You can never go wrong with a hearty salad, some of my favorite crowd pleasers include taco salad, Greek salmon salad and this colorful kale salad.
Kale Salad Ingredients
To make kale salad make sure you have Tuscan kale leaves, apple, feta cheese, pecans, pomegranate and bacon. For the dressing you will want a shallot, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and black pepper. When I think of fall, I want a healthy salad recipe with all the flavors of autumn. Along with this recipe, my favorites are pear salad, fennel salad and brussels sprout salad.
How Do You Make Kale Salad?
This recipe starts with a tangy homemade vinaigrette. Whisk together shallot, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Then chop Tuscan kale leaves into bite sized pieces and toss them in the vinaigrette. Add diced apples, bacon, feta cheese, pecans and pomegranate seeds. Then mix everything together and you’ll be ready to eat.
Tips For The Perfect Kale Salad
The dressing can be prepared three days in advance. Feel free to use a container of pre-prepared pomegranate seeds. I recommend purchasing a block of feta and crumbling it yourself. The pre-crumbled can have anti caking agents that do not taste as fresh and may dry out the cheese. You can massage the kale in advance and store the leaves in an airtight container overnight. Simply add the rest of the ingredients the following day when you are ready to serve the salad. Try serving this salad with fall favorites like grilled turkey breast, sour cream mashed potatoes, pumpkin soup, butternut squash pasta or rice pilaf with cranberries and pecans.
Kale Salad Variations
I typically make this salad just as written, but sometimes I switch things up a bit depending on the ingredients that I have on hand.
Fruit: Try swapping pears for apples and dried cranberries for pomegranate seeds. Protein: Add some grilled diced chicken breast to make this salad a main course. Nuts: Almonds, walnuts and pine nuts work great in lieu of pecans. Cheese: Goat cheese, blue cheese or shaved parmesan cheese are nice substitutes for feta cheese. Avocado: Feel free to dice avocado and toss it in when you are ready to serve the salad.
Once you try this salad, you’ll never look at kale the same way again! This salad is the perfect side dish for any meal and it pairs well with most proteins including pork, chicken and fish. It’s also a great choice for a potluck.
