Wilted Kale Salad is everything that you want your kale salad to be: simple and scrumptious! Tender pieces of Kale are quickly sautéd until slightly wilted in a mixture of honey, white wine vinegar and caramelized onions. Topped with crunchy sourdough croutons and parmesan cheese, this is a kale salad worthy of the spotlight!
This recipe was originally posted on November 11, 2017. It has now been updated with photos and additional words.
Ingredients Needed for this Recipe
As always, salads need to be somewhat simple for me to even want to make them at home. It’s just not something I want to fuss over! Plus, I’m already making the decision to eat a healthy salad, why work hard over it too? Haha! 🙂 Here’s the ingredients you need for this recipe:
- Kale
- Red onion
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Honey
- Garlic
- White wine vinegar
- Shaved Parmesan
- Sourdough bread
What Sets this Salad Apart
One of the main things you’ll notice about this salad is that it’s “wilted”. Meaning, it’s made in a large sauté pan!
First, you caramelize some red onions in a mixture of honey, garlic and white wine vinegar.
Then, you add in the kale! Lightly toss it until it just starts to wilt – as you don’t want soggy, completely sautéd kale. This is a salad here – we want to try to keep it somewhat lively!
Finally, when you top it with the shaved Parmesan cheese, the heat from the wilted kale softens it ever-so slightly to make it a dream come true!
Making Homemade Sourdough Croutons
If you ask me, homemade croutons are ALWAYS worth it! Sourdough bread not only gets nice and golden brown, but they offer a nice tang of flavor, too!
Simply cube the sourdough slices, toss them with a little olive oil and garlic salt and spread them out evenly on a sheet pan. Broil them on high for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy! I couldn’t stop eating them!
Kale salads can have a bad rep, but this one is totally worth it! Slightly wilting the kale takes away some of the “bite”, the sweet sauce takes the place of a dressing and you can never go wrong with Parmesan cheese and sourdough croutons! Serve this salad as-is, top with chicken, steak or shrimp and dig in!
Looking for other salad recipes? Look here!
PS: looking for a fun serving bowl? This is the one I served this salad in! (I doubled the recipe for the photos)
Wilted Kale Salad
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Wilted Kale Salad is everything that you want your kale salad to be: simple and scrumptious! Tender pieces of Kale are quickly sautéd until slightly wilted in a mixture of honey, white wine vinegar and caramelized onions. Topped with crunchy sourdough croutons and parmesan cheese, this is a kale salad worthy of the spotlight!
Ingredients
For the kale salad:
- 1 small/medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 10 oz chopped kale, stems removed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shaved Parmesan for garnish
For the sourdough croutons:
- 5 slices sourdough bread, cubed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
For the kale salad:
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add in the red onions and sauté until translucent and slightly caramelized about 5-8 minutes, avoiding any burning. Add in the honey and white balsamic vinegar and sauté and stir to combine. Add in the garlic.
- Add the chopped kale to the skillet, pour the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top and stir to combine the kale with the red onions, honey and white balsamic vinegar. Sauté for several minutes or until the kale is just slightly wilted and starting to cook. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm immediately with Parmesan shavings and sourdough croutons on top.
For the sourdough croutons:
- Toss the cubed sourdough bread with the olive oil and garlic salt on a sheet pan. Broil on high for 5-8 minutes, or until the croutons are golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- The sourdough croutons can be made in advance, cooled and stored in an air-tight container.
- This recipe was doubled for when I shot the pictures, so please keep that in mind in regards to serving size.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Share the love!
If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂
Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
