43 Excellent Kale Recipes for the Grill, the Soup Pot, or Your Salad Bowl
Trendy vegetables come and go, but kale is everlasting. Not only is the leafy green both delicious and nutrient-dense, it’s also tremendously versatile. The kale recipes below demonstrate why this popular crucifer has such staying power: You can fry it, braise it, roast it to a crisp, massage it until tender, marinate it overnight, make enormous batches of it in a single go, or stew it in a pot for good luck on New Year’s Day (or any other day, for that matter). Here are our most popular recipes—from one-pot pastas to weeknight salad recipes—made with everyone’s favorite leafy green.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson1/43Simplest Kale Salad
Perhaps the simplest out of all the kale recipes, this effortless five-ingredient salad with a bright lemony dressing makes the perfect appetizer or side dish for any main course, whether it's pork, lamb, fish, or pasta.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano and Stevie Stewart2/43Kale, Tomato, and Lemon Magic One-Pot Spaghetti
This one-pot pasta is a complete revelation: Dried spaghetti, water, and cherry tomatoes cook down to create a simple dinner that comes together all in one pan. A handful of torn kale is added right at the end of cooking, turning this fuss-free recipe into a complete meal.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura3/43Sausage and Greens Sheet-Pan Dinner
Crispy mini potatoes, hearty greens, and spiced Italian sausage roast together in a sweet-yet-tart mustard dressing to create an easy 25-minute dinner that’s a true crowd-pleaser.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Laura Rege4/43Mushroom and Kale Breakfast Skillet
For mornings when you need to feed a crowd a healthy breakfast, this veggie-packed egg skillet is here for you. Loaded with mushrooms, tomatoes, a bounty of torn kale, and just enough red pepper flakes to give it a subtle warmth, it’s the perfect low-key brunch that comes together in no time. Just make sure to serve it with plenty of toasted bread for mopping up those runny yolks.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova6/43Big-Batch Roasted Kale
This big-batch kale recipe can be kept in the fridge and added to meals all throughout the week. Add it to salads, stir-fries, soups, grain bowls, or anything else that could use a pop of green.
Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki7/43Maui Kale Salad With Sweet Onion Dressing
With a simple sweet onion dressing, spiced kim chee peanuts, and crunchy potato chips scattered throughout, this delicious kale and cabbage salad is an instant favorite. Once dressed, the salad becomes even more flavorful, making it an ideal recipe to prep ahead of time.
Photo and Food Styling by Anna Stockwell8/43Beans and Greens Polenta Bake
Topping a layer of polenta with a vibrant mixture of sautéed garlicky greens, beans, Parmesan cheese, and a splash of red wine vinegar—then baking it until browned and crispy—creates a quick weeknight dinner reminiscent of skillet pizza.
Photo by Kris Kirkham12/43Pak Choi and Kale Dumpling
Packed with greens, ginger, and garlic, these boiled dumplings easily go vegetarian by switching out the ground pork for crumbled tofu. You can make your own dumpling dough or use premade wrappers to save yourself some time.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell13/43Massaged Kale With Tomatoes, Creamed Mozzarella, and Wild Rice
In this ingenious salad, massaged kale and wild rice create a hearty base that gets topped with a burrata-like mixture of torn mozzarella with sour cream and lemon.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi14/43Cheesy Potato and Kale Gratin With Rye Croutons
There’s no need to reduce your cream or pre-cook the kale for this cheesy, creamy casserole. Leaving the potatoes unpeeled and slicing them using a mandoline cuts down on prep time and results in even, thin slices. Tuscan kale works especially well here but regular is fine if that's what you've got.
