Home
Vegetables
Greens
Kale
Our 30 Best Kale Recipes and Ideas

Our 30 Best Kale Recipes and Ideas

By Food & Wine

Updated February 22, 2019

Paul Costello

In recent years, kale has become one of the trendiest ingredients and certainly the most hyped vegetable at the farmer’s market. But that isn't the reason we think you should eat it. We're into kale because it’s healthy—rich in vitamins K, C, A and B6—and it's delicious in all kinds of recipes. To celebrate kale season (it's at its peak in October, but is available all fall and beginning of winter), we're here with 30 days worth of our best kale recipes. From upgraded versions of the classic kale salad to inventive creations like chickpeas and kale in spicy pomodoro sauce and gluten-free pizza with sausage, kale and red onion, we've got every kind of dish you might be craving. So go out and get yourself a bunch of kale (or a bunch of bunches) and start cooking.

Start Slideshow

1 of 31

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

Constantine Poulos

Start with something easy, quick and delicious. Chef Missy Robbins of Brooklyn’s Lilia restaurant swaps chickpeas in for pasta for this riff on spicy pomodoro. She finishes the dish with a shower of fresh herbs and salty pecorino cheese.

Advertisement

Advertisement

2 of 31

Our 30 Best Kale Recipes and Ideas

It's a superfood, after all.

3 of 31

Kale-and-Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad

Michael Turek

In this creative kale and Brussels sprout Caesar salad, Whitney Tingle and Danielle DuBoise of Sakara Life replace the Parmesan cheese with a nutty crumble of almonds, hemp seeds and nutritional yeast. The anchovies in the creamy dressing are also swapped out for dried pulse, a savory, briny seaweed.

Advertisement

4 of 31

Green Eggs with Whipped Goat Cheese and Grilled Kale

Bobby Fisher

F&W Best New Chef 2017 Jay Blackinton, of Hogstone’s Wood Oven on Orcas Island, Washington, made his reputation taking just a few humble ingredients and turning them into a magical dish. Case in point: this “green” egg, which is soft-boiled and dusted in dried kale, then served on creamy arugula-laced goat cheese and surrounded by crispy grilled kale.

5 of 31

Chile-Kale Salad with Fennel

Abby Hocking

Rethink your classic kale salad with this Indian-inspired version from Graffiti Earth chef Jehangir Mehta. In place of croutons, Mehta uses store-bought crispy chickpeas for that perfect crunch and Thai bird chiles for a spicy kick. Bring this homemade salad for your desk lunch and all your coworkers will be wishing they were you.

6 of 31

Cabbage-and-Kale Slaw with Toasted Yeast Dressing

Tara Pearce

Noma alum Josh Lewis makes his dressing with toasted nutritional yeast (sold at health food stores) and two types of oil. It’s great on all kinds of slaws, like this one made with Tuscan kale and green cabbage, and any salad with sturdy leaves. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, so don't dress your slaw until you're ready to eat it.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

7 of 31

Kale, Black Bean and Red Chile Tacos With Queso Fresco

Fredrika Stjärne

It’s possible you’ve been taking too narrow a view on your tacos. According to Chicago star chef Rick Bayless, “Tacos are warm tortillas wrapped around anything flavorful.” In this case that means kale spiced up with guajillo chiles. And since it takes just 30 active minutes to make it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner.

8 of 31

Kale-and-Shiitake Fried Rice

Chris Court

Just because you're on a kale kick, doesn't mean it has to be a month of eating just green salads. This comforting, vegetable-packed rice is infused with ginger. It’s best made with day-old rice to absorb all the flavorings. And we love that it takes only 40 minutes from start to finish.

9 of 31

Chow Fun with Roast Pork and Kale-Tomato Salad

Con Poulos

At Migrant in Maui, chef Sheldon Simeon makes his own chow fun noodles. They’re the base for this unconventional dish that’s topped with roast pork and a tangy kale salad and served with a buttery broth. Mild-flavored annatto seeds (achiote) give the dish a bright-reddish color—you should be able to find them at most supermarkets.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

10 of 31

Quinoa Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and Tuscan Kale

Justin Chapple

San Francisco chef Matthew Accarrino makes deliciously light meatballs with a combination of quinoa and breadcrumbs. He bakes the meatballs before simmering them in a vibrant tomato sauce along with kale. The end result: a healthy and deeply satisfying take on an Italian classic that you'll love for any weeknight dinner.

11 of 31

Red Lentil Dal with Coconut Milk and Kale

Nicholas Hopper

Bloggers Melissa and Jasmine Hemsley serve these creamy, flavorful lentils with vibrant toppings: spice-cooked onions, red chiles and chopped cilantro. Cozy up with a warm bowl of this tasty dal to combat the dropping temperatures this season.

12 of 31

Sweet Brown Rice Risotto with Kale and Cremini

Con Poulos

“Despite its name, sweet brown rice isn’t sweet,” says chef Marco Canora of Hearth in New York City. Instead, this short-grain glutinous rice resembles whole-grain sushi rice. Here, Canora uses it to make a hearty vegetarian risotto packed with cremini mushrooms, Tuscan kale, onion, thyme and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

13 of 31

Rigatoni with Lemony Kale-and-Pecorino Pesto

Fredrika Stjärne

Making pesto with kale instead of basil isn't just healthier, it's unexpectedly delicious. And according to the dish's creator, chef Chris Cosentino, it's a simple way to get kids (or anyone) to enjoy kale. Make this 30-minute dish any weeknight when you're tight for time, but don't want to compromise on flavor.

