The motivation behind my Loaded Kale Salad came from a Blue Apron meal delivery kit a couple of years ago.
Kale was one ingredient in our box, and since we didn’t enjoy kale all that much, I simply substituted spinach or lettuce for the kale (depending on the recipe).
Then about a year ago, right smack in the middle of my “eat as many veggies as I can” challenge, I got another bunch of kale in my Blue Apron box. I decided I was done wasting food, and I would figure out a way to eat it AND enjoy it, once and for all!
I did some “recipe research” on Pinterest and found a kale recipe that called for roasted sweet potatoes, cooked quinoa, and a smattering of other ingredients I already had in the pantry, in the fridge, and in the freezer.
I decided to try this recipe (with a few tweaks, of course) and I made my own vinaigrette dressing.
When I hesitantly served it as a side dish with our meal that night, I waited for Dave’s reaction… and was pleasantly surprised when he said he actually liked it!
And just like that, my Loaded Kale Salad was “born”!
We both enjoyed the salad so much that I made it again the next day for my lunch.
After making loaded kale salad a few more times, I realized it actually tasted better if I let it marinate in the dressing for several hours before eating it (it softens the Kale leaves).
I started making big batches of it to keep on hand for lunches throughout the week or a quick side dish to go along with dinner.
Since then, I’ve made some variation of this salad on a weekly basis and thoroughly enjoy it every single time!
If you want to like kale but just can’t find a recipe you love, I highly encourage you to try my loaded kale salad!!
Loaded Kale Salad
If you want to like kale but just can't find a recipe you love, I highly encourage you to try my loaded kale salad!!
It's a perfect mix of sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy... and it's SO colorful!
Of course, it tastes amazing too!
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 6 c. chopped kale leaves (cut off thick ribs and wash thoroughly)
- 1/2 c. cooked quinoa*
- 2 small/medium sweet potatoes (cubed and roasted)*
- 1 apple; diced
- 2 green onions; sliced
- 1/2 c. Craisins or dried cherries
- 1/2 c. golden or black raisins
- 1/2 c. feta cheese; crumbled
- 1/4 c. sunflower seeds
- 1/4 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 c. olive oil (not pictured)
- 1/4 c. red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 T. dijon mustard
- 2 T. honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Wash, dry, and chop kale (removing thick stems), place into a large bowl.
Cook quinoa according to package directions, let cool for a bit and add to kale.
Peel, dice, and roast sweet potato (375º for 30 minutes). Cool and add to kale.
Add apple, onion, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, nuts and any other mix-ins you'd like. Mix well.
For the dressing:
- Combine all ingredient for the dressing into a container with a tight-fitting lid (I just save a Dijon mustard container)
- Shake the bottle to combine dressing ingredients
- Pour half the dressing over kale and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Pour remaining dressing over salad (if desired) when ready to eat.
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight food storage container.
Notes
I almost always have containers of cooked quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes in the fridge -- so this salad takes mere minutes to throw together.
If you don't always have these foods ready to go, the recipe will take you a bit longer... but it's worth it!
Also, I usually make a double or triple batch of the dressing and store in an extra dijon mustard bottle. Then, whenever I whip up another batch of this salad, I have the dressing ready to go.
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In case you still aren’t convinced this recipe is worth trying, let me point out that kale is an excellent source of iron (something I’ve always needed more of) as well as vitamins K, A, and C.
Of course, I’m always in favor of vitamin-rich veggies and greens, but the real benefit of kale (for me) is its shelf-life.
In order for me to stretch my grocery shopping out every 2-3 weeks, I needed some sort of green that lasted 2-3 weeks without getting soggy or “wilty” — kale consistently lasts that long, making it a winner for my current stage of life! 🙂
I’m happy to report that I no longer throw my kale away!
In fact, I will actually crave this salad, to the point where I’m bummed if we run out of kale before I’m ready to hit up the stores again!
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Do you have a kale recipe you actually enjoy?
Check out all my delicious salad recipes here.
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Carissa says
Would roasted butternut squash be a good substitute for the roasted sweet potato? My family prefers that over sweet potatoes.
Andrea says
Yes, definitely! We love butternut squash too!
