Kale is an incredibly versatile vegetable that you can eat raw, sautéd, roasted, in a soup or blended up pesto or smoothie! Check out the following kale recipes for a little inspiration to get your started.
For the Love of Kale
Kale has been around for thousands of years. It was (at least to current understanding) first cultivated by the Greeks and Romans as primitive cabbage.
Even though it’s got a long and rich history, I think we can all agree that kale has gone through a serious glow-up in the Western world in the past 20 years.
What was once used mostly has a weird and leafy garnish decorating the salad bar of Pizza Hut, is a now a staple green for the modern day foodie. And, boy, am I here for it!
Lucky for us, it’s also one of the most nutrient dense foods available. When prepared correctly it makes for not only a healthy, but delicious addition to salads, soups, sides and more!
How to Massage Kale (And Why!)
Massaging your food might sound like a weird thing to do, but it’s absolutely worth doing to improve both the taste and texture of raw kale!
The goal is to tenderise the hard and scratchy leaves by scrunching them up in your hands with a little bit of oil to physically break down the tough fibers. After about a minute or so, the leaves should be a darker green and the feel softer. As a result, your leaves are softer and less bitter.
Additionally, breaking down the tough cell walls means your kale can more easily absorb oils and dressings which also contributes to a better flavor.
↳FYI – Kale Stems Are Edible!
Kale stalks are edible! They just need a little more preparation before eating because they’re much tougher than the leaves and .
After you separate the stalks from the leaves, slice up the stems into small pieces. From here you can throw them into stir-fries or roast with other vegetables. Add your kale stems to stir-fries, soups and sautéd dishes early (around the time you’d add things like carrots or celery) so it has time to soften up.
30+ Gluten Free Kale Recipes
✔️Dairy Free
Bacon & Kale Bean Soup
⭐Stay healthy, warm and satisfied with this rustic bacon & kale bean soup made with simple ingredients! The end result is a rich & savory tomato broth full of salty bacon pieces, creamy white beans, hearty potato pieces and bite-sized pieces of fresh kale.⭐
✔️Vegan
Red Pesto Pasta with Chili Kale
⭐ The sun dried tomato pesto blends up effortlessly and makes for a rich and satisfying sauce in the red pesto pasta packed full of plenty of kale!⭐
✔️Vegan Option ✔️Paleo Option
Crunchy Winter Kale Salad with Pomegranate
⭐Massaged kale leaves topped with diced apple and pomegranate arils provide a simple salad base while the toasted nuts and seeds add an extra element of crunch. Top it all off with a sweet and fiery mustard vinaigrette!⭐
✔️Vegetarian
Roasted Cabbage and Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa
⭐ Crispy, crunchy, sweet and salty, warm and toasty, nutritious and most importantly – DELICIOUS! Made with roasted veggies, toasted nuts and seeds, pan fried halloumi and crispy baked quinoa – all tossed in a punchy maple-mustard vinaigrette.⭐
✔️Vegan Option ✔️Paleo Option
Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quinoa Kale Salad
⭐Spiced, roasted black beans and sweet potatoes mixed into a massaged kale salad with crispy-parmesan-quinoa, chopped pistachios and diced cheese tossed in a lemon + garlic dressing.⭐
✔️Vegan
Spicy Kale and Chipotle Chickpea and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
⭐Chipotle roasted chickpeas and butternut squash salad over a bed of massaged kale and topped with a handful of pumpkin seeds. Enjoy fresh, hot out of the over or cold leftovers throughout the week!⭐
✔️Paleo ✔️Whole30
Kale & Chicken Pesto Soup
⭐ Kale and Chicken Pesto Soup – robust flavours made with healthy, seasonal ingredients and incredibly easy to make!⭐
✔️Paleo ✔️Vegan
Spicy Kale Potato Breakfast Hash
⭐ A bright, medley of veggies and spices making for a delicious, egg-free + Whole30 friendly breakfast skillet that’s anything but boring! ⭐
✔️Vegan Option
Creamy Cannellini and Kale Stir Fry with Toasted Bread & Pine Nuts
⭐Made with only 10 basic-ingredients in about 20 minutes. It’s packed full of fibre, protein and healthy greens making it a fantastic dish that you can throw together in a flash!⭐
✔️Dairy Free
Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Kale Apple Salad with Bacon
