Kale Salad is the perfect addition to your summer salad roundup! This light and fresh citrus side dish whips up in just minutes and makes great when paired with our oven-roasted chicken breasts. It would also work as an amazing accompaniment to steak or seafood.
Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
If you are looking for an extremely light but extra satisfying salad, you have landed on the right recipe. This salad has minimal ingredients, comes together in just minutes, and is the perfect side dish for literally any meal. We can’t say enough about the refreshing lemon vinaigrette dressing. You might want to make extra! If you like this type of salad, make sure to check out our Mediterranean Chickpea Salad too!
Why Do You Massage Kale?
Kale can naturally be a little bit on the tough side. Massaging the kale in this salad will help break down the fibers and make it softer and silkier. Here are some tips to get rid of that tough texture:
- Pour some dressing on the salad – the acid in the lemon juice will help break the fibers down.
- Rub the kale a few times between your fingers.
- You can over-massage kale, so make sure to stop when it starts to wilt.
- If you are not serving immediately, pour on the dressing and let it rest. The acid in the dressing will naturally soften the leaves.
Specialty Ingredients
What is Curly Kale?
What is Curly Kale? Curly Kale is a variation of the kale family that has frilly, curled edges. In this recipe, you can use regular kale or even red kale interchangeably. According to Mayo Clinic, Kale is a nutrient-rich superfood, which makes it a favorite of the good real food team.
Nutritional Information
per serving
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and can vary based on the products used as well as changes made to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups curly kale, stems removed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 medium lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- â…› teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup croutons, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup (50 g) parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Gather ingredients.
- Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Drizzle a ½ teaspoon lemon dressing onto the kale. Massage the dressing into the kale leaves until the leaves darken in color and become tender and silky.
- Toss with remaining dressing. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and croutons.