26 Easy Kale Recipes That Aren't Salad

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Published on May 12, 2024

Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet — Photo: Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Styling / Ruth Blackburn

While massaging your kale can make it extra-tasty in a salad, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy this nutritious dark leafy green. Add kale to soup for dinner, make it into a wrap for lunch or blend it into a smoothie for breakfast—no matter your dish, you just might need to add some kale to it! Enjoy easy, three-step recipes like our Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet that feature kale in a flavorful casserole. Or, blitz yourself a serving of our Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Smoothie to get your greens in the morning.

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BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

In the U.S., dry whole-wheat couscous has been partially cooked, making it a quick-cooking (5 minutes!) whole-grain weeknight dinner champ. And when you buy peeled shrimp, plus a bag of prechopped kale and bottled barbecue sauce, the savings in prep time helps to get this healthy dinner done in a jiff.

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Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup in a bowl — Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

This weight-loss vegetable soup fills you up without a lot of calories, plus it's an easy way to eat more vegetables.

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Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet

Overhead photo of Ground Beef & Potato skillet with spoon and linen. — Photographer: Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

In this healthy one-pan meal, ground beef and potatoes are paired with colorful veggies, including kale, tomato and peppers. Everything is cooked in one skillet, which builds layers of flavor while also cutting back on the number of dishes.

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Really Green Smoothie

really green smoothie

The combination of kale and avocado makes this healthy smoothie recipe extra green. Chia seeds lend a heart-healthy punch of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.

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Vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup

Vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup — Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

This healthy soup recipe has a rich, yet light and velvety texture. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine for a cozy meal.

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Chicken & Kale Soup

chicken kale soup

This easy chicken and kale soup will keep you warm on a cold and rainy day or any day that calls for a simple, hearty soup. For convenience, you can make this soup with frozen kale without the need to thaw it beforehand.

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Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale

Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale — Greg DuPree

Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying.

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Roasted Kalettes (Kale Sprouts)

Roasted kalettes in a bowl — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

Kalettes (aka kale sprouts), a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts, cook quickly in a hot oven in this easy vegetable side dish recipe.

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Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Smoothie

two tall pint glasses filled with green smoothie next to hot pink napkin — Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This mango green smoothie gets bright tart flavor from frozen passion fruit, and inflammation-fighting benefits from fresh kale. Dates add natural sweetness without added sugar. While cilantro may not be a typical smoothie ingredient, we love the herbal notes it adds to this smoothie. Feel free to leave it out if that's not your thing—it's just as delicious without.

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Kale Artichoke Dip

Kale Artichoke Dip

A riff on traditional spinach artichoke dip, this creamy, cheesy dip recipe is made healthier by replacing some of the cream cheese with yogurt. Serve as an easy appetizer with tortilla chips and carrot sticks.

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Kale & Chickpea Grain Bowls

a recipe photo of the Kale and Chickpea Grain Bowl w Avocado Dressing — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This veggie-heavy bowl is loaded with crunch and color, thanks to crispy carrots and chickpeas, fresh kale and a vibrant avocado dressing. It also delivers more than 50% of your daily dose of fiber, key for weight loss, energy and healthy digestion. Bulgur, also called cracked wheat, is a quick-cooking whole grain. These bowls would be excellent make-ahead lunches. Pack the avocado mixture separately, adding a little water to thin it as needed.

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Sauteed Broccoli & Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

Sauteed Broccoli and Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

In this easy vegetable side dish, broccoli and kale are drizzled with a butter, garlic and crushed red pepper sauce. Serve this healthy recipe alongside roasted chicken, turkey or ham--or on top of your favorite whole grain, such as quinoa or farro.

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Chorizo, Potato & Kale Soup

Portuguese Potato-Kale Soup — Photography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Kady Wohlfarth / Kay Clarke

Inspired by caldo verde, a soup traditional in northern Portugal and served with corn bread called broa, this satisfying winter soup features tender potatoes and spicy chorizo sausage. Collard or mustard greens can be substituted for the kale.

