30 Minute Meals
Warm Kale Salad
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Yield
4 -5
🥗 Transform ordinary salad into a cozy meal with this warm kale salad featuring sautéed greens, roasted brussels sprouts, crunchy nuts, and a zesty lemon-thyme dressing. Hearty, nutritious, and deeply satisfying!
You’ve probably never heard anyone describe a salad as cozy, but after enjoying this warm kale salad drizzled with a Lemony Mustard Thyme dressing, you’ll add it to your weekly meal plan. With sautéed kale, perfectly cooked brussels sprouts, crunchy nuts, and sweet fruit, this isn’t your average salad – it’s a hearty, nutrient-packed meal that satisfies on every level.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Warm Kale Salad
- Filling: Packed with varied textures from hearty vegetables, nuts, and fruits for a truly satisfying meal.
- Versatile: It works as a main dish or side and can be customized with seasonal ingredients.
- Nutrient-Dense: Every ingredient brings its own health benefits, from antioxidants to fiber and protein.
🍲 Ingredients
Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) – These little powerhouses pack serious nutritional benefits. They’re high in antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E, one of the best natural sources of magnesium, and provide excellent zinc and fiber. Their subtle nutty flavor and satisfying crunch make them perfect for adding texture to this warm kale salad.
Fresh and Dried Herbs – Combining dried lemon thyme, lemon peel, and roasted garlic creates a complex and refreshing dressing. High-quality herbs make all the difference in homemade dressings, elevating this warm salad from good to exceptional. I love ordering my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs, I can get all of my staples as well as some unique flavours I can’t find anywhere else. For this recipe I used their lemon peel, lemon thyme, sea salt, and mustard seed to give this dressing a fresh taste.
👩🍳 How to Make This Warm Kale Salad
- Into a large salad bowl, place/assemble your ingredients in a gorgeous arrangement.
- For the dressing, simply add all your ingredients into a jar and, using a hand blender, blend till smooth and creamy (around 30-40 seconds).
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Kale: Remove tough stems and massage leaves with a bit of oil before sautéing for the best texture.
- Brussels Sprouts: Cook until tender but still bright green for optimal flavor and nutrition.
- Dressing Emulsion: Use a hand blender for a perfectly smooth, creamy dressing that clings to every ingredient.
🗒 Substitutions
The options are endless when it comes to this warm kale salad. Try these easy swaps or use whatever you have in your fridge and pantry:
- Greens: Swap kale for spinach, Swiss chard, or collard greens based on preference or availability.
- Cheese: If you are not vegan, use regular feta or try goat cheese or blue cheese for different flavor profiles.
- Nuts: Replace walnuts with pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts for different textures and tastes.
- Fruits: When pomegranates aren’t in season, try dried cranberries or fresh berries instead.
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store the salad and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! You can prepare the kale and Brussels sprouts up to two days ahead and store them in the refrigerator. Make the dressing separately and store it in a jar. Reheat the vegetables gently before assembling them with fresh toppings.
Absolutely. With its combination of fiber-rich vegetables and healthy fats and proteins from the seeds and nuts, this salad is filling enough to serve as a main course.
Add chickpeas, lentils, or your favorite plant-based protein. Grilled chicken or salmon would complement the flavors nicely for non-vegans.
Yes, but you’ll still want to remove any thick stems. Pre-washed kale can save time, though fresh bunches often have better flavor and texture.
Cut the pomegranate in half, hold it seed-side down over a bowl, and tap firmly with a wooden spoon. The seeds will fall out with minimal mess.
Warm Kale Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 2-3 heads of washed black kale spines removed, sautéed in olive oil and garlic till soft
- 3 cups of brussel sprouts cooked in olive oil and very well seasoned. Cook till it reached the consistency of your liking!
- 1 apple thinly sliced – I used a honey crips apple as they’re currently in season
- 3/4 cup of raw walnuts
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup vegan feta
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
For the dressing:
- 3-5 tbsp olive oil depending on preference and how emulsified you want your dressing
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp dried lemon thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried lemon peel
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- season well as the salad will not be overly seasoned
Instructions
- Into a large salad bowl place/assemble your ingredients in a gorgeous arrangement.
- For the dressing simply add all your ingredients into a jar and using a hand blender blend till smooth and creamy (around 30-40 seconds).
Notes
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs
Just made this for dinner as a side! It was really delicious. You’re right calling it cozy! Will definitely be making it again.
Thank you so much for the love, hun!
Amazing! Made it for dinner as a side and was very pleased! You’re right calling it cozy. Will definitely be making it again.
This salad is unbelievable! One of the best I have had, very tasty and filling.
Thanks very much, Craig!
This is the BEST winter salad I’ve ever had. So comforting and delicious 🤤 I’ll be back for more.
YES! Thanks for the love Jasmine. Please let me know what you make next!