The Ultimate Kale Salad

I have been living on this kale salad.

It’s so pretty and festive and it just gets me in my fall feels. It has all the textures and flavors and is full of healthy stuff! It’s the perfect side for Thanksgiving or any special fall/winter meal. Heck, I eat it as a meal in itself all the time.

Why this kale salad is the best

I love how you can make this salad ahead of time, with dressing, and it just gets better and better. The kale and shredded Brussels sprouts stay hearty and hold up to the dressing and nothing wilts or gets limp and sad. The apples add a bit of sweetness and crunch, the cucumbers add crisp cool freshness, the carrots add color, and the sliced almonds are the nutty kiss on top. Even better is when you add chicken breast and roasted squash. Seriously, so good!

The dressing

The dressing is a really simple but addictive mix of Japanese rice vinegar, soy, mirin, a touch of sugar and toasted sesame oil. It’s light and tangy and full of umami. It lets the salad ingredients shine while still bringing the flavor.

What kind of kale for salad

My favorite kind of kale for kale salad is Tuscan kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Lacianto kale. It’s flat and a deep, dark green. It’s thinner and more tender than the classic curly kale you see and it tastes amazing raw. You can also use curly kale for this salad, but dinosaur kale is my kale of choice.

How to prep kale

1. Wash the kale and throughly dry.
2. Use a pairing knife to cut out the center stems or simply tear the leaves off the stem. The stems are tough – you can discard them.
3. Roll the leaves up into a tight roll and slice thinly, into ribbons.
4. Your kale is ready for salad!

How to shave brussels sprouts for salad

I love brussels sprouts in salad – they’re just like tiny cabbages. To shred sprouts, easily, wash, trim the ends off, cut them in half, place them cut side down on the cutting board and thinly slice cross-wise to create shaved sprouts.

How to make kale salad

1. Make the dressing in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Sometimes I like to use my milk frother to really emulsify the dressing.
2. Toss together all the ingredients in a large bowl, but save some apples, cucumber, carrots, and almonds for garnish.
3. Dress the salad according to taste – you might not need all the dressing. I tend to dress my salads on the lighter side, I usually make a half portion of dressing. This salad is all about you so dress accordingly!
4. Finish up by garnishing the top of the salad with the reserved toppings and enjoy!

I often bulk up this salad with chicken and roasted squash. I like to pull out my air fryer and use it for both.

What to serve alongside kale salad

I like this salad as a meal but it makes an excellent side dish for proteins such as:

• weeknight steak
• Italian style pork chops
• slow roasted salmon
• honey garlic mustard chicken thighs
• crispy oven baked tofu
• honeynut squash

The Ultimate Kale Salad

This kale salad is all the fall feels.Serves 4#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #f5a623; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-66 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66); }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33 stop { stop-color: #f5a623; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50 stop { stop-color: #f5a623; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66 stop { stop-color: #f5a623; }4.75 from 4 votesPrep Time 20 minutesminsCook Time 10 minutesmins

Ingredients

• 1/4cuprice vinegarJapanese preferred
• 2tbspsoy sauce
• 2tbspmirin
• 2tbspneutral oil
• 1tbspsugar
• 1tbsptoasted sesame oil
• 2buncheskalethinly shredded, approx 8 cups, dinosaur/tuscan/lacinato preferred
• 1lbBrussels sproutsshredded, approx 6 cups
• 1cucumbersliced
• 1applecut into matchsticks, Fuji preferred
• 1carrotshredded
• 1/4cupsliced almonds
• roasted chicken breastsliced, optional
• roasted squashcubed, optional

Instructions

• In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, taste, and adjust.
• Toss together the shredded kale, sprouts, cucumber, fuji apple, and carrots in a large bowl. Dress evenly to taste and top with sliced almonds.
• Optionally top with roasted chicken breast and roasted squash! Enjoy!

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition FactsThe Ultimate Kale Salad
Amount Per Serving Calories 318Calories from Fat 123% Daily Value*Fat 13.7g21%Saturated Fat 1.5g9%Cholesterol 0.01mg0%Sodium 617mg27%Potassium 721mg21%Carbohydrates 44.6g15%Fiber 9.2g38%Sugar 15.7g17%Protein 10.4g21%* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.