15 Kale Recipes - Cooking Light

Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider Recipe

Photo: Randy Mayor

Cooking with Kale

There's a reason why sweet, earthy kale is the most popular of the greens these days: it's delicious, versatile, and incredibly nutritious. Kale contains beta-carotene and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin—which are associated with eye health—as well as potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, iron, and calcium. Plus, you get 2 grams of protein in a serving. Consider using kale as a stand-in for spinach in dishes, or try out some of these recipes.

First up: Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider is a suitable side for roast chicken or pork, plus each serving contains about 15 percent of the minimum daily recommended amount of fiber.

View Recipe: Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider

Photo: John Autry

Garbanzo Beans and Greens

Kale comes together with ingredients you probably already have on hand—bacon, canned chickpeas, onion, carrot, Greek yogurt—for a budget-friendly dish full of smoky, earthy flavor. Serve with torn baguette bread to soak up all the tasty juices.

View Recipe: Garbanzo Beans and Greens

Photo: Lee Harrelson

Spinach and Kale Turnovers

Spinach, kale, feta cheese, and a dash of nutmeg makes for a tasty turnover filling. Serve as a side dish with steak or roast chicken, or enjoy two turnovers with tomato soup as a meatless supper. Make-ahead tip: Prepare the turnovers in advance, and freeze them for up to two months.

View Recipe: Spinach and Kale Turnovers

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Farfalle with Sausage, Cannellini Beans, and Kale

Try a rustic pasta dish featuring sun-dried tomatoes, turkey Italian sausage, and fresh kale and dinner is ready in just 35 minutes.

View Recipe: Farfalle with Sausage, Cannellini Beans, and Kale

Photo: Randy Mayor

White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini

Chock-full of vegetables, this one-pot ragout—a thick, well-seasoned stew—warms up a chilly winter evening. This hearty meal comes together in just 35 minutes thanks to convenience items such as canned beans and diced tomatoes.

View Recipe: White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini

Photo: Johnny Autry

Bacon and Butternut Pasta

Broth, thickened with flour and enriched with crème fraîche, forms the savory sauce in this dish. We like the addition of earthy, hearty kale which helps balance the sweetness from the squash.

View Recipe: Bacon and Butternut Pasta

Photo: John Autry

Braised Chicken with Kale

Braised with kale, garlic, and fire-roasted tomatoes, bone-in chicken thighs come out of the oven tender and superbly moist.

View Recipe: Braised Chicken with Kale

Photo: John Autry

Pasta with Black Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Parsnips

This meatless pasta dishes calls for black kale—also called cavolo nero—which is dark green and becomes very tender when cooked. If black kale is unavailable, feel free to use regular kale. Lightly browning the parsnip helps its natural sugars emerge, lending rich, caramelized flavor to the dish.

View Recipe: Pasta with Black Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Parsnips

Photo: John Autry

White Bean Soup with Kale and Chorizo

Be sure to use smoked Spanish chorizo, not raw Mexican chorizo when preparing this 20-minute soup. This is the perfect dinner option for a cold winter's night.

View Recipe: White Bean Soup with Kale and Chorizo

Photo: Randy Mayor

Sausage and Clams with Chickpeas

Get inspiration from the Portuguese and combine sausage, kale, and clams in one flavorful dish. Serve over fideos, a dish of thin noodles broken into small pieces, browned in the pan, and then simmered in broth until tender.

View Recipe: Sausage and Clams with Chickpeas

Photo: John Autry

Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Orecchiette (little ears pasta) is a classic shape that's ideal for this chunky sauce. You can also substitute short pasta shapes like penne or rigatoni. If you can find mild-tasting cavolo nero (black kale), try it here.

View Recipe: Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Photo: Kana Okada

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

Pureeing a portion of cannellini beans lends a creamy quality to this vegetarian soup featuring fresh kale and a variety of veggies. Serve with Cheese-Tomato Toasts: Broil 4 (1-ounce) slices ciabatta bread for 1 minute. Turn bread over; top each slice with 2 thin plum tomato slices and 1 tablespoon shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

View Recipe: Two-Bean Soup with Kale

Photo: Randy Mayor

Borlotti Minestrone

Brimming with fresh vegetables, this hearty minestrone also features creamy, heirloom borlotti beans—the Italian variety of cranberry beans.

View Recipe: Borlotti Minestrone

Photo: Romulo Yanes

Cajun Steak Frites with Kale

Kale is perfectly paired with Cajun-seasoned steak and potato frites—all for under 400 calories per serving.

View Recipe: Cajun Steak Frites with Kale

Photo: Jonny Valiant

Garlic-Roasted Kale

Roasting kale is amazing—the leaves turn from a dusty dark green to dark emerald with brown-tinged curly edges that crunch. This vegetable side is delicious served hot from the oven; the leaves lose their crisp texture as the dish stands.

View Recipe: Garlic-Roasted Kale