I will say that the squash might not hold up as well as the sweet potatoes (being mixed up with the other toppings) but that would be the only downside.
Sharon says
Made this tonight, following the recipe exactly, and it was great. I don’t like Kale, but this was delicious. Thanks.
Andrea says
oh good — so glad to hear this Sharon!
Olga says
My favorite way to eat kale is in Zuppa Toscana soup. For salads– i never tried one yet that i loved, same as with Brussels sprouts. I will try this recipe soon!
Andrea says
give it a try!!! and here’s a good Brussels spouts salad you could try too 🙂
Casey says
I made this today and it was amazing! I had to substitute a few things (dried blueberries and goat cheese), but it was so tasty and filling. Thanks for the recipe!
Andrea says
oh good –glad you liked it! I just had it for lunch 15 minutes ago 🙂
And yes, you can sub in so many different things, depending on what you have in the house!
Debbie says
Wow! I really will have to try this. I love roasted veggies but for some reason salad or making a salad isn’t my favorite thing.
Andrea says
the roasted sweet potatoes REALLY give great flavor to this salad!
Susanne says
This looks very similar to one I concocted. I LOVE the sweet potato/feta cheese combo and use it often in salads! I also make a very good kale salad with a simple lemon garlic vinaigrette with almonds and craisins.
Andrea says
yes, the sweet potato + feta is fantastic!!
Rachel says
My favorite kale recipe (and I’m not a fan of greens lol) is thinly sliced plums with a dressing made up of equal parts of honey, olive oil and vinagrette. I was amazed at how good it was. I think I tried with canned peaches also – but plums are the best. Also i think it makes a difference in the kind of kale you buy?? I’m just guessing – I know I have had some I liked better than others.
Andrea says
well this is very interesting — I’ve never ever thought to combine kale with plums!
And yes, I’m sure there are many different types of kale. I’m not exactly sure what type I buy (it’s from Aldi) — but we like it!
Becky says
The perfect kale recipe—so many other ingredients I will hardly taste the kale!
Andrea says
haha — yes exactly! That’s why I call it the “loaded” kale salad!
Lisa says
This looks so delicious, so happy you posted it! Heading out now to get the ingredients. What did you serve this with in the picture above? Thank you!
Andrea says
the food pictured is stromboli — but we serve it with pasta, fish, soup and sandwiches, etc. it goes with everything!
Christine says
My first Blue Apron meal contained kale to be marinated and it was delicious. Before then I only had two other ways I knew to use it.
Priyanka says
This is a fantastic recipe for my weekly meal prep!
Andrea says
hope you love it!
Maria says
Wow -this looks fantastic! Will definitely make it. Thanks for sharing.
Andrea says
you’re welcome — it really IS delicious!
Annesia Bixler says
A tip someone gave me a while ago that was a game changer was to put the salad dressing on the chopped kale and massage it with your hands. Like your trying to squash it. It breaks down the leaves, makes in less bitter and easier to eat. Then you add your toppings. I bet that what happens when it sits. Even after the massage it still lasts for ever and gets better.
Andrea says
yes, I’ve read this too — or even just to massage the leaves with a little olive oil. And yes, that’s why I decided to try putting the dressing on early — it’s SO yummy!
Jody says
Looks delicious!! Putting this on our meal plan for next week
Andrea says
oh good, hope you like it!!
Chris says
Do you have any tips for cooking quinoa? I have eaten it as a sample at a grocery store and it was good but when I made it, it was disgusting.
Andrea says
Chris, try rinsing it first and then cooking it in chicken broth.
I actually use my rice cooker to cook it so I don’t have to “monitor the pot”!
Chris says
Thank you!
calliope says
Kale entered greek grocery stores about 1-2 years ago and I never bought it because I didn’t know how to prepare it. I’d also heard stories of friends saying it tastes awful in salads so it never actually made it in my cart. But I think I will try your recipe as they hardly fail me! Last week I made your truffles (with some digestive cookies I wanted to get rid of) and the chicken with pesto recipe is in weekly rotation during summer since I got tons of fresh basil in my garden.
Thanks Andrea!
Andrea says
yay, glad you found a use for your stale cookies — I have 2 tins of truffles in the freezer right now. YUM!!
Hope you love the salad.