This irresistible Kale Caesar Salad is always a favorite with family and friends. Topped with a creamy, roasted zesty garlic dressing, Parmesan cheese and toasted panko breadcrumbs, every mouthful is full of flavor. Not a fan of kale? Read on– the secret is the massage!
Maybe I should call this kale Caesar the “best thing that happened to me this week” salad. The first time I served it to my husband, he mumbled those words between elated mouthfuls. Yes, this salad has the power to induce major feelings of euphoria… kale! The thing I once despised, then learned to massage, then grew to love. Can you imagine?
Is Kale Good For You?
Yes, it is! In fact, kale is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. This cruciferous leafy green contains Vitamins A, B6, C, and K along with magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese and phosphorus. Additionally, it also contains strong phytonutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants. The fiber in kale helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.
Eating kale regularly can lower your risk of cancer and heart disease. It’s fabulous stuff.
What Makes this Kale Caesar Salad Different?
A few big things set this salad apart from a traditional Caesar salad. First of all, I’ve replaced romaine lettuce with massaged kale. When you massage raw kale, it wilts and becomes tender, sweeter, and much easier to chew. It’s also extremely nutritious!
And I’ve created a really amazing creamy roasted garlic dressing. This dressing is the secret to the most delicious kale Caesar salad you’ve ever tasted. Really!
Additionally, I’ve replaced larger croutons with delicate toasted panko and crushed red pepper flakes. Those big Caesar salad croutons always bothered me. With toasted breadcrumbs, I achieve a bit of delicate toasty crunch in every single bite. The red chili flakes add just a touch of heat, which really adds to the overall flavor balance.
Finally, I massage the kale with the creamy roasted garlic dressing, then toss it with the toasted panko, chili flakes, and grated Parmesan cheese.
The result? Wow! This salad is simply delicious, with a bit of a spicy kick. It’s simply the best kale Caesar salad. Serve it at a party, and prepare to be asked for the recipe over and over again.
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Kale Caesar Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 bunches curly kale, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (tough stems removed)
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 5 tablespoons grated parmesan, divided
- 2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce, or to taste
NOTES
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of olive oil with the garlic cloves. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the garlic turns light golden brown and roasted, about 15 minutes.Carefully remove garlic from heat. The oil will be very hot. Once the oil has cooled to room temperature, remove and reserve the garlic cloves. Keep the garlic-infused oil, you'll need it soon.
- In a blender combine roasted garlic cloves, mayonnaise, lemon juice, water, 1 tbsp parmesan, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Turn the blender to medium and very slowly drizzle in the roasted garlic oil through the opening in the top. Do not pour it in all at once or it will not emulsify and you will have a broken dressing.
- Remove the lid and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Replace the lid and blend on high once more. The finished dressing should be smooth and well combined with no streaks of oil.
- In a small mixing bowl combine panko breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a frying pan and cook over medium heat until the breadcrumbs are toasted golden brown, stirring often to prevent burning. Immediately remove the breadcrumbs from the pan and set aside.
- Place chopped kale into a large mixing bowl or salad bowl. Pour the roasted garlic dressing over the kale, then massage the kale for 3-4 minutes until kale is wilted and well coated with dressing.
- Add breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of parmesan to the salad and toss to combine. Serve.
Nutrition
Wow!! Absolutely delicious. My new favorite salad recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it!
I always have boatloads of kale (I own rabbits, and they love the stuff), so I love a new recipe for what to do with it. This looks amazing. Will definitely be trying. Thanks 🙂
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! My only suggestion would be to not put the whole dressing on the kale leaves as I did find there was a tad too much.
Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Hi Elora! Since you wrote this comment I have updated the recipe to include two bunches of kale… I agree the previous version of this recipe made a LOT of dressing. Definitely enough for two bunches! The current version should be a perfect balance of kale and dressing. Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
When making this for a dinner party, how far ahead can you make it? Or how much of it can you do ahead and then finish at the last minute. I would hate to be in the kitchen massaging kale with guests waiting for dinner.
Carol, you may make the dressing up to a day ahead– that is the most time consuming part of the process. If you make it properly (slowly drizzle oil into the blender to emulsify) it will stay thick and won’t separate in the fridge. You can also toast the breadcrumbs ahead. Massage the kale that morning without dressing until it is wilted and sweet-tasting, and keep it in the refrigerator. Toss everything together just before serving. Enjoy!
My FAVORITE!! So good.
Right?? It’s so addicting. It’s become a regular on my menu when I host dinner parties, friends always ask me to make it… even the ones who formerly “hated” kale!
Looks delish.
One of my favorite ways to eat kale!
Yum!
Looks delicious!
i will make this weeekend!!!
This sounds awesome. I made *(& massaged) a kale salad with shredded brussels sprouts just the other day. I used what I call a basic dressing (oil, cider vinegar, fresh crushed garlic, dry mustard, Worcestershire, oregano, Hungarian paprika) that’s been in the family forever. I took a little of that and added the juice of 1/2 naval orange, and added some of Trader Joe’s Sweet & Spicy pecans. Love the idea of the panko breadcrumbs.
This looks wonderful. Must try tonight.. Thank you for not only the recipes, but the detailed descriptions step by step & the history of the holidays.
You’re welcome Marilyn, enjoy the salad… it’s truly one of our family favorites!
I just made this last night. It was delicious! My family and I loved it! I used Ian’s gluten free original style panko breadcrumbs and they were great. We will make this again and again! Thank you, Tori.
Great Sheryl! I have taken to making a batch of this dressing almost every week, we love it so much.
This was delicious! I might just be a kale convert after this recipe!
Hi Tori,
to chime into to jubilations, we had this kale yesterday with a Za’tar roasted chicken, piri-piri sauce and sweet potato wedges. I only knew curly kale cooked (a staple winter dish from the North of Germany) and I wanted to try a raw kale dish for a long time and this was just the push. Oh, lovely. The whole combination was so nice that I’d like to include it in one of the next posts on my blog (with link and all the credit, of course), if you are d’accord. Am I happy there are leftovers for lunch…
Greetings, N.
Hi Nicole! I’m so pleased you enjoyed it (and funny, I had za’atar roasted chicken last night for dinner as well!). I love it when people share my blog with others, but I ask that the recipes be shared as links to my site rather than reproducing the entire recipe on your own site. I am always happy for link mentions, and I really love it when people share their own picture of one of my recipes, then link back to my site for the recipe… that way I get a pingback, so I can check out how yours turned out!
Hi Tori,
za’atar-kharma.
Of course, I’ll link, that’s why asked. For me it is a perfect recipe (where you could get such a great garlicky-Caesar hand-massage, I might open a SPA, interested?) and I normally change a lot, there is no way adapting it and anyway why rewrite it. The photo is a bit difficult – we ate the lot and completely forgot. Next time. There will be quite a lot of kale salad experiments here and I hope most of them will be as good as this. N.
I just had to say that this recipe was absolutely delicious!! My entire family gobbled it up – my three kids (5, 8 and 11, and the 8-year old is normally really picky!), plus my husband who usually does not care for kale. I am sending this recipe to my friends – everyone should try it! So yummy!!
Great Leigh! I recently brought it to a friend’s house for a potluck and her son said it’s his favorite salad ever. I was very pleased, as he’s only 8 or 9 years old– the fact that he loved a kale salad says something!
I need to do dairy-free. Is there a suggested substitution for the parmesan? Thanks a lot!
Beth you could try subbing 1 tbsp of mayo for the parmesan in the dressing and omitting the parmesan in the salad, however I personally think the parmesan flavor really makes this recipe… here’s hoping it turns out tasty!
My daughter just introduced me to my newest obsession, kale chips, and then I found this kale salad recipe. Absolutely delicious! I’ve made a ton of your recipes, and almost every one has turned out perfectly. My family (including my Israeli husband) loves you! Chicken shwarma is on the menu for this week…
Tori, I do not like kale EXCEPT in this recipe! It is terrific! I have made it twice, and I’ve loved it each time.
Alice, I think this recipe would make a kale lover out of anybody! 🙂
Hi Tori, have been using your recipes ever since I discovered your Passover suggestions. Favorites have included pumpkin challah, brussel sprouts with pomegranates. Had to write to say this kale recipe completely lives up to your description! Everyone loved it and went for seconds. Thanks for the fantastic inspiration.