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Kale Caprese Salad

June 24, 2018 By Cooking Chat 12 Comments

Thinly sliced kale along with traditional Caprese salad ingredients–basil, tomatoes and mozzarella–combine for a healthy and hearty Kale Caprese Salad. Enjoy along with grilled meats and other summer food.

Thinly sliced kale along with traditional Caprese salad ingredients--basil, tomatoes and mozzarella--combine for a healthy and hearty Kale Caprese Salad recipe.

When summer rolls in, a Caprese salad on a restaurant menu quickly catches my attention. Fresh local tomatoes and basil sliced and served with fresh mozzarella cheese and extra virgin olive oil is a wonderful celebration of the seasonal produce.

I had a bit of extra kale on hand from making a batch of kale pesto the other day. Fresh mozzarella was on sale, and I was quickly on my way to making this Kale Caprese Salad.

Making Kale Caprese Salad

There are two keys to featuring raw kale in a salad. First, chop the kale leaves nice and thinly.

kale being chopped on a cutting board.

Second, let kale sit for about 15 minutes with some vinegar and/or other dressing. Both of these steps let the kale soften, making it easier to eat while imparting some additional flavor.

making kale caprese salad.

We start making our Kale Caprese Salad with this thin slicing of the leaves and a marinade time with balsamic vinegar and salt. After that 15 minute period, simply toss in the other ingredients and you have your Kale Caprese Salad!

Pairings for Kale Caprese Salad

kale caprese salad in a bowl.

Our Kale Caprese Salad is a great side dish to go with grilled meats and other summer fare. Most recently, we enjoyed this salad along with our Grilled Steak with Garlic Butter. When serving the Kale Caprese Salad with steak, you are going to want to pair more to the meat. So we opened an Australian Shiraz blend that evening.

But if you want a wine pairing that focuses more on the Kale Caprese Salad, you will want to choose a lighter style wine. A rosé could be the perfect choice. Pick something with some acidity to work with the tomatoes and vinegar. The Montenidoli Rosato made from Canaiuolo grapes in Tuscany is one suggestion that comes to mind.

glass of Montenidoli Rosato next to the bottle of wine.

I’m also thinking a Cerasualo, a rosé of Montepulciano we enjoyed a lot of Abruzzo, would be a good choice here. In fact, I will need to test that out soon! Meanwhile, please let me know what you enjoy with the Kale Caprese Salad.

Print

Kale Caprese Salad

kale caprese salad in a bowl

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

Thinly sliced kale along with traditional Caprese salad ingredients–basil, tomatoes and mozzarella–combine for a healthy and hearty salad.

  • Author: Cooking Chat
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 3 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups kale, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 8 to 10 grape tomatoes, cut into halves and quarters
  • 1 heaping tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
  • 2 ozs fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into half inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the kale, balsamic vinegar and salt. Let the kale sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  2. After 15 minutes, toss the kale with the tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olive oil. Add a bit of pepper to taste. Let the salad sit with all the ingredients for another 5 to 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve the Kale Caprese Salad with grilled meat and other summer fare.

Notes

  • If you have a variety of sized grape tomatoes, cut the larger ones into quarters and the smaller ones in half.
  • I like to use the smaller balls of fresh mozzarella cheese. I use two of them for this recipe, approximately 1 ounce each.
  • Having the kale rest with the vinegar and salt softens the raw kale.

Did you make this recipe?

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Filed Under: healthy cooking, quick/easy, summer recipes, vegetarian, wine pairing Tagged With: basil, kale, mozzarella, rosé, salad, tomatoes

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Comments

  1. Pogoda says

    June 25, 2018 at 5:40 am

    Great, simple idea of easy and healthy salad for hot summer days.

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat says

      June 26, 2018 at 5:20 am

      Thanks, we enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Marie says

    July 4, 2018 at 7:11 am

    Love this simple salad recipe! I’m a big fan of kale too. It’s so healthy. Great wine pairing too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat says

      July 4, 2018 at 10:15 am

      Thanks Marie! Always like to find more ways to eat kale.

      Reply
  3. Lisa | Garlic & Zest says

    July 4, 2018 at 8:24 am

    I need to be eating more salads like this — I love kale (and it’s health benefits) but we haven’t had it in a while. This looks delish!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Meeta says

    July 4, 2018 at 8:49 am

    A caprese is one of our fave quick go to salads. Adding Kale is just perfect!

    Reply
  5. Gabi says

    July 4, 2018 at 8:55 am

    I never thought of adding cooked kale to a Caprese salad. What a great inspiration. Thank you:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat says

      July 4, 2018 at 10:31 am

      Actually it’s raw kale in this recipe, but I bet you could go with cooked kale too.

      Reply
  6. Deborah says

    July 4, 2018 at 9:31 am

    I love how summer brings out such great salads like this one. I don’t eat cheese, but am going to forward this to my sister today for 4th of July barbecue. She’ll love it. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat says

      July 5, 2018 at 6:32 am

      Thanks for sharing, Deborah!

      Reply
  7. Nancy Hunter | Flavorpalooza.com says

    July 4, 2018 at 12:22 pm

    I think I *might* be the Caprese salad’s #1 fan. 😉 This is such a yummy spin on it! Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat says

      July 5, 2018 at 6:33 am

      I’m a big fan, too, but I will concede the top spot to you Nancy!

      Reply

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Hi there! I'm David. I love creating tasty, (mostly) healthy recipes, finding interesting wine pairings, and sharing good food with family and friends. Read More…

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