This easy kale salad recipe is so delicious and simple to make – it’s become a staple quickie meal on workdays.
Summer might not be officially here yet, but Atlanta’s weather has not gotten that memo. It is h-o-t, and turning on the oven or stove hasn’t seemed super appealing for a while now. We’ve also been crazily busy between clearing out the house in case we decide to put it on the market and taking care of Darrol Henry. That’s meant a lot of take out, and one of our go-to meals lately has been hitting the Whole Foods prepared bar for a bunch of salads.
The thing is, the Whole Foods near us doesn’t do a super great job making kale salad for some reason. They have one that’s the right texture but too sweet, and the one that’s seasoned well isn’t marinated properly. After yet another kale salad that missed the mark, I decided it was time to take control of this situation and make my own.
This easy kale salad recipe is based on my friend Tanya’s kale salad recipe that she posted at Eat Drink Better. I changed it up to use ingredients that I had handy, and I’ve been super into making this! I didn’t call it a raw kale salad, because the walnuts I used weren’t raw. If you want this to be a raw kale salad recipe, though, you can sub in raw sunflower seeds or raw cashews for the walnuts.
Easy Kale Salad Recipe with Walnuts and Shallots
Ingredients
- 4 cups kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces. I leave some of the stems in, but remove the stems where they’re thickest.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small or 1/2 of a large shallot, minced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup walnut halves and pieces
- nutritional yeast, optional
Method
- Combine everything but the walnuts and nooch in a large bowl, and massage the kale until it gets nice and wilted. This takes a couple of minutes, so be patient!
- Toss in the walnuts, and chill until you’re ready to serve. Pass the nooch on the side, so folks can add it if they want to.
JENNA says
This looks great! I love adding walnuts to my kale salads.
Becky Striepe says
I am having a bit of a walnut renaissance. For years, I was not a walnut fan.
Marilyn says
Yummmmm. Kale salads are my passion lately. This is my favorite, which could be just as delicious with nooch instead of parm, I suspect. https://benandbirdy.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-ultimate-kale-salad.html I like it with lemon squeezed on at the end too.
Becky Striepe says
Ooh that looks delicious! So simple. I’m not sure about the bread crumbs, though…don’t they get soggy?