This fresh, bursting with flavor, simple Lemon Garlic Kale Salad is a breeze to toss together and ready in 15 minutes!
If you are a lover of kale and need a quick salad during our stay at home restrictions, this is the salad for you. Kale provides ample amounts of vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium, and iron. We all need our nutrition when we are in stressful situations.
It’s a snappy, fresh side dish or a light supper: a lemony green salad, rich with tang and crunch. The dressing is nothing more than lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Its simplicity makes it perfect. The dressing can be used on many other salads.
It’s the nuts that give it that extra crunch in this Lemon Garlic Kale Salad. Almonds are the traditional nut to use with a classic kale salad, but you can sub in any nuts that you like. Pecans or walnuts would work beautifully. I want to try pine nuts next time I make the salad.
Finally, what cheese to use in the salad? Parmesan Cheese is a more available choice with a peppery after-taste made from cow’s milk. Or should it be Percoino Cheese? It is a sharp, salty cheese made from sheep’s milk. I like the more salty, stronger Percoino, but you can make that decision.
You can prep the kale and dressing in advance. Wrap the dried kale in paper towels or plastic and refrigerate. Just don’t add the dressing until you are ready to serve.
Lemon Garlic Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cups Almonds sliced or slivered
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil I like to use Holy Smoke Smoked Olive Oil
- 1 Large Garlic Clove smashed peeled and minced
- 8 oz. Fresh Kale washed and dried
- 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese Pecorino if available
- Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a toaster oven or skillet, toast almonds with a small amount of olive oil until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine lemon juice and one teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add chopped garlic and set aside.
- Working in batches, tear the kale into bite-size pieces. (Recipe can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Keep kale and dressing refrigerated separately.)
- Place chopped kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle surface with almonds and then with cheese. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for dressing and salt and add more as needed, tossing to coat thoroughly. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
Notes
Craving more salad recipes? Then click on the this recipe link Roasted Strawberry and Beet Salad to take a peek at this gorgeous recipe!