This easy sautéed kale greens recipe is cooked on the stove in a matter of minutes. Cooked kale is so simple that it will became a game changer and a staple for a fast, healthy, and delicious leafy green side dish.
How To Prepare Kale Greens
Preparing and cooking kale greens is easy.
Take the stems off the kale by using your hands or running a small knife up the side of the stems. It's up to you how deep you want to go in removing the stem (see video below).
Chop or slice kale greens to desired pieces.
There's a lot of stuff hidden in sturdy greens like Kale. Make sure you give kale a quick soak, rinse, and/or spin in a salad spinner or just under running water.
How To Cook Kale Greens
Cooked kale greens are healthy, light, and delicious and only need a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and an optional squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Greens shrink and cook down fast on the stove, pick a large skillet and stuff it full. It will shrink to fit the skillet in a minute or two.
Warm up a large skillet on the stove and add a little olive oil. Add the kale, salt, and pepper. Stir for 2-6 minutes. Cook kale for 2 minutes for a sturdier side. Cook kale for 6 minutes for a softer kale green side dish.
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Don't like lemon juice? Cool - skip it.
Any variety of kale will work so don't stress out about varieties when shopping, just pick one for this recipe.
This is a standard cooking method for nearly any type of green. Works perfect with a bag of pre-washed arugula too or pre-washed kale, although I find the pre-bagged kale has more stem to leaf ratio so it's not as tender.
Recipe Variations on Cooking Kale Greens
Wanna up your game with this cooked kale green recipe? Add another ingredient to your sautéed kale mix. Give these ingredients a try with your cooked kale greens:
- soy sauce
- sesame, coconut, or peanut oil
- red chili flakes
- sautéed garlic
- fish sauce
- a splash of vinegar
- sautéed onions, shallots
- hot sauce, sriracha
- splash of vinegar or other citrus like orange juice
- nuts
- fresh or dry herbs - rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning
- spices - I love a dash of curry or chili powder
Easy and Simple Cooked Kale Greens
EatSimpleFood.com
This easy cooked kale greens recipe is so simple that it will became a game changer and a staple for a fast, healthy, and delicious leafy green side dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 head kale (lacinato, dinosaur, Red Russian or curly), stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Take the stems off the kale by using your hands or running a small knife up the side of the stems. It's up to you how deep you want to go in removing the stem. (see my raw kale picture for reference).
- Bring a large shallow pan (skillet) to medium high heat on the stove and add olive oil.
- Throw in chopped kale, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Stir for two to four minutes or until wilted.
- Serve immediately. Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
Wanna up your kale greens game? Add another ingredient to the kale as it's cooking. Try soy sauce, sesame oil, red chili flakes, garlic, fish sauce, vinegar, onions, hot sauce, fresh or dried herbs, favorite spices (mine is curry).
Things In My Kitchen:
- Kitchen Tongs - Heavy duty locking Tongs. Set of two.
- Salad Spinner - Clean your greens. Lots of stuff hidden in there.
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Serving Suggestion
Serve this easy Kale side dish with a complementary recipe like a roasted vegetable, or pair it with a main dish.
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