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Kale Caesar Salad

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Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

I am dating that guy who loves kale salads.

Like — really, truly, doesn’t-eat-them-because-he’s-supposed-to, genuinely-loves-everything-about-them, craves-them-all-the-time, would-choose-them-over-most-things-on-a-menu, can’t-get-enough-of-’em, loves kale salads.

Just last night, for example, we were eating out for KC restaurant week and he got so excited when he saw that a kale salad was listed as one of the appetizer options and ate every last bite. (I ordered the gumbo.)  Or the night before, when we cooked a big feast for everyone in his band, he offered to toss together a giant batch of his favorite chopped kale salad from Costco. (I made vodka cream pasta and flourless chocolate cake.)  Or even when I made us dinner for a little date night “in” last week, he filled up mostly on this kale Caesar salad. (I went back for seconds on the roasted vegetable mac and cheese.)

His commitment to hail the kale is definitely impressive. (And, um, maybe a little humbling.)  ;)

But hey, I love a good kale salad too. And I think we’d both say that the kale salad we were both obsessed with was one we tried a few months ago on our trip to Washington, D.C. Some friends had recommended we check out a local grab-n-go salad place called Sweetgreen, so we stopped there for a quick lunch when we first arrived in town. And oh man, we were not disappointed. Everything on the menu looked incredible, and I spent forever deciding what to order. But I’ll give you one guess what Barclay ordered.

Actually, it was one step better than your average kale salad.

He ordered a kale Caesar salad.


Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

We’re both pretty obsessed with Caesar salads. But I must say, this one might have been my favorite Caesar salad yet. Both of us took a bite and absolutely loved it, but then cocked our heads wondering what it was we were tasting that seemed extra-special. I couldn’t figure it out until I looked at the menu again.

And then it all made sense.

LIME!!!

Their Caesar dressing was made with lots of fresh lime juice instead of the usual squeeze of lemon! It probably shouldn’t have made that big of a difference, but lemme tell you, it did. And we couldn’t get enough of it. Actually, Barclay couldn’t get enough of it. I had thought we were going to switch salads halfway through, but when I asked if he was ready to swap, he didn’t really want to let go of the kale salad. ;)  I don’t blame him.

Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

Our salads at Sweetgreen. Mine was also awesome, but that kale salad was the winner. ;)

So instead, I decided to try and replicate this salad at home to make a huge one for us to share. And oh man, I’m happy to say that it was a delicious success.

Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

The one thing missing from Sweetgreen’s Caesar salad was croutons. I’m a big believer that all Caesars need croutons. So I went the lazy route and toasted up some leftover French bread that had been drizzled with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Then smashed them up into tiny croutons…

Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

…and added them to a big bowl full of kale, Romaine (I like mixing the greens), lots of fresh Parm, and my homemade Lime Caesar Dressing…

Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

…and within minutes, this sweet bowl of greens was ready to go.
Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

Just like Sweetgreen, I served our salads with some extra lime wedges on the side. (And unlike Sweetgreen, I nixed the cherry tomatoes that I don’t like on salads, although you’re welcome to add them in.)  And just like our date at Sweetgreen, we both dove in.Kale Caesar Salad -- made with a lighter and delicious lime Caesar dressing | gimmesomeoven.com

Seriously, this salad was beyond delicious. And with all of that kale in there and my lighter Caesar dressing (made with Greek yogurt, and so much lime!), it was actually a Caesar salad we could feel better about enjoying. And going back for seconds. And maybe thirds. ;)

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Kale Caesar Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 25 reviews
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Description

This Kale Caesar Salad is made with tons of fresh kale and Romaine, and tossed with lighter lime Caesar dressing, and trust me — it’s DELICIOUS.


Ingredients

Scale

Kale Caesar Salad Ingredients:

  • 4 cups chopped fresh kale
  • 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
  • 2 cups croutons (*I just toasted some French bread and crumbled it afterwards, see instructions below)
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 batch Lime Caesar Dressing, below
  • optional: 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

Lime Caesar Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
  • 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
  • 34 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12 teaspoons anchovy paste, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch of black pepper
  • 34 tablespoons milk

Instructions

To Make The Kale Caesar Salad:

  1. Add the kale, Romaine, croutons, Parmesan, dressing, and tomatoes (if using) to a large bowl.  Toss until combined.
  2. Serve immediately.

