There is nothing like a good warm salad, and this sautéed kale salad is out to prove it true. I have a few baked salads in my roster, but this salad comes together entirely on one pan, and leaves you with a balsamic-glazed pile of vegetables on top of another pile of chickpeas. It’s my favorite thing to eat when I’m just looking for a pile of vegetables.
This kale salad is cooked down in a balsamic glaze, paired with jammy shallots and roasted red pepper chickpea mash, and even without the cheese it’s a full meal (but truly, why would you want to skip the cheese?) The full recipe can be made in minutes, and it’s easily one of my favorite wholesome and filling meals on the site. Everything is in the blog post, and I hope you’ll love it as much as I do!
Table of contents
Ingredients for this sautéed kale salad
Here is everything you need for this kale salad recipe:
- 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers
- 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if using Morton’s
- 1/2 lemon, for juicing
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 shallots, sliced and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated with a microplane
- 1 tbsp calabrian chili paste, or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cups kale stems removed, chopped
- 4 cups dandelion greens chopped, can be subbed for swiss chard or spinach
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, as needed
How to make the roasted red pepper chickpea mash
This is the no-cooking part of the recipe, but it probably makes my favorite part of the recipe. Just add the chickpeas, the roasted red peppers, the sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and the juice from 1/2 of a lemon to a food processor. Pulse until almost smooth, but still a bit textured. Set aside.
How to start the jammy shallots
Shallots take some time and some oil to get really nice and jammy, it’s one of my favorite things. So add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and set it on medium heat. Let the oil come to temperature and then add the shallots. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until their layers start to break apart and they become jammy. Season with salt. Add the garlic and calabrian chili paste (or chili flakes) and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Making the balsamic reduction for this sautéed kale salad
Ok so first, we hear “balsamic reduction” all the time, but no one really clarifies what it means. Essentially this is when balsamic vinegar is put on heat until it reduces by half, meaning water is cooked off and it thickens with its natural sugars.
So for this salad, pour in the balsamic mixture and let it bubble slightly and reduce. Don’t combine with the shallots, just cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until the balsamic has reduced to a thicker sauce.
Add in the kale and coat it in the balsamic, mix everything in the sauté pan together. Cook another 1-2 minutes, letting the kale wilt but not brown. Add in the dandelion greens and stir to coat. Let them wilt with the rest of the ingredients, this will only take about 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
FAQ
Absolutely! Even with the balsamic reduction, this kale salad can stay in the fridge for 3-4 days. I recommend storing separately from the chickpeas, cheese and bread.
I prefer to store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge. It will naturally wilt over time, but should stay for at least 3-4 days.
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few vegetable-forward recipes that are favorites on the blog!
And that’s it for this sautéed salad with ricotta salata! Don’t forget the chickpea mash, of course 😉
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Sautéed Kale Salad with Ricotta Salata
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 large sauté pan
- 1 chef's knife
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers
- 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt use half if using Morton's
- 1/2 lemon for juicing
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 shallots sliced and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves finely grated with a microplane
- 1 tbsp calabrian chili paste or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cups kale stems removed, chopped
- 4 cups dandelion greens chopped, can be subbed for swiss chard or spinach
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper as needed
For serving
- 2 slices focaccia toasted
- 2 oz. ricotta salata cut into thin slices
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas, the roasted red peppers, the sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and the juice from 1/2 of a lemon to a food processor. Pulse until almost smooth, but still a bit textured. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and balsamic vinegar until smooth. Add a few cracks of black pepper and set aside.
- Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and set it on medium heat. Let the oil come to temperature and then add the shallots. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until their layers start to break apart and they become jammy. Season with salt.
- Add the garlic and calabrian chili paste (or chili flakes) and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Scrape the shallots to the side to create an open part of the pan. Pour in the balsamic mixture and let it bubble slightly and reduce. Don't combine with the shallots, just cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until the balsamic has reduced to a thicker sauce.
- Add in the kale and coat it in the balsamic, mix everything in the sauté pan together. Cook another 1-2 minutes, letting the kale wilt but not brown.
- Add in the dandelion greens and stir to coat. Let them wilt with the rest of the ingredients, this will only take about 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
- To plate, spread a generous serving of the chickpea mash across the bottom of the plate. Add the toasted focaccia on one side, and pile the salad high in the center. Place the slices of ricotta salata on top and finish with cracked black pepper!
What is ricotta salads and where can I find it?
Ricotta Salata is a kind of cheese! You can usually find it at a Whole Foods or similar grocers 🙂
I’ve made this twice already and absolutely love it, especially the kale salad 😋 Super easy to make and very tasty!