This simple lemon parmesan kale salad is meant to provide a clean, fresh relief from all the hearty and rich comfort meals on the wintertime table.
During the winter, I tend to gravitate towards comfort meals: a hearty stew, a creamy soup, lots of bakes, and of course, lots of carbs. No wonder every once in a while my body starts begging for some greens! Then the cravings suddenly cease to be sugar related and veer towards drastically healthy dishes. Instead of pasta I choose lettuce. Instead of pizza, I run towards kale.
That’s the whole purpose of this salad: to provide a much needed break from all the carbs and all the stews and all the creamy soups. They’re all wonderful dishes, but a table needs a bright, fresh relief.
This lemon parmesan kale salad is so easy to make and so easily adjustable and customizable, you can confidently eyeball the whole thing. You can also prep it ahead of time and just assemble right before serving. Despite being extremely simple, it also contains multitudes: it’s crunchy and tangy. So in order to guarantee maximum crunch, make sure to add the toppings at the time of serving.
Let’s go over the components really quickly.
Ingredients for Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
This salad is basically a bed of thinly sliced kale topped with a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and toasted breadcrumbs.
If I’m going to have raw kale, I need it to be very thinly sliced and properly broken down. I find kale in its natural form to be too tough and chewy, which of course, might be the exact reason some people love it.
There are many ways around it including boiling, steaming, or sautéing. But for a quick salad, there’s also a quick method to break down your kale: simply massage it with your hands. Gently rub the sliced kale between your fingers in some olive oil and salt. That will break down the fiber and make it more tender.
For that purpose, I don’t even bother making a dressing in a separate bowl before adding it to the kale. I simply add the kale to a large bowl, drizzle with some oil and sprinkle with salt. Then I massage the kale with my fingers for a minute or two, until it turns tender.
From there, all that’s left to do is plating. Well, before that there’s the breadcrumbs. So my advice is: make the breadcrumbs first, then take care of the kale. Then all you have to do is assemble.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The lemony, tender kale really is the star of the show here, but there’s a lot to be said for the toasted breadcrumbs. They add a nice light crunch and they also offer an opportunity to impart more flavors into the salad.
My advice is to start with the breadcrumbs. Keep them in an airtight container and add to the salad right before serving. The breadcrumbs are quickly toasted in olive oil with some garlic, red pepper flakes, then tossed with fresh herbs and lemon zest.
Then all that’s left to do is prepare the kale: remove the stem from the kale, roll it up tightly and slice into thin strips. Add the kale to a large bowl along with a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon (you can also use vinegar) and a pinch of salt.
Rub the strips between your fingers and you’ll soon feel the kale start to break down. Keep going until it’s soft and almost wilted-looking. The kale will lose some volume in the process. At this point, taste the kale and adjust the seasoning, adding more olive oil, lemon, and salt as necessary.
To serve, transfer the massaged kale to a serving bowl, then top generously with freshly grated parmesan, the toasted breadcrumbs, and freshly ground black pepper.
I don’t love leftover salad, but this one can easily be made ahead and saved for the next day. As long as you keep the breadcrumbs in a separate container, all you have to do is assemble.
If you make this lemon parmesan kale salad, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you and about your favorite winter salad.
Ingredients
- Toasted Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped chives or parsley
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
- Kale Salad
1 bunch Tuscan kale
olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
1/4 tsp salt
1 lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
black pepper
Directions
Toast the breadcrumbs: heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes and the panko. Stir to coat everything with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir often and spread the crumbs in an even layer to encourage the most toasting. Lower the heat to low if it seems to be too hot as to avoid burning the breadcrumbs. They'll toast fairly quickly, about 2-4 minutes. Cook until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and fresh herbs. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Prepare the kale: remove the stems from leaves. Stack a few leaves at a time and roll them up, tightly. Using a sharp knife, slice them as thinly as possible across the roll.
Transfer the chopped kale to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive, add a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle it with the salt. Massage the leaves with your hands, rubbing the strips between your fingers, until the leaves are soft and wilted-looking.
Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more olive oil, lemon juice and salt as needed - it should taste bright and lemony, and a little tart (the tartness helps cut the bitterness of the kale).
To serve, top with grated parmesan and toasted breadcrumbs.
