I love turning to seasonal produce in recipes like this delicious, colorful Mediterranean White Bean Salad with Persimmons, which is 100% plant-based (vegan) and gluten-free. The earthy flavors of white beans, kale, and walnuts with sweet, crunchy persimmons shine through in this Mediterranean-inspired white bean salad. This easy kale salad bowl is hearty enough to be a meal paired with a flavorful soup, such as my Vegetable Stone Soup. Plus, this salad is rugged enough for meal prep, making it perfect to pack away for on-the-go meals during the week.
Paired with a simple Mediterranean salad dressing, this cool weather salad will cheer up your dreariest days! It’s also a great addition to your holiday table, parties, or potlucks. In fact, I brought this salad to my Thanksgiving potluck this year and it was a huge hit. You can easily substitute a different bean for the white beans, such as chickpeas or black beans, and a different nut for walnuts, such as hazelnuts, pistachios, or almonds. Follow along with my recipe video below to learn how to make this easy, yummy salad in minutes, with only 7 ingredients (not including pantry staples).
How to Eat Persimmons
Persimmons—in season late summer through early winter—offer such a unique flavor, color, and texture to cool weather recipes. That bright pink-orange color is a calling card for persimmons’ nutrition power, compliments of phytochemicals. Here’s a note about persimmons—there are two main types of persimmons—hachiya (pictured above at the farmers market) and fuyu (pictured with my salad). The fuyu, are squat and round, looking a bit like an orange tomato. These can be eaten crisp before they are fully soft and mature. These are the types of persimmons that work best in recipes like this. Hachiya persimmons must be eaten soft and ripe, so they aren’t as good in fresh salads. Learn more about using persimmons in the kitchen here.
Nutrition Notes
This salad is off the charts with nutrition for a modest amount of calories! The persimmons offer a good course of vitamins A and C, lutein, and fiber. The beans offer a nice dose of B vitamins, protein, fiber, iron, copper, potassium, zinc, and magnesium. The kale is packed with essential nutrients like vitamins A, C and K, potassium, and calcium—plus phytochemicals. And the walnuts offer a punch of heart-healthy fats. What’s not to love about that nutrition combination!
Check out my video on how to make this Mediterranean White Bean Salad at The Plant-Powered Dietitian.
Description
This healthy Mediterranean White Bean Salad with Persimmons is packed with seasonal produce, making it a superstar in nutrition and the perfect vegan gluten-free salad option in the fall and winter months.
Persimmon Salad:
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, (i.e., cannellini or navy beans) rinsed, drained
- 1 large bunch kale, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 2 firm fuyu persimmons, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Mediterranean Salad Dressing:
- To make salad: Toss together beans, kale, persimmons, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
- To make vinaigrette: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses, garlic, whole grain mustard, and black pepper and sea salt (optional).
- Toss salad with vinaigrette. Chill until serving time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 112
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 12 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Protein: 6 g
For other satisfying fall and winter salads, try the following:
Quinoa Apple Waldorf Salad
Butternut Squash Salad with Kale and Barley
Pomegranate Avocado Quinoa Salad
Jewel Winter Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Blood Orange Salad with Kale and Hazelnuts
Sonoma Kale Salad with Red Grapes and Mushroom-Red Wine Vinaigrette
Mandarin Quinoa and Kale Bowl
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