocery store. You can just chop this up, heat it in a pan for a minute, and then add it to your orzo.
2. I have used parmesan cheese instead of bacon. This is a good substitution if you do not eat bacon, but I think the taste is better with the bacon instead of the cheese. You can also add both if you would like.
3. Don’t skimp out on olive oil. The olive oil and lemon is the “sauce” for this dish, so you need a good amount to make sure it gets incorporated well.
4. Garlic is your friend. I used 4 garlic cloves in this dish, but feel free to use even more. It really shines in this dish.
5. Don’t forget to salt your kale.

Ingredients for Warm Kale Pasta Salad 

• 16 oz Orzo
• 6 tbsp Olive Oil
• 10 oz Kale large stems removed
• 12 oz Grilled Chicken cooked chicken cut into cubes
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1-2 whole Lemons
• 8 slices of Bacon (diced, cooked, and drained)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Instructions for Warm Kale Pasta Salad

• Cook your bacon. I like to dice up the bacon before it gets cooked. Then, I cook it in a pan for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain the bacon once it is cooked.
• Boil a pot of water and cook the orzo according to the package directions. After cooking for about 4 minutes, drain the orzo and set it aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Once the oil is hot, add 4 cloves of minced garlic.
• After about 30 seconds, add in your chopped kale and mix it around with the olive oil and garlic. Add 1/2 tsp of sea salt and mix again.
• Keep mixing the kale around and after about 5 minutes, you should see that all of the kale is a bright green color and wilted. One this happens, add this to a bowl and set it aside.
• Add your chicken to the pan to heat up slightly on low heat. Once the chicken is heated through, add back your kale, the orzo, the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of one whole lemon. Mix well
• Add your bacon and mix well.
• Taste your orzo and decide if you want to add any parmesan cheese and if you want to add additional lemon juice.

NOTES

If you want to use raw chicken breast and cook it yourself, you should pre cook your chicken using the method below, and then chop it up to use for this dish.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken Breast
• 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3 garlic cloves chopped

• 1.Season your chicken on both sides evenly with the salt, pepper, and garlic.
• 2 Cook for 12-14 minutes using medium heat, flipping at the half way mark.
• 3. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before your cut it.