14 of 31

Grilled Kale Toasts

Con Poulos

Smoky grilled kale gets tossed in a tangy yogurt dressing and mounded on crusty bread in this no-fuss starter from chef Camille Becerra. For fall entertaining, consider this the perfect thing to serve your guests when they walk in the door. It's light and easy.

15 of 31

Kale Juice

Justin Chapple / Food & Wine

We like our green juices with a kick, so we add ginger and a slice of jalapeño to this one. Not sure about the spice? This juice is equally delicious without the chile pepper. Either way, we want this right when we wake up.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

16 of 31

Cool Ranch Kale Dip

Christina Holmes

Whether we like to admit it or not, most delicious dips are not healthy. But here’s a recipe to offer a counterpoint. This healthy, fast and tasty version of a classic ranch dip features kale, labneh and buttermilk. All you need is the perfect chip and you'll be set for snacking.

17 of 31

Kale-Buttermilk Dressing for Roasted Vegetables

Christina Holmes

We are forever on the quest to incorporate kale in unexpected ways and this vegetable on vegetable recipe does just that. Instead of adding raw kale leaves to a salad, San Francisco chef Cortney Burns uses cooked kale in a creamy dressing for roasted vegetables.

18 of 31

Squash-and-Kale Toasts

John Kernick

Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta is a huge fan of kale—especially when it's combined with sweet roasted squash. Look for Tuscan kale (also called Lacinato or Dinosaur kale) when possible; it's tender and tasty. You can eat these toasts as an afternoon snack or serve them to guests during cocktail hour.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

19 of 31

Kale Caesar with Fried Chickpeas

Eva Kolenko

Sometimes a perfect salad is exactly what you want. This tangy Caesar salad from F&W’s Justin Chapple is topped with light, airy, crunchy pan-fried chickpeas. It doesn't take a lot to make kale taste delicious.

20 of 31

Pork-and-Kale Soup with Sizzling Puffed Rice

Johnny Miller

“I love food that makes noise,” says Edward Lee, chef and owner of Louisville, Kentucky’s 610 Magnolia and the Wine Studio. When F&W challenged the Top Chef Season 9 contestant to make a fast dish with pork, kale and white wine, he created a deeply flavorful soup, then added crumbled rice cakes that crackle as they hit the broth.

21 of 31

Fried Eggs with Mustard Seed Oil and Kale

Line Klein

It’s so easy to make kale into a breakfast food. Mustard seeds bring out a delicious flavor in eggs, which get topped with a variety of unexpected ingredients, including sunflower seeds, baby kale, cumin, yogurt and avocado.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

22 of 31

Kale Rice Bowl

Christina Holmes

We love easy one-bowl meals that can be whipped up on a busy day when food might not be a priority. In this simple rice bowl, the F&W Test Kitchen combines pork and kale with an abundance of fresh herbs for a dish that’s both hearty and delightfully fresh-tasting.

23 of 31

Crispy Kale with Lemon-Yogurt Dip

Frances Janisch

Skip the store-bought kale chips and make them yourself. "I like the idea of making a healthy kind of potato chip that's not one of those packaged, dehydrated vegetable chips," chef Seamus Mullen says. He roasts kale with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic until it's crunchy.

24 of 31

Kale Strata

Sarah Bolla

Make brunch a green meal with this kale strata that combines a handful of simple ingredients alongside a generous sprinkling of grated Gouda for a deeply satisfying, easy dish. It's simple, takes just 15 active minutes and will please even the pickiest of guests.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

25 of 31

Kale and White Bean Stew

Susan Spungen

Combining Two Portuguese favorites, this is a simple, sensational one-pot meal for any night. We keep the dish vegetable focused, using just a tiny amount of fresh sausage; but you can add more, if you like, or substitute dried chorizo or pepperoni.

26 of 31

Kimchi-and-Kale Fried Rice

Abby Hocking

When chef Rachel Yang finishes a long shift at her Seattle restaurant Joule, this fried rice is her go-to quick snack. It’s a great use for all of that leftover takeout rice and relies mostly on pantry staples, as long as you have gochujang, a Korean chile paste, in your pantry.

27 of 31

Creamed Kale

This rich and delicious creamed kale from star chef Tyler Florence is an excellent swap for more traditional creamed spinach. The recipe serves ten to twelve people and we guarantee your family members will be raving. Be prepared to make this for holidays in the future.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

28 of 31

Gluten-Free Pizza with Sausage, Kale and Red Onion

Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

Baked in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, this gluten-free pizza developed in the F&W Test Kitchen has a thicker, more focaccia-like crust and the mix of Italian sausage, kale and sliced red onion makes for a hearty meal.

29 of 31

Lemony Barley Salad with Kale Pesto

Con Poulos

Kale does double duty here: Some of the leaves are pureed with lemon juice and olive oil for a phenomenal pesto, and some of them are torn into pieces that are stirred into the cooked barley at the end for a tasty, 35-minute dish.

30 of 31

Cabbage-and-Kale Soup with Farro

Lucy Schaeffer

"I love a really flavorful pot of greens," says chef Melissa Perello. For this kale-and-cabbage soup, she uses just a little bit of pancetta and a Parmesan-cheese rind to give the broth a rich flavor. "It's definitely the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day," she says. There's nothing better than a dish that keeps on giving.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

31 of 31

Kale Salad with Root Vegetables and Apple

Paul Costello

Here is a final kale salad for the road and we promise this one is worth your time. This refreshing, super healthy salad is one of chef Marcus Samuelson’s favorite ways to showcase kale. He says that massaging the leaves with vinegar, salt and olive oil makes them tender and sweet.

Up Next

Advertisement