By Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- About 25 minutes
- Rating
- 5(6,948)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Here's a snappy, fresh side dish or a light supper: a lemony green salad, rich with tang and crunch. The dressing is nothing more than lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and salt. Its simplicity makes it perfect.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 12 servings
- 2cups sliced almonds
- ⅓cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 4 lemons)
- Kosher salt
- 1½cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 4cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife, peeled and left whole
- 10 to 12ounces washed and dried kale leaves, thick stems removed (weight after trimming)
- 1½cups freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
499 calories; 48 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 31 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 320 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
In a toaster oven or skillet, toast almonds until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Step
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In a bowl, combine lemon juice and 1 heaping teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add garlic cloves and set aside to steep.
Step
3
Working in batches, cut the kale into thin ribbons: gather a large handful of leaves, bunch together tightly, and use the other hand to slice into ¼-inch-thick pieces. This need not be done very precisely or neatly; the idea is to end up with a kind of slaw. (Recipe can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Keep kale and dressing refrigerated separately.)
Step
4
Place chopped kale in a very large bowl. Sprinkle surface with almonds and then with cheese, if using. Remove and discard garlic cloves from dressing. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for dressing and salt and add more as needed, tossing to coat thoroughly. Serve within 1 hour.
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6,948
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Cooking Notes
ebpersons
After the thick stems are removed and the kale is washed, the easiest way to end up with a slaw is to: stack the leaves, then roll tightly and hold with one hand, and slice thinly with the other hand. My mother taught me how to do this with collard greens and it is also an effective method with Kale or any leafed green you want to slice.
Jane
Wow, that's a lot of oil. I make a salad very similar to this, but use equal parts oil and lemon, plus a small amount of honey or sugar, and a dash of salt. Since kale is in the cabbage family, it's best to add the dressing several hours before to let the kale soften and absorb the lemon. Dried cranberries, avacado or blue cheese also make good additions.
Reggie
This is an amazing dish. It's a jolt to my tastebuds and is the best light dinner dish. I slightly modified this. I didn't have almonds so I chopped up the stems and sautéed them in olive oil with the garlic that had steeped in the lemon salt mixture. I cut the garlic up finely and after it slightly browned and the stems got a little softer, I tossed them into the salad. Let me know how that works for you.
Nancy
I loved the combo of ingredients. I think it calls for too much olive oil. Start with 3/4 cup and go from there to taste.
Right now this is my favorite salad.
Regina
I love the recipe but changed it a lot for our taste, less oil, less nuts, less almonds
* 1/2 cups sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 4 lemons)
* Kosher salt
* 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife, peeled and left whole (place in oil for at least an hour)
* 1 buch of DinoKale, washed and then cut into thin strips (remove the center stem).
* 1 cups freshly grated Parmesan
Suzy
To all the cooks who write that it is too much olive oil - did you not read that the step 4 direction is to add HALF the dressing, toss & taste, then add more if you think it needs it. Approximately 3/4 cup of dressing for all that kale does not seem to be too much. And you have a nice 3/4 cup or so of dressing left for something else later.
AP
This is my favorite salad! I make it for one most days - I skip the parm and add chickpeas and avocado for a little boost. Easy and delicious
Donna Lipson
Important to massage kale after cutting into strips. In bowl, squeeze in hands, then again, until you see & feel change. Kale will be softer and more intense color.
Thyra Porter
I have made this many times, but never with that much olive oil: this can actually be a healthy dish . I only hope the 1 1/2 cups is a typo. If you throw the sliced kale into a non stick pan you will find that the non stick repels the oil so you can use a TB or less. Just keep tossing and massaging the kale until it concedes. Then gently add the other ingredients, like maybe cutting back on the 1.5 cups of parm as well. Good Lord.
