Flavorful, easy and no massaging Lemon Kale Salad with toasted nuts and fresh Parmesan cheese, tossed in lemon and garlic dressing.
Hands down, one of my favorite leafy green salads ever!
Easy Kale Salad
Lemon kale salad is my “default” kale salad. Once in a while, I get a craving for chewy leafy kale leaves with a punch of garlic, lemon and Parmesan. Kind of like healthy version of Caesar salad.
Do you? Ever?
That is when I make this easy kale salad. Quick to whip up and I have ingredients on hand 99% of the time. It is simple enough for a weeknight dinner, yet fancy for guests and Holidays at same time.
What Type of Kale Can I Use?
I absolutely love kale. Do you? I go through stages though. Fall and winter kale cravings truly hit. Must be lack of summer produce.
- Green kale: Green kale is leafy, curly and light green kale variety. It has thick prominent ribs and creates a lot of volume in a salad bowl. It is more chewy than other kale. I can’t explain but kale choice depends really on the cravings. Once you try both kinds, you will know what I mean. Right?
- Lacinato “dinosaur” kale: This is kale with dark green, long and narrow leaves with bumps. Hence, the name. It does look like a dinosaur skin and is very soft compared to green kale. I like to use it for kale Caesar salad because it is less voluminous and you get more dressing with each bite.
You can use any kale. I personally do not love purple kale for this recipe. Or maybe at all. ?
How to Make Lemon Kale Salad
- Prep kale: Make sure to remove the leaves from the ribs and chop them finely.
- No need to massage it: If you read many recipes online, most say you do. Well, I don’t. I just don’t think this extra step is necessary with this simple kale salad. The keyword is “chopped”. Then lemon juice in the salad dressing helps to break down the fibers of raw kale within minutes.
- Toast nuts: Cook nuts in a skillet until fragrant and lightly browned. Watch closely not to burn and stir often.
- Make dressing: This is the best kale salad dressing based on quality extra virgin olive oil. Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds acidity that is so essential to any salad dressing. And how this Ukrainian could skip a zip from freshly grated garlic?!
- Combine and mix: And once you drizzle this lemon-y garlic vinaigrette over finely chopped kale, toasted nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, it makes the best kale salad ever!
Tip: Kale salad might be a pain to mix because of its volume. To toss kale salad, I like to use Pyrex bowl with a lid and shake well. Then when I remove the lid, I give shrunk kale a few more final stirs. 
Make Ahead, Storing and Serving
Serving: Kale parmesan salad goes well with beef, chicken or turkey. Slow cooked meats like pot roast or turkey breast roast compliment leafy green so well. And of course can never go wrong with a simple baked chicken breast.
Storing: Unlike its cousins, kale is a very sturdy leafy green. You can store salad leftovers for up to 36 hours without salad becoming soggy.
Make ahead: If you would like to make salad ahead, prepare kale leaves and store in a zip top bag for up to 7 days. I often meal prep kale like this for easy use throughout the week. If you buy chopped kale in bags, you might have to remove the ribs.
Then store toasted nuts in a dry place. Salad dressing can be made for up to 7 days in advance and refrigerated. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes ahead of serving to allow olive oil to warm up.
More Kale Salad Recipes
- Kale and quinoa salad
- Massaged kale salad with winter fruit
- Sweet kale salad
- Mexican kale salad
- Kale blueberry salad
Lemon Kale Salad with Garlic and Parmesan
Flavorful, easy and no massaging Lemon Kale Salad with toasted nuts and fresh Parmesan cheese, tossed in lemon and garlic dressing. Course: SaladCuisine: Ukrainian Prep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 5 minutes Servings: 6 servings (side dish) Calories: 175kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup nuts like almonds hazelnuts, brazil or macadamia, coarsely chopped
- 1 large bunch of kale 6 cups chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 large lemon 2 tbsp, juice of
- 1 small garlic clove grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove ribs from kale, rinse with cold water and spin in a salad spinner.
- Chop into thin stripes and add to a large salad bowl.
- Toast nuts in a skillet on medium heat until fragrant, stirring often. Transfer to a salad bowl.
- Add Parmesan cheese to the salad bowl.
- In a small bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork and pour over salad.
- Stir gently until well combined. Serve within a day.
Store: You can store salad leftovers for up to 36 hours without salad becoming soggy.
Make Ahead: If you would like to make salad ahead, prepare kale leaves and store in a zip top bag for up to 7 days. I often prep kale like this for easy use throughout the week. If you buy chopped kale in bags, you might have to remove the ribs.
Then store toasted nuts in a dry place. Salad dressing can be made for up to 7 days in advance and refrigerated. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes ahead of serving to allow olive oil to warm up.
Nutrition
Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 982IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg
