22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (2024)

Kale is packed with vitamin K, high in vitamins A and C, and rich in fiber, too. So whether you enjoy this leafy green in a kale salad, a kale smoothie, kale soup, or one of our many other kale recipes, you'll score great taste and a windfall of nutrients in one fabulous dish.

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Chicken, Chickpea, and Kale Buddha Bowls

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (1)

All kinds of colorful ingredients, including roasted squash, green beans, chicken, and crunchy chickpeas, morph this kale salad into an immensely satisfying meal in a bowl.

  • Best-ever meals in a bowl that are NOT soup.

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Peppered Kale Chips

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (2)

Looking for a snack that's as satisfying as a potato chip but with one-third the calories? Try this baked kale chips recipe. They're seasoned with a touch of cayenne and ready in a snap.

  • See more healthy snack recipes here!

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How to Make Kale Chips and How to Cook Kale

Watch as we show you the simple steps to make crispy kale chips, as well as an easy way to turn kale into a side dish.

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Kale, Chorizo, and Red Bean Brunch Casserole

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (3)

From breakfast and brunch to lunch and dinner, we enjoy kale recipes all day! Here, sun-dried tomatoes and spicy chorizo give the bread-based morning bake a burst of flavor, while kale and red beans add great nutrition.

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Power Kale Salad

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (4)

Serve your favorite nutrient-rich green in this main-dish kale salad recipe. Not only does it boast a smorgasbord of delicious ingredients (kale, chicken, citrus, and pear) but it also has a whopping 35 grams of protein per serving.

Danish Green Kale Soup

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (5)

Colorful, healthy, and loaded with chunks of ham and bright green kale, this simple slow cooker kale soup recipe offers a lot to love.

  • Our top soup recipes -- at a glance.

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Garlic Pork with Sauteed Kale and Walnut Barley

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (6)

Sauteed kale is even better when a little bacon gets in on the action! Add some barley, and you've got a wholesome (and wholly delicious) side dish to a spice-rub roasted pork tenderloin.

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Crunchy Kale Salad with Creamy Tomato-Garlic Dressing

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (7)

Roasted garlic, buttermilk, and sun-dried tomatoes are the secrets to the fabulous salad dressing in this colorful kale recipe.

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Roasted Kale and Red Onions

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (8)

Sure, sauteed kale is great, but try roasted kale, too! It makes a deeply flavored, beautifully colored side dish, especially when studded with balsamic-glazed onions.

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Winter Slaw with Kale and Cabbage

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (9)

Many salad recipes with kale call for rubbing the leafy green with your hands. This helps soften the kale leaves while brightening their color. That's the case in this trendy (and tasty) coleslaw update.

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Warm Eggplant and Kale Panzanella Salad

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A kale salad from your slow cooker? You bet! Both kale and eggplant benefit from the hassle-free heat. After simmering with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and onion, the vegetables are tossed with bread cubes and shredded Parmesan for a new twist on classic panzanella.

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Sausage and Kale Soup with White Beans

Watch as chef Scott Peaco*ck shows you how to prepare a kale and white bean soup with sausage. It's one of the most sought-after kale recipes ever.

  • Sausage and Kale Soup with White Beans recipe

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One-Pot Ham and Kale Pasta

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (11)

Turn sauteed kale into a main dish with ham, orechiette pasta, and Asiago cheese. Garlic and blackened seasoning flavor-charge the easy kale recipe.

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Holiday Kale Salad

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (12)

Brighten your table for the holidays (or any day) with a crisp and colorful kale salad. Fennel, walnuts, cranberries, and wild rice make great go-alongs, and a lemon-Dijon dressing adds spark.

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Sweet Beets and Greens Smoothies

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (13)

How about a kale smoothie in an unexpected color? Lush berries, beets, and pomegranate juice add all-natural sweetness and a deep purple hue to this vitamin A- and C-packed recipe.

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Trendspotting with BHG: Kale

What's so great about kale? One of our food editors shares her insights.

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Market Stand Pasta Salad with Garlic and Shallot Dressing

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (14)

Head to your local grocery store produce section for the fresh market vegetables in this pasta salad. Baby kale, tomatoes, and noodles accompany your veggie finds in our easy kale recipe.

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Creamed Kale

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (15)

Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses are the secrets to the creaminess of this easy kale recipe. Keep the rich-tasting recipe on hand to add a little opulence to any meal.

  • How to cook kale—the basics.

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Wild Mushroom and Kale Ravioli Skillet Lasagna

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (16)

Looking for kale recipes that are fast and healthful, too? This one's got you covered! It starts with refrigerated wild-mushroom ravioli to keep it quick and calls on low-fat cheese to keep it on the light side.

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Macaroni Alfredo with Pumpkin and Kale

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (17)

Indulge your macaroni and cheese craving and skip the calorie overload with our quick pumpkin-and-kale pasta pleaser. This rich, creamy, and easy kale recipe results in a can't-miss comfort food.

  • See more ideas for macaroni and cheese.

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Mediterranean Kale and Cannellini Stew with Farro

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (18)

Here's another entry for your list of great soup recipes with kale! Easy, healthy, and layered with irresistible ingredients, the veggie-packed dish is perfect for pairing with a thick slice of crusty bread.

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Vegetable-Loaded Pasta Bake

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22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (19)

Sauteed kale stars alongside cauliflower, carrots, and corn in our top-rated vegetarian casserole. It's a crowd-pleaser that works for meatless Monday or any other day of the week.

22 Delicious Kale Recipes Our Editors Recommend (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook kale for the most nutrients? ›

Cut the kale as you want to serve it, set it in a colander or steamer over a pot of boiling shallow water, cover and cook until the kale is tender (about 5 to 10 minutes). Allow the kale to cool until you can handle it, then squeeze out as much water as you can.

What makes kale taste better? ›

Massaging Kale – massaging kale with a little oil and/or lemon juice for just a few minutes makes it more tender and easier to chew. Plus, it adds an extra boost of flavor.

Does sauteing kale destroy nutrients? ›

Kale is a nutrient-dense food that's high in several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. While cooking kale makes it less bitter, it also significantly reduces its antioxidant, vitamin C, and mineral content.

Is 2 cups of kale a day too much? ›

Manganiello says you can eat kale every day, just don't overdo it. She recommends one to two servings maximum of kale per day, leaving room for other healthy foods that provide an assortment of nutrients.

What to avoid with kale? ›

People who may need to avoid or limit kale intake are those who form oxalate-containing kidney stones or take the blood thinners Coumadin or warfarin. Be sure to check with your health care professional or dietitian if you have questions.

What is the healthiest way to eat kale? ›

Nutrition experts say steaming kale is a good way to make it easier to digest while preserving most of the nutrients.

How do you cook kale without losing nutrients? ›

Chrissy adds: “Kale can be eaten raw or cooked but do make sure you only cook kale lightly (lightly steam or stir-fry) to minimise loss of water-soluble nutrients.”

What is the healthiest way to prepare kale? ›

Steaming is a better option than boiling because you don't lose as many nutrients with this cooking method, according to Gray. “You're not giving it heat treatment for very long, so it's closest to raw that you can get and you still are cooking it to some degree,” she said.

Does kale lose its vitamins when cooked? ›

Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, courgettes, spinach and peas have a good amount of these vitamins. Heat also degrades these vitamins, so cook veg that are rich in them gently and in as little water as possible. Steaming, microwaving and stir frying are better options than boiling.

Is it healthier to eat kale raw or cooked? ›

Raw kale may be harder to digest, but higher in nutrients. Ultimately, either way to include kale in your daily routine that meshes best with your lifestyle and health is the best way to go.

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