There’s nothing quite as delicious as a veggie salad. This terrific salad features 2 main ingredients: kale and onions. A perfect entrée to your Thanksgiving dinner and all your favorite meals, this easy Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions Recipe is zipped up with the strongest of flavors in a warm salad dressing!
The Onions Accent the Crispiness of this Salad!
I can proudly say that I was one of the first people to hop on the trend and experiment with cooking kale! Years later, kale is now a staple in my dinner rotations and a necessary side-dish whenever I’m making fish!
I have always had a weakness for a really good salad, piled high with toppings. This Lemony Kale Salad can be eaten as a side-dish or served as a hearty meal on its own. Topped with the crunchiest caramelized onions, it’s vegan, healthy, and you won’t get enough of it!
The kale and onions are a perfect duo that will cheer you up and keep you happy! This appetizing food combination is something that you will appreciate and relish for days to come.
My recipe is the kale version of the traditionally known dandelion salad,‘Hindbi’. What I enjoy most about this dish is its simplicity, texture, and the combination of the salad flavors that go really well with the caramelized onion. Grab a fork or pita bread and dig in!
More About This Leafy Vegetable
Adding Kale to your diet is the perfect way to start eating clean!
Did you know that Kale is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet?! Also, it doubles a member of the cabbage family and contains 3 grams of protein per cup!
Who said you can’t eat veggies and still get your daily dose your protein?
This easy salad doesn’t just provide you with the best nutrients. Thanks to its main ingredient, the Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions Recipe contains an abundant amount of vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A, K, C, and B6 that will keep you healthy.
A Perfect Plant-Based Salad!
The Different Kinds of Kale
With one breezy trip to the grocery store, I was able to get all my ingredients. After a quick search, I bought a bag of Baby Kale to use from the different varieties of kale available at my local store. There was the Common Curly Kale, Baby Kale, and many other varieties.
The Common Curly Kale is the type of kale you usually find in grocery stores. Other varieties, like the Red Kale and Lacinato Kale, exist in many countries.
I have to tell you that the Onions and Kale are a match made in heaven. Prepare yourself for this amazing burst in flavors. The Earthy taste of the kale is balanced out with the the pungent and savory taste of the onions.
Let’s Talk About The Caramelized Onions
Dark greens are great, but it’s no secret that they taste even better with onions! Onions impart so much texture and flavor, adding a juicy flavor to the whole salad. First, the onions are sautéed until caramelized, and this brings such a delicious flavor to the green kale salad!
The onions have a remarkable effect on the kale. The heat of your caramelized onions will wilt your kale and soften it up!
Note that if you prefer not to deep fry your winged onions, you can still bake or air fry your onions while coating them with generous amounts of cooking oil spray to help keep them moist!
In case you’re planning on baking them, set your oven to 400 °F for about half an hour. Then broil them, making sure to flip them often.
If you want to use an air fryer, the key is to do that at 400 °F for about 30 minutes. Be sure to coat them generously as needed with cooking oil spray. Do flip them often to prevent them from burning!
Fancy Ways to Caramelize Your Onions
We all want to make the best onions that radiate amazing gold-brown perfection!
I personally resorted to the traditional method of cooking my onions on a stovetop; but if you’re feeling creative, here are several methods that will make your onions taste and look amazing!
Roast your onions in the oven and add balsamic vinegar for the perfect caramel color!
Add baking soda to you onions while they simmer, but first use water to steam your onions.
How to Serve Your Warm Kale
Kale is a strong-tasting vegetable that is so versatile. No wonder why this leafy green is so popular! It isn’t just a delicious side-dish; you can even use your leftover kale as a great pizza topping. Furthermore, kale tastes incredible with pasta! I will be introducing more recipes with kale, so that we both can add more of it into our diet 🙂
Your Kale Salad could be modified to create the perfect variations!
Change up the Ingredients!
It’s fascinating how many takes there can be on one simple idea! I sometimes love to replace my julienne red onions onions with shallots. When I’m feeling it, I toast some almonds and add some goat cheese to my salad.
If you think this vegan salad needs some protein, add grilled chicken for a more filling appetizer or chickpeas/beans for extra flavor and more mushiness!