Kristen
I used pine nuts instead of almonds and a little less olive oil as most have agreed. Rather than keep the dressing and kale separate, I dressed all the greens and for next day's lunch had beautifully wilted, yet still crunchy greens. I had leftover dressing and used to sautee a chicken breast as a protein to serve over the salad.
Jane
I have also added Dijon Mustard and minced garlic to the basic recipe. Toasted pine nuts are nice. Parmesan ribbons made by peeling parmesan give a very nice appearance, tossing in before serving. I combine the dressing (minus nuts and cheese) with the kale in a plastic bag and then massage the kale and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. The cheese and nuts are then added to the salad before serving.
Santorini Boo
I usually soak the kale for a couple hours with a little sea salt and massage it to soften it first and I use about half the dressing, almonds and cheese to save calories, 412 calories for a salad is excessive, I eat this at least 3 times a week and totally love it!
judi
Instead of nuts, I added whole wheat bread crumbs just before tossing. Also, I added red pepper flakes which gives it a kick. I like to shred the kale leaves also.
Sally
I used 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup parmesan, and 1/2 cup almonds. LOVED it.
Jose
Great salad but one ends up with easily 2x the amount of dressing it needs so halving that and saving a lemon is a good idea although my kids love the dressing on regular salads. It would also benefit from the addition of sliced apples of something else a little more sweet
Deborah
I made this as written, with no changes or substitutions, and it was perfect. It's so good that I make batches just for myself. I made it for guests and we were politely fighting over the last bits in the serving bowl.
Diana
Huge hit with all ages - from eight to eighty and beyond. Only change I made was to microplane the garlic and put it in there, instead of infusing and removing it. Oh, boy!
Sjlouis
That's a lot of oil. I added 1 cup, stopped to taste, and felt even that was already too much. Just 0.5cups oil is more than fine
pjoe
I added the dressing and Parmesan to taste as I chopped only one bunch of kale. I used Meyer lemons which ended up being too mild so I squeezed mild lime juice and added kosher salt over the dressed salad. Delicious.
nilssons
Absolutely divine. Massaging the kale helps. Didn't measure the dressing - juiced three lemons into a jar with the four garlic cloves and heaping spoon of salt, then added roughly an equal amount of olive oil. Will become part of the routine.
Janet D
you NEED to massage the raw kale. Makes all the difference!
Mary A
Way too much dressing!! Start with 3/4 cup of oil, max
dee
My new favorite salad! I've been intimidated by using kale at home and this recipe made me excited to try it. I got a bag of shredded kale, poured a little bit of olive oil and salt on it, massaged for 20 seconds and let it rest for 10 minutes, then added this dressing. Didn't use almonds, but I did add Trader Joe's brand shaved Parmesan, Romano & Asiago Cheeses, it was amazing. I used my lemon squeezer to easily smash the garlic and let the dressing steep for a few hours.
Me
Parmesan. Not. Optional.
Midge
I massaged the kale with small amount lemon juice and olive oil. Without dressing, it keeps in fridge 3-4 days for a quick salad.
Napa Cook
Not very remarkable. Though I used decent olive oil (Graza finishing) the dressing was bitter, and the kale needed time to sit in the dressing to make it palatably tender.
T
I found that the dressing was too one dimensional, salt forward, needed some sweetness; so I added maple syrup to dressing and dried cranberries to the salad. Next time, I’m going to opt for goat cheese sprinkled on top at the end rather than the parmesan before dressing.
TaylorS
Made as instructed, but used 1/2 of the oil as others indicated. I recommend using some of the extra dressing to marinade a can of chickpeas to add to your salad. Keep the garlic from making dressing in while marinating and season with salt, parsley, and cumin to taste. I left in the fridge overnight, or you could leave out for an hour or so. Delicious!
Adrienne
Husband was really skeptical about this recipe but it surprised us all with the simplicity and deliciousness. Will make this again. It’s time intensive with the prep, but it’s worth it. We may try this with chicken and make it a little bit more dinner-esk.
jane
Jane… too much salt and olive oil
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