Kale Salad With Apples and Cheddar

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated September 9, 2015

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle.
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Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(5,999)
Comments
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For a kale salad to be successful, use the most tender kale you can find and cut it into very thin filaments or chop it very finely (or both). Curly kale and Russian kale are more tender than black leaf kale. This is inspired by a wonderful salad I tried recently at the New York restaurant Northern Spy.

Featured in: Salads With Crunch, Sweetness and Zest

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 4 cups very finely chopped or slivered curly kale or Russian kale (about 6 ounces on the stem, or half of a ¾-pound bunch, stemmed and washed in two rinses of water)

  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted almonds

  • 1 apple, sweet, like a Fuji, or a sweet-tart, like a Gala, Braeburn or Pink Lady, cored and cut in ¼-inch dice

  • 1 ounce sharp Cheddar cheese, cut in ¼-inch dice

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • Salt to taste

  • 1 very small garlic clove, puréed

  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

7 grams carbs; 7 milligrams cholesterol; 175 calories; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 173 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the kale, almonds, apple and Cheddar in a large bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and olive oil. Add to the salad, and toss well. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top, and serve.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: This salad benefits from tossing with the dressing about 15 minutes before you serve it. The kale will soften in the dressing.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,999 user ratings
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Comments

Me

If you use a sturdier kale, take a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of the oil and massage the kale in the large bowl before adding other ingredients. You're looking to soften the kale before you mix in the other ingredients. It really works.

Anne Thompson

This is tasty but there's no way it can be made in five minutes. Just cutting up the kale takes longer than
hat. I'd estimate between 20 and 30 minutes.

Frankie R

I feel the authors heart is in the right place with this recipe, but the execution is way off. All the ingredients work great together, but not in the given amounts. I changed it to 2 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp (one whole fresh lemon ) of lemon juice, 2 oz of cheddar cheese. Five tablespoons of olive oil is just way too much and leaves your mouth feeling oily, and 1 oz of cheddar leaves people poking around wondering where the rest is.

Calgary Kid

Massaging the kale was a great idea. I also added pumpkin seeds for a nice crunch. It is a good change from the average Caesar salad and I would definitely make it again.

Dave

This is a delicious mix of ingredients. Whoever posted chopping up the kale with a pizza cutter is a genius! Proportions are a little off. 4C kale and 1 apple? Fine. But more cheese and less oil (as others have posted) is the way to go. Garlic powder for the dressing, because WHO can puree a single garlic clove? I've made this twice and love it.

Janet C.

I always make recipes as written first. For this one, I thought the lemon, while brightening, overwhelmed the dish, so I substituted apple cider vinegar and liked the flavor better. I may experiment with 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 lemon juice. I added a cup of dried cherries and I liked the recipe better.

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