I believe the tastiest variation is the Kale Salad with Quinoa. The only difference is that you don’t have to boil your kale. Keep your kale raw and add your cooked quinoa. The nutty flavor of the quinoa will drive you nuts!
The Dressing Elevates the Salad!
Tips for the Best Salad!
Tip 1: Use a salad spinner. A salad spinner does wonders! All the ingredients come out tasting fresh, delicious, and very crisp! Also, the prep is so much simpler with the spinner!
Tip 2: I can’t emphasize this enough! Make sure you’re cutting your kale and onions the same size, all the time. Texture and consistency are tied together. Try to maintain that each and every time you prepare it.
Tip 3: Clean your kale! Clean ,Clean, Clean!
How to Clean My Kale?
To make the perfect salad, you have to ensure that the kale is so clean. Some people even remove all the thick stems running through the leaves by grabbing the leaf and pulling the stem away in the opposite direction. While not necessary and I don’t remove the steam. For this recipe I use the bagged kale versus fresh kale.
If you choose to keep the stems, make sure to thoroughly rinse your kale to remove all traces of dirt! Wash your kale again if it is particularly dry!
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQS)
You can store your kale from 5 to 7 days. Unfortunately, your kale leaves will turn yellow if stored for too long.
Definitely. Kale is one of the best foods to eat if you’re diabetic. This is because kale is low in carbohydrates and full of fiber, making it very diabetes-friendly!
Absolutely. Raw kale is edible and very nutritious, but it’s better if you eat kale in moderation.
Keep In Mind!
In this recipe, a quick immersion in boiling water is enough to cook the kale. This is why I flash boiled the kale in order to preserve the nutrients and the color of the leafy greens.
After straining them, I made my wet kale into small balls and squeezed all the water out of them. Finally, I chopped and placed them into a bowl to prep with olive oil, lemon, salt, and black pepper.
By the way, chilling kale in the fridge ensures that they turn out crunchy, juicy, and delectable! I can even promise you that this will help your kale pick up the sheen of your dressing effortlessly!
The Ingredients You Need
- bag baby kale
- olive oil extra virgin
- lemon juice
- large julienne onions
- salt to taste
Follow My Lead!
First, in a large pot, add water to fill half way. Put in the whole bag of kale, allowing it to come to a boil for 3 minutes. Strain the boiled kale and let it cool.
Then, in a large skillet, add olive oil on high heat then the julienne onions until they are light brown and caramelized. Top it with the prepared kale dish. Eat it just like that or with pita bread!
Finish it off by adding more dressing! The dressing keeps the kale moist and creamy and locks all all the delicious flavors!
Other Recipes You Must Try
- Tuna Lunch Board
- Italian Seasoned Tuna Pasta
- Avocado Smoothie
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Roasted Eggplant Salad
- Fantastic Kale Dijon Salad
- Citrus Vinaigrette Strawberry Mango Kale Salad
- Plant-Based Chicken Salad With Barbecue Vinaigrette
- Healthy Pasta Salad and Dressing
- Lebanese Tabouli Salad
Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 1 bag baby kale
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 juice lemon
- 3 large onions julienne
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, add water to fill half way. Add in the whole bag of kale, allowing it to come to a boil for 3 minutes. Strain the boiled kale and let it cool.
- In a large skillet, add ¼ cup olive oil on high heat then the julienne onions until they are light brown and caramelized. Top it with the prepared kale dish. Enjoy just like that or with pita bread!
Carla says
This kale salad is super easy to make and a definite crowd-pleaser. Not to mention how healthy it is! Thanks for sharing your scrumptious recipes 😋
April says
This lemony Kale salad is incredible. My husband loved it. Will add it to our dinner rotation! Waiting for more healthy rercipes
Lama says
IT is on repeat in my house!! Wonderful to hear he enjoyed it 🙂
tiktok random character says
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve visited your blog before but after looking at many of the posts I realized it’s new to
me. Nonetheless, I’m certainly happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!
Lama says
Hi! Happy to have you here!!!
Amy says
The salad looks heavenly delicious! And I thought I was good at planning my menus! Yours look incredible! Thanks for sharing
Lama says
I am flattered! Thank you so much for your feedback Amy!
Sue says
Incredibly delicious!!
This was the 3rd time i make it in a month😅😅
My new addiction
Reem says
Kale is my new favorite salad green!
Will give this salad a go