Twelve Whole-Food Plant-Based Kale Recipes You Should Try This Week (2024)

Kale every day. Your body will thank you. Kale is incredibly beneficial to your health, and I've selected a mix of stir-fries, salads, grain bowls, and soups to keep your kale levels topped up!

1. Spicy Tahini Noodles with Roasted Vegetables - (101 Cookbooks)
This is my favorite kind of weeknight meal. Noodles tossed with a quick sauce, topped with an abundance of roasted vegetables - roast a pan of kale along with your other veggies here. Really tasty. Get the recipe here.

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2. Instant Pot Minestrone Soup - (101 Cookbooks)
A stand-by. Making really good minestrone in the Instant Pot with dried, un-soaked beans is totally possible! No need to use mushy canned beans. Loads of kale. Skip the Parmesan rind to keep it WFPB. Get the recipe here. Also, more Instant Pot recipes here.

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3. Kale Stir Fry with Crispy Curried Tofu - (Lauren Caris Cooks)
Everyone needs a strong stir-fry repertoire, and this version is packed with goodness - curry-spiced tofu with kale, cabbage, and carrots. Get the recipe here.

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4. Harissa Spaghettini - (101 Cookbooks)
I wrote this recipe nearly a decade ago(!), and it's still in regular rotation. Black olives, pine nuts, lots of kale, and a big dollop of harissa. Boom. Get the recipe here.

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5. Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad - (101 Cookbooks)
We're talking about plump raviolis tossed with toasted hazelnuts, lemony flecks of chard (or kale!), and deeply caramelized onions. You've got crunch from toasted hazelnuts, and brightness from a bit of zest. Choose a vegan ravioli and skip the Parmesan to keep it WFPB. Get the recipe here.

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6. Grilled Corn Kale Salad - (The Almond Eater)
This. For lunch. Today. Get the recipe here.

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7. Curried Cauliflower Rice Kale Soup - (Cotter Crunch)
Curry-spiced and creamy (you can use coconut or a nut milk), this is a hearty soup packed with cauliflower, kale, and carrots. Get the recipe here.

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8. The Prettiest Purple Kale, Eggplant & Blackberry Salad - (Green Kitchen Stories)
Love this brilliant combination of roasted eggplant and purple onions with warm spices. Massaged kale with herby dressing, and black lentils with creamy avocado. Hazelnuts bring the crunch, and juicy blackberries top it off. Skip the feta to keep it WFPB, and use maple syrup in the dressing if you're looking to keep it vegan. Get the recipe here.

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9. Roasted Vegetable Orzo - (101 Cookbooks)
I often make this with a whole wheat orzo (or small bean-based pasta), and non-dairy yogurt. You can also substitute all sorts of different whole grain for the pasta - farro, quinoa, or a brown rice blend. Get the recipe here.

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10. Sweet Potato & Kale Tortilla Soup - (Local Milk)
Sweet potatoes, kale, cilantro, tomatoes, spices, and chiles all in a beautiful bowl. Simply skip the quest fresco, and ase a dairy-free yogurt to keep it WFPB. Get the recipe here.

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11. Chopped Kale Salad with Peanut Chili Vinaigrette - (Little Broken)
A chopped kale salad with feisty peanut chili dressing. I can imagine this in a lettuce wrap (or spring roll) with a bit of grilled tofu as an ideal lunch! Get the recipe here.

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12. An Excellent, One-pan, Protein-packed Power Pasta - (101 Cookbooks)
A full pound of chopped kale goes into this! It's pasta and lentils simmered in crushed tomatoes, finished with lots of chopped kale, saffron, swirls of tahini and chopped almonds.Perfect weeknight dinner. Get the recipe here.

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Bonus! Autumn Kale Slaw - (Green Kitchen Stories)
Another beautiful green Kitchen Stories recipe. Carrots, kale, apples, and hazelnut come together in a crunch-tactic autumn slaw. Get the recipe here.

