This Kale and Quinoa Salad is a really tasty salad that just happens to star two super foods – kale and quinoa. Fresh herbs, crushed nuts and feta plus a beautiful lemon dressing makes this Kale Salad so tasty, it’s scrumptious enough to have as meal or as a side dish.
The secret to making raw kale really tasty is to massage it with olive oil and salt. This tenderises the kale, and makes raw kale salads really delicious!
Kale and Quinoa Salad
Just 3 hours ago, I force fed a giant spoonful of this to a kale/quinoa cynic, and watched with glee as the scrunched up face of “I hate kale – AND QUINOA!” turned into a surprised look of “this is seriously tasty!”
Yes. This is a kale salad that even kale haters will enjoy. It’s that good!
The secret to make raw kale tasty – tenderise it by rubbing with olive oil and salt!
10 years ago when I watched Lidia Bastiniach make a kale and bean stew, I had to search wide and far to find kale. 5 years ago, kale become “all the rage”, and I refused to pay the ridiculous prices for it. Australia even had a kale shortage!!!
Nowadays, kale is actually very good value – usually $2 a bunch from Harris Farms which is where I shop for most of my fruit & veg. And it’s a giant bunch. A giant bunch of hardy, tough leaves that aren’t that pleasant to eat without doing “something” to it.
Enter – your new favourite way to prepare kale leaves to eat raw. Tenderise it. Wash it, chop it, scrunch it with oil, salt & pepper (lemon or vinegar is also nice), leave for 30 minutes. It tenderises the leaves, making it tasty enough to even eat plain.
What goes in this Kale Salad
Even when kale has been marinated, it does have a stronger flavour than most leafy greens. So what I like to do is add plenty of other fresh flavours and textures. So here’s what goes in this kale salad:
- Raw kale – chopped and marinated in olive oil
- Fresh herbs – dill and coriander/cilantro is my favourite mix. Both are beautifully fragrant, so they add great flavour to temper the otherwise rather dominant flavour of kale.
- Almonds – or other nuts, for texture and flavour
- Quinoa – to fill it out, add texture and nutty flavour
- Red onion – for freshness
- Feta – salty little pops of creamy feta is always a welcome addition to salads!
- Lemon dressing – it’s fresh and zesty, and I love that this lemon dressing really tastes of lemon rather than just being sour (the secret is the zest! Lemon zest rocks!)
Toss all this together, and voila! You have an incredible kale salad that even the greatest of kale cynics will enjoy!
This kale salad will keep in the fridge for 3 days – so it’s great for work lunches and as a standby side!
I added quinoa into this, because this is a salad that was born post my recent trips to Japan and New Zealand, after which I was peeved but not surprised to see that my jeans were still as snug as they were pre-trip. Skiing in Japan, trekking and biking in New Zealand – Mr Scales! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME! (OK, holiday feasting and Japanese sake / fabulous NZ wine sampling did not help).
So I filled this salad out with quinoa to make it filling enough to be a meal in itself. Which, incidentally, is a great tip to make a veg + filling fibre rich side for meals.
It seems appropriate to share this Kale and Quinoa Salad post Easter. Detoxing after a long weekend of consistent feasting – especially if the Easter Bunny dropped by your place and left you with a load of irresistibly colourful, shiny foil wrapped eggs calling your name. 😩
Try this Kale and Quinoa Salad as a side for your next dinner (eg. slightly burnt chicken schnitzel, as pictured below – fried food = less guilt with kale on the side). It will pair with anything, from these great quick Baked Chicken Breasts to crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs, to Baked Pork Chops or marinated Pork Chops.
Or have it as a light meal as it is because in all honesty, a bowl of this will keep you satisfied for longer because that’s one of the magic characteristics of quinoa. 🙂 Or try tossing through some shredded chicken or sliced perfectly poached chicken, or even a can of tuna (I steal it from Dozer). – Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Kale and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Marinated Kale:
- 8 cups (packed) kale leaves (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa, any colour
- 2 cups water
Dressing:
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (or American)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, I add it)
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Salad:
- 1/4 cup dill leaves , roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
- 1 red onion , quartered and finely sliced (optional)
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
- 100 g/3.5oz crumbled feta
Instructions
Marinated Kale:
- Scrunch up the kale leaves then slice to about 1cm / 2/5" thickness.
- Transfer to large bowl.
- Drizzle over oil, scatter with salt and pepper. Use your hands to scrunch the kale leaves for 1 minute (see video). It should shrink to about half the size.
- Set aside for 30 minutes. The leaves will soften, making them suitable for eating raw.
Quinoa:
- Place quinoa in a fine mesh colander, then rinse under running water for 30 seconds. Drain excess water well. (Or do this in a big bowl)
- Place in a saucepan with water. Cover with lid, bring to simmer over medium heat then leave for 12 - 15 minutes until all water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat, leave lid on, and rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Fluff with fork then cool (spread on tray and refrigerate to speed up).
Dressing:
- Place ingredients in a jar, screw lid on and shake well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Salad:
- Add the quinoa into the bowl with the kale. Add all the dill and coriander/cilantro, half the nuts, feta, and 2/3 of dressing.
- Toss well.
- Transfer into serving platter or bowls. Drizzle with remaining dressing, garnish with remaining feta and nuts.
- See Note 3 for serving suggestions - I've been having this as a meal, just plain.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Kale and Quinoa Salad tastiness EVIDENCE:
Hi, I have made this salad before and it was absolutely delicious but this time I couldn’t get any dill. What would you suggest as a alternative? Thanks in advance.
