Kale Caesar Salad Recipe

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Kale Caesar Salad Recipe – this is definitely not your typical Caesar Salad, but it is easy to make, tasty and nutritious.

The perfect light and flavorful salad that you can make at home in under 10 minutes. This Kale Caesar Salad is great for lunch, dinner, meal prepping (just add the dressing right before serving), parties and gatherings.

Kale Caesar Salad

Why make Caesar salad with kale, instead of Romaine lettuce?

The main ingredients for Caesar Salad are Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and for a homemade dressing – olive oil, lemon juice, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, Dijon mustard and black pepper. If you’d like to , you can use mayonnaise in the dressing, instead of olive oil and egg (although not the way it is in the original dressing recipe).

Tired of making the same old salad with romaine? Try it with kale.

Kale and romaine lettuce both are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, dietary fiber and potassium. Kale has more riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid, however, romaine lettuce contains more folate. Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin C and calcium.

This Lemon Kale Caesar Salad has an amazing flavor, light but creamy dressing, the kale is fresh and tender to the bite, because it has been massaged with a little bit of salt to soften. Paired with nutty Parmesan and crunchy Parmesan crisps.

How to make this Kale Caesar Salad:

Prepping the kale:

You can prep the kale up to 3 days in advance by washing, drying (se a salad spinner or paper towels) and removing the stems. Chop and place in a zip lock bag, then store in the fridge.

This healthy and nutrient dense vegetable is easy to prep and cook.

Use a chef’s knife or leaf striper.

I usually use a knife to remove the stems.

Fold the kale leaf in half lengthwise and cut off the stem, close to where it connects with the leaves.

For a leaf stripper, pull the stem through the hole, which it fits in and you have removed it.

Chop thinly if this is the way you like kale in salads or chop into thicker pieces.

Dressing:

The dressing is made with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and garlic. I choose to make it with mayonnaise, because it saves me time and the tastes is perfect.

Croutons:

You can use regular (homemade or store bought) croutons, gluten-free croutons or “Keto” croutons, like these cheese crisps on the photos. These could be bought from the store (Costco in the USA) or you can make something similar at home. Check these Keto Parmesan Crisps that are quick and simple to make.

Add ins:

Here are some ideas of what to add to this salad, to make it even more nutritious and delicious. Again, the salad tastes amazing on its own and does not need any add ins, but if you’d like to spice it up, go ahead and add something extra.

Bacon Bits
Nuts ( walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios)
Chopped tomatoes
Nutritional yeast – to add extra protein, vitamins and minerals to the salad
Pine nuts (only if you like the taste and don’t have an allergy)
Chopped onions
Leftover asparagus

To make:

Mix the ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl.

Pour on top of the kale.

Add Parmesan and Parmesan crisps. Serve.

Recipe Tips:

You can prep the kale in advance. Wash, remove the stems, rinse again, chop, dry and store in a zip lock bag in the fridge.
Make the dressing up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Use as needed.
Make the kale tender by sprinkling some salt over it and massaging is using your hands to soften and tenderize. Use your fingers to rub kale in between. Kale can also be massaged with olive oil and vinegar, but this is not necessary in this particular recipe.
Store in the fridge with the dressing on for up to 1 day or separately – kale for up to 3 days, dressing for up to 5 days.