22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (2024)

Kale is packed with vitamin K, high in vitamins A and C, and rich in fiber, too. So whether you enjoy this leafy green in a kale salad, a kale smoothie, kale soup, or one of our many other kale recipes, you'll score great taste and a windfall of nutrients in one fabulous dish.

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Chicken, Chickpea, and Kale Buddha Bowls

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (1)

All kinds of colorful ingredients, including roasted squash, green beans, chicken, and crunchy chickpeas, morph this kale salad into an immensely satisfying meal in a bowl.

  • Best-ever meals in a bowl that are NOT soup.

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Peppered Kale Chips

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (2)

Looking for a snack that's as satisfying as a potato chip but with one-third the calories? Try this baked kale chips recipe. They're seasoned with a touch of cayenne and ready in a snap.

  • See more healthy snack recipes here!

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How to Make Kale Chips and How to Cook Kale

Watch as we show you the simple steps to make crispy kale chips, as well as an easy way to turn kale into a side dish.

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Kale, Chorizo, and Red Bean Brunch Casserole

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (3)

From breakfast and brunch to lunch and dinner, we enjoy kale recipes all day! Here, sun-dried tomatoes and spicy chorizo give the bread-based morning bake a burst of flavor, while kale and red beans add great nutrition.

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Power Kale Salad

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (4)

Serve your favorite nutrient-rich green in this main-dish kale salad recipe. Not only does it boast a smorgasbord of delicious ingredients (kale, chicken, citrus, and pear) but it also has a whopping 35 grams of protein per serving.

Danish Green Kale Soup

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (5)

Colorful, healthy, and loaded with chunks of ham and bright green kale, this simple slow cooker kale soup recipe offers a lot to love.

  • Our top soup recipes -- at a glance.

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Garlic Pork with Sauteed Kale and Walnut Barley

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (6)

Sauteed kale is even better when a little bacon gets in on the action! Add some barley, and you've got a wholesome (and wholly delicious) side dish to a spice-rub roasted pork tenderloin.

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Crunchy Kale Salad with Creamy Tomato-Garlic Dressing

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (7)

Roasted garlic, buttermilk, and sun-dried tomatoes are the secrets to the fabulous salad dressing in this colorful kale recipe.

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Roasted Kale and Red Onions

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (8)

Sure, sauteed kale is great, but try roasted kale, too! It makes a deeply flavored, beautifully colored side dish, especially when studded with balsamic-glazed onions.

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Winter Slaw with Kale and Cabbage

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (9)

Many salad recipes with kale call for rubbing the leafy green with your hands. This helps soften the kale leaves while brightening their color. That's the case in this trendy (and tasty) coleslaw update.

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Warm Eggplant and Kale Panzanella Salad

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A kale salad from your slow cooker? You bet! Both kale and eggplant benefit from the hassle-free heat. After simmering with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and onion, the vegetables are tossed with bread cubes and shredded Parmesan for a new twist on classic panzanella.

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Sausage and Kale Soup with White Beans

Watch as chef Scott Peaco*ck shows you how to prepare a kale and white bean soup with sausage. It's one of the most sought-after kale recipes ever.

  • Sausage and Kale Soup with White Beans recipe

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One-Pot Ham and Kale Pasta

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (11)

Turn sauteed kale into a main dish with ham, orechiette pasta, and Asiago cheese. Garlic and blackened seasoning flavor-charge the easy kale recipe.

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Holiday Kale Salad

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (12)

Brighten your table for the holidays (or any day) with a crisp and colorful kale salad. Fennel, walnuts, cranberries, and wild rice make great go-alongs, and a lemon-Dijon dressing adds spark.

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Sweet Beets and Greens Smoothies

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (13)

How about a kale smoothie in an unexpected color? Lush berries, beets, and pomegranate juice add all-natural sweetness and a deep purple hue to this vitamin A- and C-packed recipe.

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Trendspotting with BHG: Kale

What's so great about kale? One of our food editors shares her insights.

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Market Stand Pasta Salad with Garlic and Shallot Dressing

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (14)

Head to your local grocery store produce section for the fresh market vegetables in this pasta salad. Baby kale, tomatoes, and noodles accompany your veggie finds in our easy kale recipe.

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Creamed Kale

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (15)

Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses are the secrets to the creaminess of this easy kale recipe. Keep the rich-tasting recipe on hand to add a little opulence to any meal.

  • How to cook kale—the basics.

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Wild Mushroom and Kale Ravioli Skillet Lasagna

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (16)

Looking for kale recipes that are fast and healthful, too? This one's got you covered! It starts with refrigerated wild-mushroom ravioli to keep it quick and calls on low-fat cheese to keep it on the light side.

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Macaroni Alfredo with Pumpkin and Kale

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (17)

Indulge your macaroni and cheese craving and skip the calorie overload with our quick pumpkin-and-kale pasta pleaser. This rich, creamy, and easy kale recipe results in a can't-miss comfort food.

