13 Kale Recipes You’ll Actually Love

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Kale is a hearty, healthy, and delicious leafy green that everyone should be including in their diet. Kale is packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals to keep you healthy and it’s quite tasty too. Here are thirteen recipes that use kale in a variety of ways that might just tempt you to include more of this superfood in your menu plans.

1. Kale Salad With Walnuts, Butter Beans, And Maple Tahini Dressing

Overhead view of a white bowl filled with Kale Salad With Walnuts And Butter Beans.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you are looking for a delicious and filling meal that’s packed with fiber and flavor you need to try the kale salad with walnuts, butter beans, and maple Tahini dressing. This delicious salad is great for lunch, dinner, or even guests. Try it, even if you think you don’t like kale because you are going to love it.

2. Baby Kale Pasta

A skillet filled with baby kale pasta.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This baby kale pasta recipe is a quick and easy dinner that is delicious and filling and makes everyone happy at the dinner table. If you love pasta, you can’t go wrong with this recipe. Sprinkle on a bit of parmesan cheese at serving to bring out the robust flavors of this delicious dish.

3. Creamy Kale and Mushroom Pasta

An overhead view looking down into a cast iron skillet filled with Creamy Kale And Mushroom Pasta.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This creamy kale and mushroom pasta is a rich, creamy, single-skillet dish that can be ready in 30 minutes. File this under quick weeknight dinners that won’t disappoint. If you have leftovers, they make a delicious lunch the next day.

4. Kale Blueberry Smoothie

An overhead view of a glass jar filled with Kale Blueberry Smoothie.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This Kale Blueberry Smoothie is sure to please even finicky smoothie drinkers. You can easily customize this smoothie to boost its nutrition profile. It’s beneficial for health and keeps you feeling full for longer.

5. Shrimp And Kale Salad

A closeup of a wood bowl filled with shrimp and kale salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This shrimp and kale salad is the perfect blend of seafood and veggies. It is a perfectly balanced meal and also satisfies in the flavor department. Even the dressing is easy to put together. It’s equally great for the average weeknight dinner or a special occasion.

6. Baby Kale Recipe with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

A skillet filled with just-cooked baby kale.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This baby kale recipe is for you dedicated kale lovers. It’s earthy, strong-flavored, and peppery. Adding garlic and red pepper flakes transforms a simple veggie side dish into one that’s flavor-packed. Extra points if you massage the kale first, which helps with the finished texture of the dish.

7. Kale And Orange Salad

Spring Kale & Orange Salad in a white crock next to a bottle of grapefruit vinaigrette and half a fresh grapefruit.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Meet one of the best kale salads you will ever make. This Kale and Orange Salad has the crisp, fresh, delicately sweet flavor you crave. It also makes an excellent lunch. The suggested vinaigrette is quick and easy to make and really brings out the wonderful flavors of this dish.

8. Kale Salad

A white bowl holds a small serving of kale salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This kale salad recipe couldn’t get any easier. It’s quick, simple, delicious, and portable, so you can easily pack it for lunch. Serve it with some sliced radishes for some extra kick and some thinly sliced cucumbers for extra hydration.

9. Kale Hummus Wrap

A Kale And Hummus Wrap, cut in half, laying on a plate.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry

These kale hummus wraps are super simple to make and delicious enough to make you want to eat them again and again. They’re packed with good-for-you nutrients, and this recipe tastes so good that even kids would love it.

10. Green Lemon Pineapple Smoothie

Green Lemon Pineapple Smoothie in a small glass sitting next to half a lemon.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Start your morning off on the right foot with plenty of hidden greens. While you can’t hide the green color of this green lemon pineapple smoothie, you can certainly mask the taste of the kale with this delicious recipe. It’s a great “gateway” recipe if you are trying your hardest to like kale. It’s quick to make, and it’s easy to drink on your way to work in the mornings.

11. Sweet Potato Irish Colcannon

A closeup of Sweet Potato Irish Colcannon in a black skillet.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you love Irish colcannon, you’ll go positively crazy for this sweet potato version. Sweet potato Irish colcannon has bits of kale mixed into it to make this dish one powerhouse of good nutrition. It makes an excellent side dish for your average weeknight but can also be served in a fancier dish for holidays and special occasions.

12. Kale and Apple Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

A kale and apple salad in a white bowl.
Photo Credit: Seasonal Cravings.

This Kale and Apple Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing will be your new favorite. It is loaded with pistachios and pomegranate arils. Make this salad using seasonal ingredients, and it is sure to impress.

13. Baby Kale Quinoa Salad

An overhead view of a white bowl holding kale quinoa salad with apple pieces.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This delicious baby kale quinoa salad is easy to put together and perfect for lunch at work. It is a versatile recipe, and you can add meat if you want to feel full longer. Shredded chicken would work really well here.

More From The Gracious Pantry

A dutch oven with a cooked whole chicken topped with rosemary twigs.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Need more dinner ideas? These can help. Chicken and turkey are very versatile foods that can be used to create an unlimited number of dinners. Here are 118 ideas to get you started.

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated writer and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

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