Garlic Butter Rice with Kale

Say hello to your new favourite kale recipe – it’s time to think beyond a salad!!

There’s an enormous amount of kale hidden in amongst all that buttery, garlicky rice….  This is a terrific two-in-one side dish that will pair with almost anything and keeps for days!

A kale recipe that’s totally scoff-able

Kale is one of the nutritious plant foods in the world, and this Garlic Butter Kale Rice is a fantastic way to incorporate a LOT of kale into a dish that’s so tasty, even kale haters love it.

Really. This kale recipe is that good. Read some of the reviews from people who have tried it!

Actually, I hadn’t planned to share this recipe. I didn’t think it would be of interest to readers, but it turns out that it’s possible the most requested recipe ever! People spied this Garlic Butter Rice with Kale on the side of a Baked Chicken Breast that I shared a couple of months ago. I didn’t even mention it in the post, it was just leftovers I had in the fridge that I added to the plate just to take this photo:

That single photo triggered so many messages via email, on Facebook and Instagram I could hardly believe it!

But you spoke, and I listened. Here it is. 🙂

Little trick to make kale even tastier!

It’s a real easy recipe. The one little trick I have to make this even better is that I marinate the kale before stirring it through the rice.

Just a drizzle of olive oil and tiny sprinkle of salt followed by a 30 second massage not only softens the kale, but also adds flavour.

This is the same technique I use in my Kale and Quinoa Salad which is almost like the salad version of this kale recipe. Marinating the kale truly makes all the difference when using raw kale.

Serve this Kale Garlic Butter Rice as a side dish – it’s a great two-in one, being a carb plus greens. And it’s an excellent way to dramatically boost the amount of nutrition you take in – in a delicious way!

It will go with cuisines, even with Asian dishes! I’ve popped a few suggestions below.

– Nagi x

Try this Kale recipe with:

• Any seared protein, such as Juicy Baked Chicken Breast, Honey Garlic Chicken, Baked Pork Chops,  Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops (Just to offer a few suggestions!)

• Garlic Prawns

• Crispy Pan Fried Fish

• Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce,

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Garlic Butter Rice with Kale

Author: Nagi

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Total: 35 mins

Sides

4.99 from 67 votes

Servings6 - 8 people

Tap or hover to scale

Print

Recipe video above. A ripper kale recipe - it's time to think beyond a salad! There's an enormous amount of kale hidden in amongst all that buttery, garlicky rice... Try this with spinach, chard or even grated carrots! 

Ingredients

Marinated Kale:

• ▢ 7 cups kale sliced leaves , tightly packed (1cm / 2/5" slices) (Note 1)
• ▢ 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Garlic Butter Rice:

• ▢ 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 - 4 large garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (Note 2)
• ▢ 2 1/4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)

Finishing:

• ▢ 1 - 2 tbsp (15 - 30g) butter
• ▢ 1/3 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts / seeds of choice)

Instructions

• Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle over oil, sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Scrunch with hands for 30 seconds, set aside while rice cooks.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute until just starting to turn golden and is incredibly fragrant.
• Add rice, stir for 10 seconds.
• Add broth, stir, then cover.
• Turn heat down to medium or medium low so the liquid is simmering very gently. Cook for 12 - 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed (tilt pot to check).
• Quickly toss all the kale on top of the rice, put the lid back on then remove from heat.
• Rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff rice with fork, stirring kale through.
• Lastly, stir through extra butter and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve and sprinkle over nuts (or stir nuts through rice).

Recipe Notes:

1. Remove kale leaves from the stem by grasping the thick base of the stem then running your hand up the stem to remove the leaves. Discard thick stalk. Scrunch up leaves tightly then slice. Use about 7 handfuls which is about 7 cups jam packed with chopped kale leaves. TYPE OF KALE: Tuscan or curly kale is fine to use. I use curly kale because it's the more common one here in Australia and it's cheaper.

2. This recipe will work great with any type of standard white rice (short, long and medium grain, basmati, jasmine, even sushi rice). It is not suited to: risotto or paella rice.

Brown rice: Follow recipe but use 2 1/2 cups liquid for tender, fluffy rice (or 2 3/4 cups for soft rice) and it will take around 45 minutes to cook on the stove (check at 35 minutes, then every 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed).

Quinoa: Rinse and cook per this recipe but use 2 cups quinoa, 2 cups broth, 2 cups water. Pop the kale into the pot about 10 minutes into the cook time when there's still a bit of liquid left so it wilts better (quinoa doesn't retain heat as well as rice so won't wilt properly during rest time).

3. Leftovers will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. If you freeze it, defrost then reheat in the microwave - the kale will be more wilted but still tasty!

4. Try this Kale recipe with: Juicy Baked Chicken Breast, Crispy Pan Fried Fish, Honey Garlic Chicken, Baked Pork Chops, Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce, Garlic Prawns, Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops.

5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings (1 heaped cup):

Keywords: garlic butter kale rice, kale recipe

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

LIFE OF DOZER

And the hits just keep on coming…..

This is the inflatable cone I got after I shared the photo of Dozer looking extremely unhappy with the plastic cone, thanks to the suggestion of readers. He is definitely more comfortable…… and providing much amusement to everyone who sees him!!!

That pattern…. why? Why??!!! 😂 It looks like a pool floatie!!