Sautéed Kale Salad with Apples + Walnuts
This hearty sautéed kale salad is overflowing with nutrient-dense ingredients like kale, walnuts and olive oil, and delicately sweetened with caramelized apples.
As the seasons change, so do the temperature of salads.
While wilted iceberg is not exactly a delicacy, sautéed kale is absolutely scrumptious.
Bonus — sautéed kale may actually be more nutritious than raw kale. A recent study showed that cooking kale increases its antioxidant activity.
No matter how you slice it though (or massage it), kale is an awesome source of nutrients including calcium, iron, and vitamins like A, C, and K.
In fact, kale is one of the best non-dairy sources of calcium — even better than spinach due to its low oxalic acid content. Oxalates, found in leafy greens, bind to minerals and inhibit their absorption. Spinach is particular high in them.
But enough about nutrition, let’s talk about taste.
This sautéed kale salad is full of fall flavor and exciting texture thanks to the crunchy walnuts and caramelized red apples.
It has just the right hint of sweetness from the apples, balanced with the savory taste of sautéed onions and saltiness of grated parmesan cheese.
Its juxtaposition of flavors wonderfully complements savory main dishes — consider pairing it with roasted chicken or perfectly baked salmon. However, it makes an excellent stand alone dish itself.
Vegans, feel free to leave out the parm, its equally delicious sans cheese.
If you’ll let me trail back to nutrition briefly, I must add that walnut and extra virgin olive oil are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
A super(food) salad indeed.
- 5 cups kale, washed and chopped, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup sweet onions, chopped
- 1 red apple, cored and diced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- salt and pepper
- grated parmesan (optional)
- Massage kale with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- In a large saucepan, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened.
- Add kale, apples and apple cider vinegar. Toss, then cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- In a bowl, toss kale mixture with walnuts.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle with parmesan and serve immediately.
*This salad tastes best if enjoyed immediately — the apples will get soggy after refrigeration.
Weigh in: Have you had a sautéed kale salad before? Do you prefer warm salads or cold salads in the fall/winter?
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says:
i had a very similar salad at a restaurant and loved it. im so glad now there is a recipe i could refer to :)
Patti Cakes says:
This looks great, and so healthy. I will try it this week!
James Gross says:
Good suggestion! I keep making 4 meals for one-day training. I love vegetable :). Wait for your new post about Nutrition.
Projeto Você Feliz says:
Will definitely be trying this. Thank you!