Kale is most definitely the hot health food of the moment, and for good reason! The leafy green is extremely high in various vitamins and minerals, and can be easily added to just about any dish. Try out these simple and delicious kale recipes for your next meal!
Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna
Whisk together melted butter, flour, and milk over heat — once it begins to boil turn off the heat and it should thicken. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a third of the mixture, and then lay two lasagna noodles, kale, and sliced butternut squash, then repeat this layering process twice. Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.
Lentils and Kale with Tahini Sauce
Lentils and kale go together perfectly, especially when topped with a homemade tahini sauce! Just whicks together tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and water to make the sauce, then drizzle it over the lentils and kale.
Orange, Radicchio, and Kale Salad
Separate an orange into its segments and put them into a bowl with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, 1/2 of a small head of radicchio, and 1/2 of a medium bunch of kale. Toss it all together and top it with chopped cashews.
Kale Gratin
This delicious recipe will win over even the biggest kale haters! Cook kale and a sliced shallot with salt and pepper in a skillet of olive oil for about 10 minutes, then mix them with cream cheese and sour cream and pour into a shallow baking dish. Top with bread crumbs and butter, and bake at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
Sauteed Kale with Bacon and Apples
Cook your kale alongside onion and apple slices. Once done, add some crumbled bits of bacon to the mix and a tablespoon of cider vinegar.
Broccoli, Feta, and Kale Saute
Cook broccoli in a skillet of olive oil for 10 minutes, and then add the kale in and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Once it’s done, add some feta cheese crumbles and olives, and enjoy!
Cheese Ravioli with Kale Pesto
Pesto fans rejoice, because you can easily make your own kale pesto in just a few minutes! Pulse garlic and almonds in a food processor until chopped finely, then add kale, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Then continue pulsing while adding olive oil, until the mixture is smooth. Add the pest to some cheese ravioli and you’ve got an awesome meal.
Potato, Fennel, and Kale Hash
This hash is a perfect side, or meal of it’s own when topped with fried eggs. To make, cook potatoes and fennel in a skillet in canola oil and season them with salt and pepper. After about 15-20 minutes, add the kale to the mix and cook for another 10 minutes.
Mustard Kale and Butternut Squash
Cook chunks of butternut squash in olive oil for 10-12 minutes, and then add chicken broth, kale, and mustard along with salt and pepper. Cook for another 8-10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Garlicky Kale Spaghetti
This sauceless spaghetti recipe will satisy everyone in the family! Cook your kale with onion and garlic in a skillet of olive oil, and add halved grape tomatoes when tender. Toss this mixture with cooked whole grain spaghetti, almonds, and pecorino cheese.
Herb-Crusted Chicken with Kale
Toss bone-in chicken pieces in garlic, rosemary, olive oil, lemon quarters, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and then roast at 450 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Toss 1- or 2-inch pieces of thick country bread in the juices and then toast them until golden brown. Add the kale and combine it with the croutons, serving them alongside your chicken.
Kale Apple Smoothie
This nutritious smoothie brilliantly uses fruit flavors to mask the not-so-popular veggie flavors. Place chopped kale, chopped celery, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of apple juice, 1/2 cup of ice, and a teaspoon of lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
Slow Cooker Sausage and Kale Stew
Combine chopped Italian sausage links, a chopped onion, diced tomatoes, chopped garlic, tomato paste, a cup of water, and a bunch of kale in your slow cooker. Set the cooker on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Kale Caesar Salad
Who says you have to give up a favorite dish to get some more kale? Make the salad as normal with eggs, onions, and caesar dressing, but use kale instead of the lettuce.
Curried Kale with Coconut
Cook garlic, onion, and curry powder in canola oil for about 5 minutes, and then add kale to the skillet, cooking for another 6-8 minutes. Once done, sprinkle the dish with toasted coconut and crush red pepper.