Photo by Melina Hammer15/43Llubav’s Green Spaghetti
No chopping required for this weeknight dinner—just a blender. You’ll purée spinach, kale, basil, garlic, feta, and cream cheese with olive oil to make a fresh, rich sauce that wraps itself around pasta.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone16/43Smoky Beans and Greens on Toast
These brothy beans and greens are cooked with bacon and paprika to give them a rich, smoky flavor. While they’re great on just about anything, they’re particularly delicious mounded on top of crispy, skillet-fried toast.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce17/43Scallop Rice Bowls With Crunchy Spice Oil
Everything in this recipe is eminently swappable. Scallops can be replaced with shrimp, sausage, or tofu. The white rice can be swapped out for quinoa or flatbread. And the kale can be replaced with collards, chard, or any other leafy green. The element that ties it all together is a spicy infused oil made with ingredients you may already have in your cupboard.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson18/43Instant Pot Caldo Verde
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell19/43Crispy Chicken Thighs With Kale, Apricots, and Olives
While these chicken thighs braise in the oven, the kale gets nice and crispy–similar in texture to kale chips—making it the most irresistible part of this cozy, one-pot dinner.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson20/43Greek-Style Shrimp Pasta With Kale
This pasta is so packed with vegetables and shrimp that it's a complete, satisfying meal despite only using half the normal serving size of noodles.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell21/43Winter Salad Hummus Bowls
For make-ahead-friendly winter salad, massage kale and brussels sprouts in a sweet, tangy dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and honey, then serve it over a base of creamy hummus and top with jammy eggs.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell22/43Sheet-Pan Pasta Bake With Chicken and Kale
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell23/43Efo Riro With Kale and Whitefish
This dish fuses flavors and spices from New York cook Kemi Seriki's native Nigeria, such as dried shrimp, with some of her personal touches, like Old Bay seasoning. The result? A rich, boldly flavored stew of whitefish and kale perfect for serving over steamed yams or rice.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks24/43Cheesy Delicata Squash and Kale Casserole
Combine thinly sliced squash, kale, and plenty of ricotta cheese to create a lasagna-like casserole that's perfect for a hearty winter dinner. Don’t skip the quick-pickled raisins and crunchy hazelnut topping.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson25/43Grain Bowl Soup
A bright, slightly sweet parsley-dill sauce perks up this warming, nourishing dish that’s like your favorite grain bowl in soup form. Feel free to use homemade vegetable or chicken broth as the base, or use a low-sodium bone broth from the grocery store to save yourself some time.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, prop styling by Brian Heiser, food styling by Rhoda Boone26/43Green Chicken Soup With Dill Matzo Balls
This verdant take on a comfort food classic enlivens traditional chicken matzo ball soup with fresh fennel, a heavy dose of green kale, and dill-flecked matzo balls.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell27/43Salmon Rice Bowls With Coconut-Ginger Broth
You may find yourself coming back to a trick you learned in this recipe: Spreading mayonnaise on fish keeps it moist and helps the breadcrumbs adhere to the surface. The crunchy, panko-crusted fish sits atop a Caribbean-influenced bowl complete with kale, beans, and a rich coconut broth.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell28/43Lentil Soup With Wheat Berries and Kale
Here’s a “nothing in the house to eat” dinner that just happens to be vegetarian. Use stock instead of water if you've got it on hand; but even without, you’ll get an incredible amount of flavor from the soffritto, lentils, and kale.
Photo by Peden + Munk29/43Roasted and Marinated Beets With Burrata, Charred Kale, and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
A nutty hazelnut vinaigrette elevates this satisfying salad of seasonal root vegetables, tender charred kale, and creamy cheese into a restaurant-quality dish.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton31/43Braised Rotisserie Chicken With Bacon, Tomatoes, and Kale
This is what former senior food editor Anna Stockwell playfully dubbed the cheater's braise: a store-bought (or leftover!) chicken revived in a rich bacon-rosemary broth with a big handful of kale stirred in at the end. Serve it with some good bread for sopping up the sauce and dinner is ready.
Amy Neunsinger33/43Egg, Kale, and Tomato Breakfast Wraps with Hummus
These hearty breakfast wraps filled with sautéed kale, tomatoes, hummus, and poached or scrambled eggs will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.
Photo by Katrina Meynink and Kait Barker34/43Slow Cooker Potato, Leek, and Kale Gratin With Too Much Cheese
Ian McSpadden35/43Kale Pesto With Toasted Walnuts
Equally at home swirled into pasta, brushed onto grilled chicken, spread on a sandwich, or dolloped on top of scrambled eggs—this rich, kale-based pesto is a keeper.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton36/43Kale Salad With Brussels Sprouts, Apples, and Hazelnuts
Photo by Alaina Sullivan37/43"Cromlet" With Wilted Greens and Fennel and Olive Salad
What’s a cromlet? A savory, gluten-free pancake made with chickpea flour and eggs that makes for a satisfying weeknight dinner. This one is topped with wilted greens that get cooked in the same pan you made the pancake in, making cleanup a breeze.
38/43Kale or Chard Pie
Hearty yet healthy, easy to pull together, appropriate for any occasion, and good served hot or at room temperature, this savory pie has it all. Kale and chard work great in the filling, but you can swap them out for other vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, or cauliflower.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell40/43Calzones With Chorizo and Kale
Assemble and bake off a couple of these grown-up pizza pockets for dinner tonight and freeze the rest for later. Your future self will thank you.
Photo by Chris Court and William Meppem41/43Chicken Caesar Salad With Crispy Kale
Roasted with Parmesan cheese until shatteringly crisp, kale leaves take the place of croutons in this clever take on a classic Caesar salad. Brussels sprouts and baby spinach bulk up the base and create a hearty enough salad that can be served as a main dish.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton43/43Lemony Chicken Soup With Farro, White Beans, and Kale
This hearty yet light soup is a sleeper hit among our kale recipes. For an extra burst of flavor, swirl some salsa verde into each bowl before serving.
