This recipe for kale salad is the most delicious way to enjoy this lush green. It has a flavour that can’t be beaten thanks to a dressing made of lemon, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.
Are you ready to learn the MOST EXCELLENT way to consume kale? Be ready to be taken aback! This kale salad recipe has the potential to change the opinions of those who have previously had negative attitudes towards kale. When you take a mouthful of raw kale, the flavour is quite similar to that of chewing on a leaf that has just fallen from a tree. But! After you’ve had a bite of this kale salad, you’ll have to concede that those green leaves coated in a lemony, garlicky Parmesan dressing can only be described as one thing: amazing.
Best Kale for a Salad: Tuscan kale
There are several distinct varieties of kale that may be purchased from various supermarkets. Both Tuscan kale and curly kale may now be found in huge bunches in the vegetable area of the majority of conventional supermarkets and grocery stores. Which variety of kale is ideal for this salad recipe? Tuscan kale! It has a flavour that is not as strong and is more reminiscent of sweetness, making it ideal for use in salads in which the kale is consumed raw. But you can’t seem to locate it? You might also use kale with a curly texture.
The leaves of Tuscan kale are broad and dark green in colour. There are also times when it is referred to as Lacinato or dinosaur kale. This is due to the pattern on the leaves, which appears to be scaled like dinosaur skin. The taste of Tuscan kale is more subdued and somewhat sweeter than the flavour of curly kale.
Curly kale has a more vibrant green colour and a more curly appearance. The raw flavour is slightly more pungent and harsh than the cooked version.
How to Make Kale Salad: Basic Steps
Let’s face it: kale in its raw form has a somewhat acrid flavour (fact). Nevertheless, if you add a flavour-popping Italian-style vinaigrette that is made of lemon, Parmesan cheese, and garlic, the kale becomes more subdued and forms a beautiful harmony with the other flavours. Even better, the kale’s strong structure allows it to hold up nicely in a salad and adds an additional crunch to the eating experience. It doesn’t matter how many times we prepare this salad, we just can’t get enough of it! To prepare this kale salad, the primary stages are as follows (or you may jump forward to the recipe):
- Prepare the kale by removing the stems and chopping the leaves.
- To make the garlicky Parmesan dressing, first, make a paste out of the garlic by mashing it with the blade of your knife. After the garlic has been minced, add the salt, and continue to pass the blade back and forth over the minced garlic until a paste is formed. Combine the garlic paste with the lemon, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl.
- To serve, pour the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with lemon zest. If you like, you can sprinkle some panko or crunchy breadcrumbs on top of the dish, add some croutons, or both.
- This simple salad has been presented to a large number of people, and we always get excellent feedback on it. To the extent that: wow, this kale salad takes the cake! Who would have thought that eating fresh kale could be so delicious?
Variation: Kale Caesar Salad
Instead, do you prefer a flavorful Caesar dressing? A nice kale salad can also be enjoyed in the form of a Kale Caesar Salad, which is very comparable to this particular dish. Make a batch of your favourite homemade Caesar dressing instead, and use that to cover the kale leaves. The panko breadcrumbs add a nice textural contrast to the irresistibly wonderful creamy dressing, which we like to sprinkle liberally.
Kale Nutrition
Why should you eat this recipe for kale salad? Consuming dark, leafy greens like kale is among the best things you can do for your health. Consuming a greater quantity of kale is an excellent strategy for elevating the overall nutritional value of your diet. So preparing this salad makes sense all around. The breakdown is as follows:
Kale is full of nutrients, antioxidants, and fibre. Beta-carotene and vitamin K are abundant in it, and it also provides 10% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.
One cup of raw kale has 33 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of protein. Raw kale contains 33 calories, 6 grammes of carbohydrates, and 3 grammes of protein per one-cup serving. Kale is one of the foods that have the highest proportion of nutrients to calories when compared to other foods on the planet. In addition to this, the amount of protein it contains is rather significant for a vegetable that is green.
How to Serve this Kale Salad
This kale salad is a timeless classic and the ideal choice for those looking for a versatile green salad to complement a variety of different meal preparations. Because it has an Italian sensibility, it pairs especially well with dishes that have an Italian background. But in addition to that, it goes really nicely with everything! It can be done in the fall, winter, or spring, or at any other period. We recommend serving it with the following courses for dinner:
- Pizza like Finest Margherita Pizza or Easy Calzone Recipe
- Soups such as Traditional Bean Soup, Chickpea Soup with Rice, Easy Red Lentil Soup, and Warm White Bean Soup are examples of such soups.
- Pasta dishes such as Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta, Burrata Pasta, or Truffle Mac and Cheese Seafood dishes such as Shrimp Scampi, Tuna Cakes, Baked Tilapia with Lemon, Easy Baked Fish, or Pecan Crusted Salmon Pasta dishes such as Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta, Burrata Pasta, or Truffle Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of Tuscan kale (about 8 ounces)*
- 1 very small or 1/2 medium garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon (3 to 4 tablespoons juice, plus zest)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- â…› teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Homemade croutons (optional)
Instructions
- The kale has to be washed and dried. The kale leaves should then have the stems removed and be roughly chopped.
- To prepare the garlic clove, peel it and then mince it. Then, while holding the blunt edge of the knife, scrape the sharp edge of the blade over the minced garlic while holding the knife at an angle and mashing the garlic into a paste. Finally, sprinkle it with kosher salt.
- Put the paste in a basin of around medium size. Mix all of the ingredients together with a whisk after adding the olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper. After adding the Parmesan cheese, give everything a good swirl to blend.
- Combine the kale leaves and dressing in a mixing bowl. To serve, top with grated lemon zest (and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired). Croutons cooked from scratch can be served alongside the soup if preferred.
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