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Bonus! Creamy Kale Pasta - (Pinch of Yum)
Five ingredients. And I'm going to bet you have all of them. Use whatever pasta you like, and my sense is you can scale back the olive oil a bit, or use a really rich, thick homemade nut milk, and scale it back a lot. Get the recipe here.

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Bonus! Kale Detox Salad with Pesto - (Well and Full)
All the good things in one bowl. This is an ultra-super green salad. With roasted potatoes, brown rice, chickpeas, a bit of kick from jalapeño chiles, and a carrot top(!) pesto. Brilliant. Get the recipe here.

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Twelve Whole-Food Plant-Based Kale Recipes You Should Try This Week (2024)

FAQs

How do you sneak kale into your diet? ›

Below are a few tips to get them to enjoy kale, or to sneak it into their diet:
  1. Kale chips. ...
  2. Kale smoothie. ...
  3. Mix them into these delicious vegetarian kale-quinoa burgers.
  4. Mix it into their favourite salad. ...
  5. Make kale pesto. ...
  6. Blend kale into a soup. ...
  7. Make it disappear. ...
  8. Make it sweet.

Do you have to cook kale? ›

Often labeled as a superfood, kale is one of the healthiest and most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. This leafy green comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and textures. It's often eaten raw in salads and smoothies but can also be enjoyed steamed, sautéed, boiled, or baked.

Is kale better than spinach? ›

"However, if you are looking for a food that is particularly high in fiber, vitamins K and C, kale is a better choice," she said. "If you are looking for a food that is particularly high in folate and a source of iron, and vitamins A and E, then spinach is a better choice."

What pairs well with kale? ›

Vegetables: Kale can be paired with other vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

How to remove bitterness from kale? ›

Cutting the stem of kale and marinating it with olive oil and salt can help reduce bitterness. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours for better tenderness and less bitterness.

Do you wash kale before or after cutting? ›

Kale is a healthy leafy green vegetable that can be used in salads and other recipes. If you want to use kale, it's important that you wash it first. To wash kale, you will need to remove the stems and submerge it in water. Then, rinse kale under tap water to remove any lingering dirt and debris.

Should fresh kale be refrigerated? ›

Excess moisture can cause kale to go bad faster, so give it a good pat dry before moving on. Fresh kale needs to be refrigerated, so if you don't plan on using it right away, you'll need to store it in the fridge, by following these steps.

Why is kale a laxative? ›

Our findings indicate that kale modifies certain gut microbes, such as [Eubacterium] eligens and [Ruminococcus] gnavus, and improves bowel movements, particularly in those with smaller stool amounts.

What happens to your body when you eat kale everyday? ›

Being a good source of calcium and Vitamin K, kale may help in boosting bone health. Consumption of kale may help in detoxifying the body. It may help in managing malnutrition problems. Being a good source of iron and Vitamin C, it may help in boosting immunity.

Does kale make your stomach flat? ›

Spinach and other leafy green vegetables like kale, lettuce, etc. are great for burning belly fat and are very nutritious as well. There have been some studies done on the subject of the fat burning capabilities of spinach and the very healthy veggie has come out a winner in this category.

Is kale better eaten raw or cooked? ›

As for the healthiest method for cooking kale, the research is mixed. “Cancer studies seem to show that raw kale is more beneficial than cooked, while cholesterol studies seem to show that steamed kale is more beneficial than raw,” says Harris, who recommends a bit of both in your diet.

Does kale taste better, cooked or raw? ›

Sautéing – this is one of our favorite ways to enjoy kale as the cooking makes it easier to chew and provides a more subtle flavor that makes sautéed kale very versatile. It also shrinks it down a bit so it's easier to eat more!

How do you cook kale so it is not chewy? ›

Instead, after you've washed the leaves, leave them damp. The water that clings to the leaves will create steam when you toss them in the hot skillet. As the kale cooks, you'll cover the skillet for a few minutes; that steam will help wilt and break down the kale perfectly.

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