Everyday Kale Salad

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This 5-ingredient kale salad recipe only takes a few minutes to make and goes well with just about anything!

The kale salad I’ve made a million times. ♡

If you’re looking for a delicious kale salad recipe to keep in your back pocket, this simple formula won’t let you down! It’s easy to whip up in a few minutes with any kind of fresh kale, lemon, olive oil, Parmesan and your choice of nuts. It’s rich in nutrients, full of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and antioxidants. It’s easy to customize with whatever add-ins you might like to include. And it’s one of those salads that magically seems to go with everything.

I’ve been making this one for over a decade now, and even the kale skeptics in my life have always enjoyed it. So if you’re looking for a quick and healthy green salad to go with dinner tonight, grab some kale and it can be ready to enjoy in minutes.

Let’s make some salad!

Easy Kale Salad Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the kale salad ingredients you will need to make this recipe:

• Kale: I typically use either curly kale, lacinato (“dinosaur”) kale, or Red Russian kale — all of which need to be massaged (see below) to soften before tossing with the other ingredients. But you could also use a bag of baby kale, which would not need to be massaged before serving.
• Parmesan: The salty, umami flavor of Parmesan works so well in kale salads. I highly recommend purchasing a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano and freshly-grating it just before serving for the most robust, fresh flavor.
• Lemon juice: Freshly-squeezed lemon juice mixes with olive oil to form a simple dressing and adds the perfect pop of zippy, citrusy flavor to the salad. If you don’t have an awesome citrus juicer, I’m obsessed with this one.
• Olive oil: With so few ingredients here, I recommend using a good-quality extra virgin olive oil to massage the kale and dress the salad.
• Salt and pepper: Don’t forget to season the salad! A generous pinch of fine sea salt and a few twists of freshly-ground black pepper are essential parts of the “dressing” that season the salad.
• Nuts: I love adding toasted almonds (sliced or slivered) to this salad for a bit of extra crunch and protein, but feel free to add in whatever other nuts or seeds you love best.

How To Massage Kale

Over the years, I’ve found that so many people who are averse to kale salads miss the essential step of massaging and softening the kale before adding it to the salad.

To soften kale, simply remove the tough kale stems, chop the kale leaves as desired, drizzle the kale with olive oil, then use your hands to massage the oil into the kale leaves for about 1 minute until they soften and darken. This massaging process helps to break down the cellulose structure of the kale, softening its tough texture and reducing the bitterness of its flavor. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference in the quality of your salad, so don’t skip it!

Kale Salad Variations

While this base kale salad recipe is super simple, there are all sorts of delicious ingredients that you can add or sub in as well. For example, feel free to…

• Add a protein: Cooked chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, salmon, or tofu would all be delicious additions to this salad.
• Add fresh veggies: Such as avocado, cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, radishes, and/or red onion.
• Add fresh or dried fruit: Such as fresh apples, berries, grapefruit, grapes. Or dried cranberries or apricots.
• Add jarred veggies: Such as sun-dried tomato, roasted red peppers, or artichoke hearts.
• Add beans: Such as chickpeas or white beans.
• Add croutons: Homemade or store-bought.
• Use a different cheese: In lieu of Parmesan, feel free to add crumbled blue cheese, feta cheese or goat cheese.
• Use different nuts/seeds: Such as pepitas, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans or sunflower seeds.

More Kale Recipes

Looking for more kale recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites:

• Kale Chips
• Ginger Kale Fried Rice
• Gnocchi, Mushroom and Kale Soup
• Sweet Potato Avocado Kale Salad
• Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette
• Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup with Kale

Everyday Kale Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 9 reviews

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Description

This easy kale salad recipe only takes 5 minutes to make with 5 easy ingredients, and tastes great with just about everything! Feel free to adjust the proportions of any of the ingredients below to taste.

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Ingredients

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• 5 ounces kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Massage kale. Combine the kale, olive oil and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to massage the oil and lemon juice into the kale for about 1-2 minutes, or until the kale has softened.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Add the Parmesan, sliced almonds, a pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper and toss until evenly combined. Taste and add extra salt, pepper or lemon juice, if needed.
3. Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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