15 Easy Kale Recipes - The Plant Based School (2024)

From vibrant salads to savory soups, this list has something to satisfy every palate and dietary preference.

Get ready to discover the delicious and nutritious world of kale with these diverse and easy recipes.

Whether you’re looking for a hearty dinner, a nutritious lunch, or a flavorful side dish, kale has got you covered.

Our best kale recipes

1. Sauteed kale

The first recipe on our list is this 10–minute vegetable side dish; sauteed kale is super easy to make at home.

Pair it with olive oil, garlic, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for an aromatic, bright, and healthy side dish.

2. Crispy kale chips

Crispy, healthy, and a green alternative to crisps, these bright green kale chips are lovely as an appetizer, side dish, or snack.

These chips also add flavorful addition to salads; add them as a fun topping to butternut squash salad or avocado salad.

3. Kale salad

It’s a perfectwholesomesidedish, colorfulappetizer, or ahealthy lunchand dinner idea.

It’s even better as amake-ahead mealsince it stores great in the fridge for several days. It is handy for putlocks and as a lunchbox meal as well.

4. Quinoa kale salad

Thiskale and quinoa saladis a tasty, nutritious, and colorful recipe excellent as ahealthy make-aheadlunchor dinner and for meal prepping.

Serve it as a wholesome dinner or vibrant lunch, and confidently store it in the fridge asit keeps wellfor several days.

5. Kale pesto

Easy,tasty,andvibrant, thiskalepestorecipeis ready in5 minutesand made with simple ingredients.

Use it in sandwiches, pasta, and crostini as an appetizer – the serving options are endless.

6. Creamy kale pasta

Aquick and easydinner, ready injust the time to cook the pasta.

It’s super easy to make vegetarian or vegan by subbing your favorite dairy-free cheese alternatives, and it’s a great way to use kale leftovers.

8. Kale soup

Kale is perfect in soups and stews, especially with a rich tomato sauce.

This creamy and comfortingkalesoupis a 30-minute recipe filled to the brim with beans, veggies, and tomato flavor.

7. Easy kale pesto pasta

This 20-minutecreamykalepestopastais a fall andwinterdinnerfavorite.

Make it with our tasty kale pesto for a wholesome and quick meal that kids and adults will love.

9. Tuscan white bean soup

Rich, rustic, and packed with fiber-rich leafy greens.

You can expect awholesomeandcomforting mealto feed your whole family, excellent for cold winter days andperfect to make ahead.

10. Lentil soup

Here’s an Italian–inspired soup with plenty of kale and wholesome greens.

This lentil soup is anexcellent everyday dinnerandmake-ahead meal, as you can store it for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

11. Savory mushroom crepes

Gluten–free and delicious, these savory chickpea crepes are perfect for a special dinner.

They arewholesome,nutritious, stuffed with amushroom and kale filling, and garnished with a quick and tastywhite sauce.

12. Curry lentil soup

lentils and potatoes are a great match with kale as you pair leafy greens and potassium–rich carrots.

This soup is warming, nourishing, and family–friendly, and it is a readerfavorite for pairing kale and legumes in an easy meal.

13. Chickpea soup

This chickpea soup is a warming, wholesome, and colorful stew.

Make it extra nutritious by adding fresh or frozen leafy greens such askale,spinach,baby spinach,chard, andbroccoli rabe.

14. Easy chickpea curry

Creamy, rich, and with a perfect Indian spice mix, this chickpea curry is an excellent weeknight-dinner idea.

Make it green by adding spinach or kale, either fresh or frozen. Add them in 10 minutes before the curry is ready, and enjoy with a serving of white rice.

15. Sweet potato chickpea stew

Make this creamy chickpea stew even morecolorful and nutritiousby addingspinach or kale just 5 minutes before the chickpea stew is ready.

Stir them in,allow them to wilt– it takes about 5 minutes – then serve the curry with your favorite grain or bread for a comforting yet healthy dinner.

How to get the bitterness out of kale

Massaging kale is an efficient step to soften its texture, making it less demanding, more accessible to eat, tastier, and less bitter.

We find that this step is useful and makes the kale more tender when you want to consume raw kale.

1. Chop thekale leavesintobite-size piecesand add them to a large bowl.
2. Add apinchofsaltand a squeeze oflemon juice(about one tablespoon), then pinch or massage the kale with your fingertips until you can feel it softer (about 30 seconds).

You should feel some of the fiber break off. Don’t over-massage. We don’t want flimsy kale.

The lemon and salt help us break down some more rigid kale fiber.

Dinner ideas that pair well with kale

Try these flavor-packed and veggie–rich dinner ideas; they’re easy to make at home and family-friendly:

• Lentil curry (lentils, coconut milk, diced tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, curry, garam masala).
• Spaghetti aglio e olio (spaghetti, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, olive oil).
• Red lentil soup (split red lentils, canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, rosemary).
• Cherry tomato pasta (cherry tomatoes, spaghetti, fresh basil, parmesan, etc.)
• Whole roasted cauliflower (cauliflower, harissa, tahini sauce, chimichurri).
• Stuffed eggplant (eggplant, cherry tomatoes, basil, green pesto).