How to Make a Delicious Honeycrisp Fall Kale Salad
How to Make a Delicious Honeycrisp Fall Kale Salad
If you think you don’t like kale, honestly… you might be right. 😂
BUT I’m here to talk you into trying Dino kale.
Dino kale, also called Tuscan or Lacinato kale, has long, flat leaves instead of the super curly ones you usually see at the grocery store. It’s also one of the more tender varieties of kale, which makes a huge difference when you’re eating it raw in a salad.
Basically, if your previous kale experiences have involved chewing something that felt suspiciously like shrubbery, try this kind.
The fall salad I’m actually excited about
This salad has pretty much everything I want in a fall salad: Honeycrisp apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and cubed Gruyère over a bed of tender Dino kale.
It’s sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy and just very… fall.
And then there’s the honey shallot vinaigrette, which might be my favorite part.
I let the diced shallot sit with the red wine vinegar for about 15 minutes before adding the honey, Dijon, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. If I have the time, I make the dressing in the morning and let it hang out until dinner.
That little bit of extra time lets the shallot soften in the vinegar and gives the dressing a much more rounded flavor.
The Honeycrisp makes it
The combination of crisp Honeycrisp apples, tart dried cranberries, toasted pecans and salty Gruyère is what makes this salad feel like more than just a bowl of kale.
And I love that you don’t need to do anything complicated to the kale. Just chop it up, add everything else and toss it with that honey shallot vinaigrette.
Raw kale can be pretty tough, which is one reason kale salads sometimes get a bad reputation. Dressing and resting kale can help soften those sturdy leaves over time, too.
But with Dino kale, I think the texture is already so much better.
Honestly, this is the kind of salad that might actually make you excited to eat kale.
And if that’s not a fall miracle, I don’t know what is. Try these homemade croutons too!
Honeycrisp Fall Kale Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1-2 bunches Tuscan Dino kale stemmed and chopped
- 2 Honeycrisp apples thinly sliced
- Dried cranberries to taste
- Toasted pecans to taste
- Cubed Gruyère to taste
Shallot Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1/3 cup oil I prefer avocado
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette. Add the diced shallot, grated garlic and red wine vinegar to a small bowl or jar and let them sit for 15 minutes. This gives the shallot time to soften and mellow in the vinegar.
- Add the honey, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is well combined. For the best flavor, let the vinaigrette rest as long as possible before serving. You can even make it in the morning for dinner.
- Build the salad. Add the chopped kale to a large bowl. Top with the sliced Honeycrisp apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and cubed Gruyère.
- Dress and toss. Drizzle the shallot vinaigrette over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve. Serve immediately or let the salad sit briefly so the kale can soften slightly and soak up some of the vinaigrette.