  • See more ideas for macaroni and cheese.

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Mediterranean Kale and Cannellini Stew with Farro

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (18)

Here's another entry for your list of great soup recipes with kale! Easy, healthy, and layered with irresistible ingredients, the veggie-packed dish is perfect for pairing with a thick slice of crusty bread.

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Vegetable-Loaded Pasta Bake

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (19)

Sauteed kale stars alongside cauliflower, carrots, and corn in our top-rated vegetarian casserole. It's a crowd-pleaser that works for meatless Monday or any other day of the week.

22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (2024)

FAQs

How do you make kale taste better? ›

Massaging Kale – massaging kale with a little oil and/or lemon juice for just a few minutes makes it more tender and easier to chew. Plus, it adds an extra boost of flavor.

Can you eat kale raw in a salad? ›

Often labeled as a superfood, kale is one of the healthiest and most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. This leafy green comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and textures. It's often eaten raw in salads and smoothies but can also be enjoyed steamed, sautéed, boiled, or baked.

How do you make kale more digestible? ›

Cook it: Cooking kale helps ease its bitterness and softens tough fibers that can hamper digestion. You'll still get the benefits of the fiber — after all, plant-based fibers don't suddenly disintegrate even if you boil them (you'd have to blast them at 300 degrees Celsius or higher to do that).

What is the most beneficial way to eat kale? ›

Steaming is a better option than boiling because you don't lose as many nutrients with this cooking method, according to Gray. “You're not giving it heat treatment for very long, so it's closest to raw that you can get and you still are cooking it to some degree,” she said.

What makes kale taste bitter? ›

Bitter greens are leafy greens or vegetables that have an intense bitter flavor profile. They include kale, mustard greens, collards, turnip greens, broccoli rabe, radicchio, chicory, and endive. The bitterness comes from chemical compounds called glucosinolates that can be found in the Brassica family.

What are 3 ways you can eat kale? ›

Here are 10 ways to use it.
  • As a Substitute for Spinach. Kale works nicely in recipes that call for spinach, like those for egg dishes, salads or lasagna. ...
  • In a Dip. Cooked kale can be chopped or pureed to make a variety of dips. ...
  • Juiced. ...
  • Sauteed with Veggies. ...
  • In a Salad. ...
  • As Pesto. ...
  • In a Soup.

Is it OK to eat kale and spinach everyday? ›

Yes, eat as many leafy greens as you care for. They are packed full of calcium and numerous beneficial vitamins. Are there any health benefits to eating a lot of steamed green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale or broccoli?

Can I eat kale and broccoli together? ›

A low-calorie broccoli and kale side dish for those who are dieting and can do without rice or potatoes. It's delicious and satisfying.

How long does kale last in fridge? ›

To avoid excess moisture, wrap the whole bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should keep for 1 week.

Is spinach healthier than kale? ›

"However, if you are looking for a food that is particularly high in fiber, vitamins K and C, kale is a better choice," she said. "If you are looking for a food that is particularly high in folate and a source of iron, and vitamins A and E, then spinach is a better choice."

Is it OK to eat kale everyday? ›

RELATED: Believe It Or Not, Kale Actually Lives Up To All Of Its Hype—Here's Why. Manganiello says you can eat kale every day, just don't overdo it. She recommends one to two servings maximum of kale per day, leaving room for other healthy foods that provide an assortment of nutrients.

Why does my stomach hurt after eating kale? ›

Fiber from kale leaves can get stuck in the intestines. As a result, you will feel bloated and pass gas more often. Not only that, kale leaves also contain a sugar called raffinose. This type of sugar is difficult to digest by the stomach.

Why do I feel so good after eating kale? ›

Kale is a nutritious food rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene. It also contains nutrients that can support eye health, weight management, heart health, and more. Loaded with important micronutrients and antioxidants, kale is one of the most nutritious leafy greens available.

Why does my stomach burn after eating kale? ›

Cruciferous vegetables also have a complex sugar called raffinose that humans can't break down. That can also lead to gassiness and gut discomfort. Cooking cruciferous vegetables help break down this sugar.

What can I add to kale to make it less bitter? ›

Adding salt and squeezing lemon make a big difference by removing bitterness. Adding some spicy or sweet flavors may help tame the strong flavor of bitter kale.

How do you sweeten bitter kale? ›

Add Sweet to Kale: Sweet foods go well with kale because they counter its rather bitter taste. Serve curly kale up as a salad with simple ingredients like a blood orange, mango and slivered almonds or apple, feta and toasted walnuts or cook kale up with caramelized onion.

What covers the taste of kale? ›

Mix with sweets: combining kale with naturally sweet-tasting foods such as fruits, or sweet-tasting spices can help mask some of its bitterness. Add a touch of salt or spices: spicy and salty flavors can also tame some of kale's strong bitterness. Try cooking kale in vegetable broth with a touch of chili flakes.

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