⭐Crispy roasted chickpeas, caramelised sweet potato, salty bacon pieces and crunchy apple all come together to make this tasty and filling fall inspired kale apple salad.⭐
✔️Vegan
Garlic & Chili Sautéed Kale with Toasted Cashews
⭐Golden garlic slices, spicy chili flakes and sautéed kale tossed in a Korean-inspired dressing with toasted cashews to mellow out the spice. Easy to make. Simple ingredients. Lip-smackingly good flavors!⭐
✔️Vegan ✔️Paleo ✔️Low FODMAP
Crispy Baked Kale Chips
⭐Don’t knock it till you try it! Baked kale chips are a surprisingly simple and satisfying way to get your snack fix in about 30 minutes or less. ⭐
✔️Vegan ✔️Grain Free
Satay Sweet Potato Curry with Kale
⭐Thick, rich, creamy and downright delicious – It’s made all in one pot, packed full of healthy ingredient and cooks up in under 30 minutes.⭐
✔️Dairy Free ✔️Paleo ✔️Whole30
Golden Coconut Turmeric Chicken Thighs
⭐ Made all in one pan with minimal ingredients. With such easy prep and clean up this recipe makes for a great dish to pull out during busy weeknights!⭐
✔️Dairy Free
Dairy Free Ham and Potato Soup with Kale
⭐ Thick, hearty and delicious comfort in a bowl! Using precooked or leftover ham – this dairy free Ham and Potato Soup is easy to make and comes together in no time all in one big pot.⭐
✔️Vegan
Peanut & Kale Butternut Squash Curry
⭐ This plant based curry comes together all in one pot in under an hour making it a great weeknight meal you can feel good about eating!⭐
✔️Vegan
Spicy Tomato Kale & White Bean Soup
⭐Thick and hearty Tomato Kale and White Bean Soup – simply seasoned with a kick of heat! Make this healthy, veggie packed soup easily in one pot – it will be ready before you know it!⭐
✔️Whole30
Sweet Potato Kale Breakfast Salad
⭐Pan fried sweet potatoes, bacon and chopped hard boiled eggs with toasted pumpkin seeds in a simple garlic vinaigrette. Hearty, filling and easy to make!⭐
✔️Grain Free
Chickpea Kale Antipasto Salad
⭐A simple salad tossed in a simple lemon-garlic vinaigrette – only 10 ingredients needed and about 10 minutes to make!⭐
✔️Low Carb ✔️Paleo Option
Salmon and Kale Caesar Salad
⭐Made with diced avocado, sunflower seeds and shaved parmesan. Canned salmon makes this salad protein packed & calcium⭐
✔️Vegan ✔️Paleo
Green Monster Smoothie
⭐Loaded with anti inflammatory fruits and vegetables, herbs & spices. Enjoy as a starter to your morning or when you need a pick-me-up throughout the day!⭐
✔️Vegetarian
Carrot Apple & Massaged Kale Salad
⭐Fresh kale massaged until tender with, crunchy carrot and apple pieces with creamy avocado and salty halloumi chunks tossed in a simple almond butter & mustard dressing⭐
✔️Vegan
Roasted Chickpea Kale Salad with a Creamy Tahini Dressing
⭐This salad takes all of your favourite hummus flavours and combines them into one simple, yet tasty salad.⭐
✔️Vegetarian
Butternut Squash Kale & Goats Cheese Quiche
⭐Spiralized butternut squash with chopped up kale in a goats cheese quiche with a flaky gluten free crust⭐
✔️Vegan ✔️Paleo
Kale Pesto
⭐No need to wait for the summer time for basil to back in season – just swap out basil for kale, almonds for pine nuts to make this simple, yet delicious kale pesto!⭐
✔️Whole30
Sausage Kale Sweet Potato Hash
⭐One skillet, sweet potato hash – sausage, onion, bell pepper and kale seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper. Minimal ingredients with maximum flavour.⭐
✔️Low Carb ✔️Whole30 Option
Sausage and Kale Soup
⭐Warm and hearty, Italian inspired Sausage & Kale Soup – all made in one pot in about 30 minutes.⭐
✔️Vegetarian
Super Green Kale Pesto Pizza
⭐A basic gluten free pizza dough topped with arugula, sliced radishes, chopped almonds and dollops of mozzarella.⭐
✔️Vegetarian
Spiced Chickpea Kale Salad
⭐Pan fried chickpeas and pepitas with hard boiled egg and massaged kale coated in a bright and tangy lemony-date dressing. It’s filling, healthy and incredibly tasty!⭐
✔️Dairy Free
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
⭐Sautéed chicken sausage and aromatic veggies make up the base with pillowy gnocchi dumplings throughout the soup providing ample flavour and filling ingredients. No heavy creams or milks needed!⭐
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to save your favorites for later or bookmark this post for a later time! If you’re still hungry for more, check out my full collection of Gluten Free Winter Recipes or browse through the seasonal category page to pick your preferred season.
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