‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Kale Pasta Mason Jar Salad Is a Perfect Portable Meal Idea

Ree Drummond is a fan of mason jars, both for making dressings and for a unique mason jar recipe idea. The Pioneer Woman star’s totally portable meal idea is a snap to make and a great healthy, on-the-go option.

Ree Drummond uses mason jars for a variety of things

Drummond wrote about her love of mason jars in a 2010 blog post on The Pioneer Woman website. She shared some of the many uses for the versatile glass storage containers, some of which went beyond food-related applications.

“Yesterday evening, as I was washing and putting away dishes, I started thinking about how much I love mason jars,” she wrote. “Honestly, next to good knives, my stainless steel cooking spoons, my food processor, and my mixer, I can’t think of an item in my kitchen (or around my house) that works its way into my daily life as much as a mason jar does.”

She continued, “Note that I’m using the term ‘Mason jar’ generically to describe all brands of canning jars. Common brands include Kerr and Ball, and the jars are usually sold in packages of twelve. They come with lids, but replacement lids can be replaced down the line since, unless they’re dropped and they break, the jars live forever.”

Drummond noted, “In the kitchen, they’re indispensable. I throw my salad dressing or marinade ingredients right into the jar … then screw on the lid … And shake it up. Done!”

The Food Network host shared some of the other ways she puts jars to use, including storing pasta, beans, coins, pencils/pens/markers, paper clips, buttons, and hair accessories. Drummond also uses smaller mason jars for juice glasses and larger ones for coffee, water, or lemonade. She also uses them as vases for fresh-cut wildflowers.

Ree Drummond makes an easy kale pasta mason jar salad

Drummond also uses mason jars as a container for a unique salad-in-a-jar. All of the ingredients for her kale salad are layers in the jar, beginning with a dressing. The jar is great for taking the meal on-the-go and, when ready to eat, simply giving it a shake to mix everything together.

“These days, I’m always running here and there and portable food has become a way of life in our house,” she said on an episode of The Pioneer Woman.

She made the kale pasta salad in a mason jar for her daughter Paige, who was on the move for the day. “I’m a big fan of salads in a jar. They’re really popular right now, for good reason,” she said. “They’re portable, make ahead, fun to eat, and just the thing for a lunch break.”

How to make Drummond’s mason jar salad recipe

Drummond sauteed garlic, salt, and pepper in olive oil in a skillet, then removed it from the pan. She added shredded kale to the pan and cooked it for 5 minutes.

The Pioneer Woman star added lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, and parsley to the garlic and olive oil mixture and whisked it together to make the dressing.

She added parmesan shavings to the kale and tossed the ingredients together. “Now the secret to these salads is layering,” Drummond said.

“There are a few tips about the order,” she continued. She added the dressing first, followed by halved cherry tomatoes, bowtie pasta, a layer of cooled sauteed kale and parmesan, a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, mozzarella balls, and a layer of raw shredded kale. Then she screwed on the lid and refrigerated the salad.

Drummond shared that, when ready to eat the salad, shake the contents with the lid on and eat it out of the jar. “And it’s really great because the kale stays fresh in the jar up to two days so you can make these a couple days ahead of time,” she said.

The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.