Kale Caesar Crunch Salad.
Hello, my favorite kale caesar salad!
You gorgeous thing, you. I could eat you every single day!
My kale caesar is not groundbreaking, but it is something I’ve been making for years. As in, maybe almost a decade? Possibly more?
I have my caesar dressing in many places here on the blog, and also have some versions of my kale salad (this pizza, this shrimp salad), but not a clear kale caesar post that I can point you to! Which I have needed so many times. Finally, we have a dedicated post to my kale caesar salad!
Because next to the howsweeteats house salad, this is the most made salad in our house. Easily once or twice a week! It’s Eddie’s favorite salad.
Also, there’s a different version (kale + same dressing + something else!) coming in my new book, Everyday Dinners! It’s another variety that we love so much, especially this time of year, and I can’t wait for you to see.
If you haven’t preordered a copy of the new book yet, you can do so here! It would mean the world to me, as preorders really play a huge role to booksellers, especially indie stories! The best part is that you can order a signed copy from my favorite local independent store right here.
Woohoo!
Now back to the caesar. I love all kinds of caesar salads, but kale is our go-to. It’s so chewy (in a good way) and satisfying. It’s hearty enough that if you happen to have leftovers, they actually last a day in the fridge. And my favorite part: it’s a salad you can mostly prep ahead of time. Like, you dress it ahead of time and it only gets BETTER. It doesn’t get soggy or wilty.
It’s more filling that a traditional caesar too.
My caesar dressing uses a base of plain greek yogurt which we adore. It also uses anchovy paste, and I have to say that’s the part that makes it extra special. I’ve said it for years but try not to leave that part out! It definitely adds to the traditional caesar flavor and doesn’t taste fishy whatsoever. I promise.
Now the buttery breadcrumbs? Oh my.
Here’s why I like the breadcrumbs over croutons:
With the toasty, buttery breadcrumbs, you can get a bit of crunch with EVERY bite. As a huuuuge texture person, this is so important to me. I love getting crunch with every bite – which also adds flavor, of course.
Yes, of course I love a good homemade sourdough crouton at times. But the crunchy bread crumbs sprinkled all over and spread throughout is key.
I also like to toss the salad thoroughly with freshly grated parmesan. So parmesan cheese also gets into each lettuce crevice and bite. Salty, nutty wonderful flavor. It’s so darn good.
So here we are and I hope you love it!
I know this is a little boring for a Monday inspiration recipe, but it’s a back-to-basics recipe, a staple in the kitchen and something that can be used as a starter course or for dinner itself. It’s versatile, tastes fantastic and is a key recipe to throw in your arsenal.
Kale Caesar Salad
Kale Caesar Crunch Salad
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 bunches of curly green or tuscan kale, stems removed and torn into pieces (about 6 to 8 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, for topping
Instructions
- Wash the kale and tear it from the stems. You can leave it in bigger, leafier pieces or run your knife through it a few times to shred it up! Place the kale in a large bowl.
- To make the dressing, add the garlic, yogurt, parmesan, mustard, vinegar, anchovy paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until pureed. With the processor still on, stream in the olive oil until a creamy dressing forms. (This will probably make more dressing than needed, but you can store it sealed in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days and stir well before using.)
- Add about 1/4 cup of the dressing (or even 1/3 to 1/2 cup if you use it on 2 bunches of kale) on the kale to start and toss well to distribute, even massaging it with clean hands. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- To make the breadcrumbs, heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat them in the butter. Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are golden in color and crunchy. Turn off the heat.
- Drizzle the kale with more dressing, sprinkle with parmesan. Top with the crunchy breadcrumbs. Serve immediately!
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13 Comments on “Kale Caesar Crunch Salad.”
This looks really good! I still don’t think I could bring myself to use anchovy paste though, but I have an aversion to all seafood. I can somehow manage to eat a Caesar when I am not specifically reminded about the potential presence of anchovy though…
will be making this soon with few subs will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
My new favorite salad!!! Substituted a heaping teaspoon of capers for anchovy paste and it was amazing!
So we made this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it. I subbed in 1/2 tsp of miso for the anchovy paste. I think next time I might reduce the garlic to 3 cloves and not add in extra salt as it was just a tad too salty. I think the leftovers will be great on a piece of multigrain toast with a fried egg!
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I agree with your reasoning behind kale for caesar salad! yes to all of those! My friend brought over a similar kale for a party pre-covid. I’m gonna ask her if it was your recipe! And try your recipe for our dinner tomorrow!
I usually do a kinda weird caesar- taken from my mom and aunt… toss lettuce/kale with olive oil. Mix crushed garlic with worcestershire sauce and let sit a bit while making croutons. finely slice a sweet onion. make sourdough croutons with olive oil and garlic and S&P. Toss lettuce/kale with worcestershire sauce (strain the garlic unless you reallllllly love the rawness), and enough fresh lemon to balance the flavours. Toss with a soft egg that’s been sliced, and the onion. add croutons and fresh parmesean. Yum. Another caesar dinner!
Ps I’m new to your blog and loving it!
Eating it rn. It’s awesome. Definitely filling. I used two anchovies out of a can instead of the paste. You can’t taste them, but they make it awesome. I added tomatoes because it needed a little something for me personally. Also I really love tomatoes. 10/10
Made this last night (although the garlic cloves I used were probably too big because it was very garlicky). I agree…you really can’t taste the anchovy paste but it’s definitely worth keeping in for the depth of flavor. I loved the breadcrumbs. I also added the blackened shrimp from your other kale caesar recipe. Oh and we did a combination of kale and romaine, both sliced very thin.
Too incredible, love the idea of panko crumbs instead of croutons, so smart!
This was great! Made it with anchovy filets instead of paste, because that’s what we had. Also garlic powder instead of raw garlic due to sensitivity. Delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I make it once a week and am completely addicted,
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and I love it! I usually roast some sweet potatoes for added protein and everyone loves this dish! Super easy, healthy, and delicious!