To Make The Lime Caesar Dressing:

  1. Add all ingredients except milk to a small mixing bowl, and whisk together until combined and smooth.  Whisk in a tablespoon of milk at a time until the dressing reaches your desired consistency.
  2. Use immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Notes

*To make easy croutons, just drizzle a few slices of old bread with olive oil (or brush with melted butter), and sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning.  Toast them up until crispy.  Then either crumble them up with your hands, or use a knife to chop them into small pieces.

Inspired by Sweetgreen.

 

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107 comments on “Kale Caesar Salad”

  1. Wasn’t sure about the lime at first, but it was fantastic! This Caesar dressing is SO good!






  2. I was intrigued by the lime caeser dressing and had all the ingredients in my fridge (plus a fresh bag of Kale from Aldi). I whipped up some frozen chicken breast, threw all the ingredients together for the dressing – minus the milk, and had a salad in less than 10 minutes! The dressing is INCREDIBLE! I never would have thought to add lime but the fresh citrusy flavor that it brought to the more puckering anchovy paste, mustard, and garlic, was just a match made in heaven. I highly recommend trying this super simple meal. I’m going to bring the recipe down to the Outer Banks with me for chicken ceaser wraps with lime caeser dressing! It will be a hit. Thank you!

  3. This is fantastic! My new favorite salad. I added some chickpeas and ate it for lunch, will be making again very soon!






  4. I made this for lunch the other day and it was absolutely delicious! The addition of kale made it seem heartier to me than a regular caesar salad. Will definitely be making this again soon!






  5. I am obsessed with sweetgreens & this is literally their Kale Caesar Salad recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this, saving me so much money haha






  6. Is it possible to make the dressing without the anchovy paste?

  7. I made this last night for a girls night…Everyone loved it and want the recipe. I also love that the dressing is made out of yogurt, who knew!






  8. I’m looking for the 86 comments on the salad. I often choose (or not!) recipes based on reviews and comments. I only see two here.

  9. Where are all the comment please? I find them helpful .

  10. This dressing is so good! I also added some chicken to the salad.






  11. Love this dressing, I now constantly have a tube of anchovy paste in my fridge just for this recipe!






  12. This is a wonderful recipe. I mashed one anchovy fillet instead of using paste. I like a milder anchovy taste so that was perfect. I loved having the mix of kale and romaine. This is my new go to Caesar recipe.

  13. Could you use avocado instead of milk and less Greek yogurt? Would that turn out okay?

    I don’t like Mayo but would like to add avocado in there somewhere if possible.

  14. Excellent. The dressing is delicious. I had no anchovy paste and it came out fine without it. I made homemade croutons with sourdough bread.






  15. Delicious






  16. This recipe is gold! Seriously my favorite dressing ever. It’s creamy, salty, tart and just simply amazing. It changed my life!
    Note, I skipped the milk.






  17. I love this recipe. The dressing is delicious!






  18. This was a very good kale ceasar salad recipe. The dressing had a lot going on in a a good way. The only change I would make next time is 1/2 the milk in the dressing. It was a little thin. I used 4 tablespoons of 1% milk. Would use 2 tablespoons next time and would use either whole milk or cream, subject to what was in the refrig.

    Will definitely make again. It was a great match to grilled wings on my kamodo grill.






  19. This dressing had too much lime for my taste- was a little Puckery..but I will try it again with less. I used 3 tablespoons.

  20. I love your other Classic Caesar salad dressing. Do you think that would pair well with this if I subbed the lemon juice for lime?
    Thanks!

  21. Started making this salad over two years ago it at home and for potlucks/holidays and have been asked for the recipe several times. I substitute part of the yoghurt for mayo because between the yoghurt and the lime juice I find it too sour. I also include lime zest. And we break up everything bagel chips (buy these in your deli) for the croutons. Divine!






  22. No garlic?