Kale

For storage, care, and easy prep ideas, check out our kale product page.

Recipes on this page:
Portuguese Kale Soup    Portugese Kale Soup     Greens Croquettes     Italian Pork Chops with Kale     Spicy Rice and Kale     White Beans with Greens     Kale & Potato Hash     Greens and Ricotta Pie

Recipes from around the web:

Peanut Butter and Kale Fried Rice     Super Energy Kale Soup     Top 10 Ways to Prepare Kale     Summer Kale Salad and How to Massage Kale    Roasted Garlic and Kale Hummus    Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche     Eggs in a Wintry Tomato and Kale Sauce     Lacinato Kale and Mint Salad with Spicy Peanut Recipe     Spicy Peanutty Udon with Kale     9 Ways to Use Kale that Don’t Involve Salad     Kale Pancakes     Fresh Kale Pesto with Linguine    

Portuguese Kale Soup (return to top)
-Louisa F.

• 5 ½ c chicken broth
• ½ c heavy cream
• 3 carrots, grated
• 4 potatoes, sliced or cubed**
• 4 cups kale, chopped small or quickly pulsed in food processor
• ¼ to ½ lb chorizo, sliced and diced and browned*
• ½ tsp salt (optional)
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

*If you are a meat lover, the original recipe calls for 1 pound of chorizo, but I would recommend skipping the use of salt then.
** According to a Portuguese friend, they would cook the potatoes first and mash them for a creamier soup.  I thought they were fine diced as well.

While the chorizo is browning, combine the broth and cream in a slow cooker.  Add the carrots, potatoes, kale and sausage. Sprinkle the salt on top as well as the pepper flakes, if desired.
Cover and cook on high in a slow cooker for 4 to 5 hours.  Stir well before serving.

Portuguese Kale Soup (return to top)

• 1/2 lb chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
• 2 (16-oz) cans great northern beans
• 1 medium head cabbage, chopped
• 2 bunches kale, stemmed and chopped
• 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 qt water, approximately
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, lightly brown sausage.
Add beans, cabbage, kale, potatoes and enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Greens Croquettes (return to top)

• 2 lbs. leaves of mixed greens (Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, etc.)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup cow’s milk cheese, grated
• 2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs, plus extra
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil or butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water and then add the greens.  If you are using a mix of greens, add them in order of coarseness (i.e., start with kale, end with spinach).  Cook until just wilted, no more than a minute or ninety seconds.  Drain thoroughly, gently pressing the leaves against the sides of the colander.  Allow the greens to cool, and then roughly chop.
In a mixing bowl, combine the greens, onion, eggs, cheese, pepper, and approximately half of the breadcrumbs.  If the mixture is too wet to form cakes, gradually add more bread crumbs until it is possible to mold the mixture.  Form small patties, roughly the size of a small hamburger, and set aside.
Put a plate in the oven and set the oven to low heat.  Over medium heat, cover the bottom of a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan with oil or butter.  Add a few of the cakes to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it.  (The amount of cakes you add depends on the size of the pan.) Cook for approximately five minutes, or until browned, flip the cakes and cook an additional five minutes to brown the other side.  Remove the cakes to the plate in the oven and continue with the next batch.  Repeat until cakes are cooked.

Italian Pork Chops with Kale (return to top)

• 2 lbs kale
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 thick pork chops
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 small can tomato paste

Soak kale and rinse it thoroughly then simmer for 20 minutes in pot of salted water.
While kale is cooking, heat oil in large, deep skillet. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Add pork chops and saute for 5 minutes on each side, then season with salt, pepper, and fennel seeds.
Dissolve tomato paste in hot water and add to pork chops. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes, adding water if sauce gets too thick.
Drain kale and stir into tomato sauce. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Spicy Rice and Kale (return to top)

• 2 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup converted white rice
• 4 ounces kale (about 1/2 large bunch), stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (2 cups packed)

Bring broth and Creole seasoning to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in rice and kale and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

White Beans with Greens (return to top)

• ½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter
• Fine grained sea salt
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbons
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Freshly grated parmesan for topping

Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.
Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper.
Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Kale & Potato Hash (return to top)
Makes 4 servings
Serve as a side with a steak or pork chops or set a poached egg on top for a hearty breakfast or brunch.

• 8 cups torn kale leaves (about ½ large bunch; see Tip)
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cooked shredded potatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Place kale in a large cast iron skillet and sauté in butter, until wilted, about 6 minutes. Cool slightly, and finely chop.
Meanwhile, mix horseradish, shallot, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Add the chopped kale and potatoes; stir to combine.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the kale mixture, spread into an even layer and cook, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes and returning the mixture to an even layer, until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes total.
Tip: A 1- to 1 1/2-pound bunch of kale yields 16 to 24 cups of chopped leaves. When preparing kale for these recipes, remove the tough ribs, chop or tear the kale as directed, then wash it–allowing some water to cling to the leaves. The moisture helps steam the kale during the first stages of cooking.

Greens and Ricotta Pie (return to top)

• 1 lg head Swiss chard (or kale, tatsoi, etc.) (about 1.75 pounds)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 1 container (15 oz) part skim ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup low fat milk
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9&1/2-inch deep dish glass pie plate. Trim off two inches from swiss chard stems, discard ends. Seperate stems from leaves, thinly slice stems and coarsly chop leaves.
In nonstick 12-inch skiller, heat oil until hot. Add sliced stems and cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add green onions, salt, and pepper and cook 1 min. Gradually add chopped leaves until wilted and excess moisture evaporates, about 5 min. In a large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix eggs, ricotta, milk, parmesan and cornstarch. Stir in swill-chard mixture.
Transfer mixture to pie plate. Bake pie 40 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from center comes out clean. 6 main dish servings.