This is the best way to eat kale! A dressing of lemon, garlic and Parmesan cheese transforms kale into tangy goodness in this Tuscan kale salad.
Ingredients
1 large bunch 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
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Fresh ground black pepper
Homemade croutons (optional)
Instructions
– Wash and dry the kale. Then destem and roughly chop the kale leaves.
– Peel and mince the garlic clove. Sprinkle it with the kosher salt, then holding the blunt edge of the knife, scrape the sharp edge of the blade over the minced garlic, holding the knife at an angle and mashing the garlic into a paste.
– Place the paste in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and fresh ground black pepper, and whisk to combine. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
– Toss the dressing with the kale leaves. Serve topped with lemon zest (and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired). If desired, serve with homemade croutons.
How to make kale salad
You might be wary of eating raw kale, which has a bitter flavour (fact). But add flavour popping Italian-style vinaigrette of lemon, Parmesan cheese, and garlic, and the kale mellows to meld beautifully with the other flavours. Even better: the sturdy texture of the kale holds up well in a salad and provides an extra crunch when eating. When Alex and I make this salad at home, we can’t stop eating it! Here are the main steps to make this kale salad (or skip to the recipe):
* Destem and chop the kale.
* Whip up the garlicky Parmesan dressing: start by using your knife blade to form the garlic into a paste. You’ll mince the garlic, then add salt and scrape the blade back and forth over the garlic until it forms into a paste.
* Mix the garlic paste with lemon, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
* Top with lemon zest.
We’ve had this easy salad with several guests and it’s received rave reviews. As in: This is the best kale salad ever! Who knew that eating raw kale could taste so good?
How to serve this kale salad
This kale salad is classic and the perfect green salad to pair with for all sorts of dinner recipes. Since it’s Italian in vibe, it goes particularly well with Italian recipes. But it also truly pairs well with anything! It works in fall, winter, spring or anytime. Here are a few dinner recipes we’d pair it with:
source – cooking365coza