Hi Liz, any herb will work perfectly – even fennel for that aniseed flavour 🙂 N x
Thanks very much Nagi. I made the salad and just omitted the dill. It was delicious. This salad will definitely become one of our regular dishes.
Love this salad, especially the fresh dressing. I’ve tweaked it to add dried cranberries as I love the pops of ruby sweetness. I often sub the quinoa with brown rice too.
Amazing!
I added scallions and cranberries
I knew I would love this, and while my husband hated the sound of this salad he absolutely loved it too. It will be a staple for us for sure.
Hi Nagi! This recipe is totally awesome! Made this for lunch as a side to go with pan fried crispy fish and we just can’t get enough! The dressing is so easy to make and super addictive! Even my mom who isnt a big fan of kale or salad dressings said this was delicious! Kinda like those salads we get at posh upscale salad bars that cost an arm and a leg….just that this is a fraction of the cost and tastes even better!
I was looking for a recipe to use the extra kale from our garden. We love this recipe! Made it twice so far. Our recipe tweaks: 1/2 red onion, extra garlic in dressing, extra dressing overall, and then sliced cherry tomatoes before serving.
Sounds perfect Korey – I’m jealous of your Kale growing!! N x
This was delicious! I followed the recipe to a tee and I did not need to change a thing. This is a filling, healthy lunch and leftovers (if any) will be great as a side for dinner. Thanks Nagi x
Since the ‘Garlic Butter Ricer with Kale’ was so good, I had to try this.
Amazingly filling and good. Did not need anything else for dinner. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re so welcome J-Mom! N x
Most amazing Kale salad we have had till now. Thank you Nagi for this wonderful recipe. My son tried making Pad Thai noodles with chicken and they came out very well. Thanks a million
Super delicious. I will make this again and again. Definitely a keeper. Thank you Nagi.
You’re so welcome Nadine!
Hi Nagi, I have just found out i have high cholesterol and have been looking for tasty recipes suitable for me. Would this be suitable if i replace the fetta with something lower in fat or just leave it out? It certainly is a challenge trying to find suitable recipes.
Hi Paula, I find the feta brings this salad together but you could sub with some parmesan for that salty hit or even some soft tofu to be ultra healthy! N x
Thank you for your reply Nagi. I’ll try that.
I have made so many of your recipes and love them all, but this one is hands down my absolute favorite. This from someone who hates kale by the way. My favorite thing to pair this with is grilled salmon. I save a bit of the dressing to drizzle over the fish and serve it on top of a heaping mound of this salad. Definitely a meal to impress your friends or family with. Sooooo good! Thank you, Nagi!
YES!!! It’s so good to store too! N x
Oh my god! SO GOOD!!! I’m 3 bites in and so glad I made extra for lunches. Thank you!
How good is it?!?! and great to store too!
Wonderful salad. Made kale and quinoa parts a day in advanced, combined them and kept them in the fridge. Also made dressing (which includes accidentally putting the coriander and dill IN the dressing… wooPs!!) a day in advance.
Next day, combined all together and crushed some almonds. Added and silly me forgot the onion but was still delicious. Passed on the recipe to everyone involved! Thank you. X
This is the BEST kale salad recipe ever…! I absolutely love it. I make it all the time for people and it’s always a hit. I don’t add dill just because I don’t like it but it’s still super good without it! Yum! Thankyou!
This salad is amazing! I’ve made it several times now. Pomegranate is a tasty and colorful addition to this dish. I’m definitely bringing this salad (with pomegranate) to the holiday potluck!
Love that idea Adrienne!!
This was AMAZING!!! I didn’t use coriander or Spanish onion due to finding out at the last minute that I was out. I also used Persian feta but jeez, this recipe was LUSH!!! I’ve only eaten kale a handful of times before and this recipe has made me believe that it can actually be part of a flavoursome meal
You’re now converted Jag!!!
Can I substitute lemon extract for the lemon zest? Also, I’m not a big fan of dill, is there anything else I can use in place of it? Or can I just double the cilantro?
I find nothing beats fresh zest in this one Meldy! You can just leave the dill out if you prefer 🙂
Been drooling over your recipes for some time now – finally plucked up the courage to try this tonight. Well, the family loved it. Even the 10 yo son managed 3 forkfuls (he counts the number of leaves he’s eaten from any salad), which has to be a new record. And THEN I realized I had forgotten the feta – imagine if it had been in!! This is going to be a regular from now on. And it’s so nice to find recipes and ingredients from my own ‘neighborhood’, instead the other side of the globe. Thank you Nagi: you have 4 new fans here.
Kale is one of the few greens our two years old would eat, so I always try to keep some in the fridge for quick stir fry , and thanks goodness it is not as dear now as few years back in NZ. I’ve tried a couple of kale salad recipes before but unfortunately neither worked for us due to its bitterness and texture. I love every single ingredient of recipe, and am seriously considering putting it on our Christmas Dinner menu this year.
Thank you, Nagi.
Your 2yo loves KALE???!! 😳
I know, crazy right? 😁 She loves kale stir fry with garlic.. And talking about an unique grown up taste, you should see her eating blue cheese.. 😂
Do you use equal amounts of cilantro and coriander
Made this tonight. Used roasted broccoli and goats cheese as did not have kale or fetta Did not use the herbs but some fresh chilli and toasted cashews. It was awesome and will be a favourite in our house.
Thanks Nagi
That’s terrific to hear Jackie! Glad you enjoyed this! N x