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Kale and Almond Salad with Lemon and Parmesan

4.5 from 74 votes

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Fresh kale is tossed with almonds and Parmesan cheese in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.

By Danelle

Published on July 22, 2024, Updated February 7, 2025

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4.5 from 74 votes

Finely chopped kale is tossed with almonds and Parmesan cheese in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.

Kale and Almond Salad with Lemon and Parmesan

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There has been an abundance of kale at my farmers’ market the last few weeks, so I decided to bring home a bunch and see what I could do. I never suspected that this Kale and Almond Salad with Lemon and Parmesan would become one of my family’s all-time favorite salads!

WOW…..it’s good. I’ve never even thought about kale before but now it will be a regular. Thanks so much for livening up our diet.

Suzanne

There’s a reason kale has become so popular lately. It’s a great source of calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamins A, C and K.

And to think, 20 years ago, when I was in college and worked as a waitress, the only thing we used kale for was to garnish the salad bar.

My family doesn’t normally get very excited about kale, so I’ve been hesitant to bring any home.

But May has been unseasonably wet and cool here in Colorado, which means we haven’t seen as much variety at the farmers’ market.

I can’t tell you how surprised I was at how much my family–myself included–loved this salad! Shocked, really.

Everyone went back for seconds and my 9 year-old at four servings!

We were having macaroni and cheese for dinner, but he just kept eating the salad and asking for more. With the great reaction I got, I can see myself serving this several times a week.

If anything, it’s proof that sometimes just a few fresh, simple ingredients are all you need to create an amazing dish.

If you’ve got a bunch of kale and you don’t know what to do with it, I highly recommend this Kale and Almond Salad with Lemon and Parmesan

What Should I Serve With Kale and Almond Salad?

The simplicity of this salad means it goes well with absolutely anything. But we most often enjoy it as a side to our favorite soups and pasta dishes.

Here are some of our favorite meals to enjoy with this easy kale salad.

Beefy Sausage Stuffed Shells — **Creamy Lasagna Soup**

Recipe Tips

I recommend using a curly variety of kale in this recipe, and slicing it into very thin ribbons. Large, raw leaves of kale just don’t make a great salad.
Feel free to add additional veggies to this salad, or switch up the almonds for pine nuts or finely chopped walnuts or pecans.
Be sure to remove the stems from your kale. While they are edible, they don’t taste very good.
Don’t skip roasting your almonds! In a recipe with such a short ingredient list, toasting the nuts adds tons of flavor and texture.

Ingredients

Kale – a curly variety works best in this recipe
Shallots – or red onions
Slivered almonds – toasted
Lemon juice
White wine vinegar
Olive oil – extra version
Parmesan cheese – grated
Salt and pepper

FAQs

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

Yes, unlike most green salads, you can make this salad and add the dressing several days ahead of time. Especially if your kale is on the tough side, adding the dressing beforehand and massaging it in will help tenderize the kale.

What if my kale is bitter?

All kale is a little on the bitter side. Rinsing kale twice is a good first step in reducing bitterness. Olive oil and salt tend to balance out the bitterness, so adding the dressing several hours ahead of time should help.

Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.