If you’re looking for the perfect meal-prep-friendly pasta salad, then look no further than my High-Protein Lemony Kale Pasta Salad. This pasta salad is bursting with flavor, is low in dairy, and is the perfect way to keep you fueled throughout your day. It’s filled with tender kale, hearty chickpea pasta, toasted breadcrumbs, and a delicious caramelized lemon butter that you’ll want to practically bathe in.
Friends, spring is right around the corner, and you know what that means: pasta salad season! In my opinion, a good pasta salad is truly the epitome of having the “best of both worlds.” It has all of the fun of enjoying pasta, mixed with the health benefits of a salad. I mean truly, what could be better than that?
This pasta salad also takes things to the next level, because it’s vegetarian-friendly AND also happens to be high-protein. If you’ve been to my blog lately, then you many have noticed that in 2025, I am kicking up the high-protein recipes. Protein is one of the most important macronutrients, because it helps you build stronger muscles, stay feeling fuller, longer, and have enough energy to power you throughout your day. While most of my high-protein recipes involve meat (such as my new Fattoush Salad with Chicken), this recipe is meat-free, proving that even vegetarians can enjoy the benefits of a high-protein lifestyle, too!
This recipe is also a dream to prepare ahead of time. Since it’s made from chickpea pasta, which is a little heartier than traditional wheat pasta, and tender kale, it stays good, in the fridge, for days on end. If I was still working in an office (which I used to do, back in my lawyer days!) I would meal-prep this salad at the beginning of the week and have it to enjoy for a healthy office lunch. Oh, and if you’re looking for more healthy office-friendly lunches, I highly recommend trying out my Easy Broiled Salmon with Lemony Couscous or my Chicken Shawarma Crispy Rice Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing. Yum!
What You Need to Make This High-Protein Pasta Salad
- Curly Kale: To give this pasta salad some greens, fiber, and crunch, I love the addition of curly kale. The warm pasta perfectly wilts the kale, which will also help you stay feeling fuller.
- Pasta: To keep this recipe high in protein, I recommend using a chickpea pasta. It’s an excellent source of plant-based protein, which will help you stay fuller, longer! Banza makes my favorite chickpea pasta that comes in a variety of different shapes.
- Butter & Olive Oil: The combination of butter and olive oil fills this pasta salad with healthy fats and adds an absolutely delicious flavor to every part of this recipe. If you want to keep things dairy-free, you can also opt to use dairy-free butter.
- Lemon: Since this is a lemony pasta salad, this recipe calls for LOTS of lemon! You’ll need lemon juice, lemon zest, and slices of lemon in order to get that perfect lemony flavor.
- Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt adds the perfect finishing touch to this pasta salad – don’t skip it!
- Parmesan Cheese: Whenever you see parmesan cheese listed as one of the ingredients in my recipes, I will always, always, ALWAYS recommend using freshly grated. Why? The flavor is so much better than pre-grated parmesan, and is always worth the small splurge, in my opinion.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Of course, you’ll need breadcrumbs in order to make the crunchy breadcrumb topping. You can use traditional panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs – both will work just as well.
- Garlic: I highly recommend using fresh garlic cloves in this recipe. It adds the best flavor to this pasta salad that truly cannot be beat!
How to Make This Pasta Salad in Under 20 Minutes
To make this pasta salad, start by preparing the breadcrumbs. Heat a skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the panko breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Then, add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and grated garlic, and stir to combine.
Toast the breadcrumbs until they’re golden brown, watching them carefully so that they don’t burn. Once they’re done, transfer them into a bowl and set them aside. Next, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Then, set it aside.
Add the remaining butter and olive oil back into the pan, over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the chopped lemon, lemon juice, and sea salt, and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until the lemons are fragrant and begin to caramelize. Then, remove it from the heat.
Finally, wash and chop the kale into bite-sized pieces, being sure to remove the stems. Add them to a large bowl, then pour the warm pasta on top to help wilt the kale. Pour the caramelized lemon butter into the bowl and toss to fully combine. Grate the parmesan cheese on top, followed by the panko breadcrumbs. Toss once more to combine, then serve and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet this is perfect for preparing the panko breadcrumbs and lemon butter!
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad:
- 1 Bunch Curly Kale, stems removed and chopped
- 1 Box Chickpea Germelli Pasta, or whichever pasts shape you like! I like the Banza brand
- 3 Tablespoons Butter, salted
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon, diced into small pieces
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
For the Crunchy Breadcrumbs:
- 1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs, or substitute gluten-free panko
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, salted
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 Cloves Garlic, grated
Instructions
- To make this pasta salad, start by preparing the breadcrumbs. Heat a skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add in the panko breadcrumbs and stir to combine.
- Then, add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and grated garlic, and stir to combine.
- Toast the breadcrumbs until they're golden brown, watching them carefully so that they don't burn. Once they're done, transfer them into a bowl and set them aside.
- Next, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Then, set it aside.
- Add the remaining butter and olive oil back into the pan, over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add in the chopped lemon, lemon juice, and sea salt, and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until the lemons are fragrant and begin to caramelize. Then, remove it from the heat.
- Finally, wash and chop the kale into bite-sized pieces, being sure to remove the stems. Add them to a large bowl, then pour the warm pasta on top to help wilt the kale.
- Pour the caramelized lemon butter into the bowl and toss to fully combine.
- Grate the parmesan cheese on top, followed by the panko breadcrumbs. Toss once more to combine, then serve and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
can you substitute baby spinach in lieu of always kale?
Hi Lisa, sure!
I apologize if I missed it.. but are you peeling the lemon that you dice and caramelize? In the photos you posted, you dice the whole lemon (skin, rind, and all). I worry about how bitter / hard on the digestive system the skin and rind would be, especially since most are coated in wax. Are you using organic, unwaxed lemons? Does caramelizing it make it easier to digest
Hi Tal! You can definitely peel the lemon, if you prefer. Since the lemon is cooked down, the skin gets softer and easier to eat and digest.
This was SO ridiculously good! Absolutely delicious and it just gets better as it sits in the fridge. I just used regular pasta, and then topped with grilled chicken when we wanted some extra protein.
I will definitely be making this next time I have to do a pot luck or a bring a side since you can make the whole thing the day before. Thank you for this awesome recipe, long live lemons!