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One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta

One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta — Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

For a fast weeknight pasta dinner, why not cook your sauce and pasta all at once? By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta—no colanders here—the starch that cooks off into your pasta water, which you usually drain away, stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Kale & Banana Smoothie

Kale and Banana Smoothie — Casey Barber

This simple and sweet kale and banana smoothie is also versatile: Use cow's milk for a milkshake-style smoothie, oat milk for more sweetness, or a nut milk for more protein.

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Slow-Cooker Bean, Kale & Barley Soup

Slowcooker Bean Kale and Barley Soup in a ladle — PHOTOGRAPHER: JEN CAUSEY; FOOD STYLIST: AIL RAMEE; PROP STYLIST: CLAIRE SPOLLEN

Beans and kale are packed into each bite of this hearty slow-cooker soup. Barley adds a chewiness to provide texture, while dried mushrooms lend an earthiness and depth. Finishing with acidic lemon juice brightens the flavors.

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Cheddar & Kale Quiche

Cheddar & Kale Quiche — Photographer / Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall

This flavorful vegetarian Cheddar and kale quiche is filled with kale and gets a sweet and savory note from the shallots. The two Cheddars work in harmony to provide sharpness and tang with a hint of nuttiness. Enjoy for breakfast, brunch or dinner!

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Kale Chips

Kale Chips — Christine Ma

Not a fan of kale? These crispy baked kale chips will convert you! For the best result, don't overcrowd the baking pans.

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Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta

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Avocado & Kale Omelet

Make this kale and avocado omelet for a satiating, high-protein breakfast. Fiber-rich kale will keep hunger at bay for longer in this healthy omelet recipe.

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Anti-Inflammatory Cherry, Beet & Kale Smoothie

a recipe photo of the Anti-Inflammatory Cherry, Beet & Kale Smoothie — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Kale, cherries and beets team up in this powerful anti-inflammatory smoothie. All three of these fruits and veggies contain unique anti-inflammatory compounds that may help stave off diseases associated with chronic inflammation, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Using packaged steamed beets is a great shortcut here. If you have cooked beets on hand, use those! The cherries help sweeten the smoothie and add a fruity flavor. If you opt for tart cherries, you can balance the tanginess with a small drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

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Basic Sautéed Kale

Simply sautéed kale seasoned with a blast of sherry vinegar is a deluxe combination.

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Kale Turkey Wraps

Using kale leaves instead of bread to wrap your filling makes this healthy turkey lunch recipe low-calorie. If you can't find lacinato, also known as Tuscan kale, try cabbage for your wrap.

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Potato-Kale Hash with Eggs

a circle of potato and kale hash with an egg in the center

This potato and kale hash recipe is just as fun to make as it is to eat. After the potatoes and kale are roasted, the hash is formed into 4 individual “nests” that are finished with an egg in the middle. To keep the prep work to a minimum, use pre-chopped kale, found near other prepared cooking greens. If you'd rather chop your own, start with about 1 bunch and strip the leaves off the stems before chopping.

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Kale & Gruyere Panini

This vegetarian panini recipe--filled with layers of sautéed kale, garden-fresh tomatoes and melted cheese--makes for an extra-special grilled cheese sandwich. For the best flavor, we like the complexity of aged Gruyère or fontina, but you can use any cheese you have on hand.

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Bacon & Kale Sheet-Pan Eggs

Bacon & Kale Sheet-Pan Eggs — Casey Barber

Our trick for making a big batch of eggs? Get out your sheet pan. With this simple recipe, you can easily meal-prep breakfast for the week. Serve them as is or in a sandwich. A sprinkling of za'atar—a Middle Eastern spice blend that's a mix of thyme, sumac, salt, sesame seeds and sometimes other herbs—adds big, bold flavor to these frittata-like squares.

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