This Kale Caesar Salad is a twist on the classic caesar salad using kale that is massaged to create a tender salad paired with Parmesan cheese, crispy chickpeas and a caesar dressing. You will love this for a side salad or add shredded chicken or salmon for a main dish! 

 

KALE CAESAR SALAD

You might know my love for raw kale salads by now.

I like to rotate between this Kale Caesar Salad, Kale Cucumber Tabbouleh, Tropical Kale Quinoa Salad, Kale Couscous Pomegranate Salad or this Avocado Kale Spinach Salad.

Today’s Kale Caesar  is a nice change to the kale salad rotation. I added these crispy chickpeas instead of croutons to make it a healthier option.

Salads are my go-to for lunches during the week so I need a lot of variety to keep me excited about lunch time. 

This salad works great for a side dish to so many dishes like this Mediterranean Pasta or this Lemon Pasta.

I also like making this as a main meal by adding some Lemon Cod, shredded chicken, tofu or Mediterranean Salmon.

If you like Caesar Salads this is a must try! 

Raw kale salads are my favorite whether it is this Apple Kale Quinoa Salad, Kale Caesar Salad, Kale Cucumber Tabbouleh, Tropical Kale Quinoa Salad, Kale Couscous Pomegranate Salad or this Avocado Kale Spinach Salad.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A KALE CAESAR SALAD?

First you can follow this recipe here for Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas to make the chickpeas for the salad.

If you don’t like chickpeas you can just add croutons but I love the healthy addition of the chickpeas. 

Start by putting your kale in a large mixing bowl.

Add the olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Use your hands to massage the kale until it becomes soft. 

Add the Parmesan cheese to the salad followed by the dressing if you plan to serve the salad right away.

Toss the salad in the dressing. Add the crispy chickpeas and serve immediately!

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS KALE SALAD?

KALE:I love adding kale to salads because it adds texture and nutrition to the salad. I always try to massage the kale before adding it to salads like in this Massaged Kale Salad. I find it to be the best way to create tender kale. You can use curly kale, Lacinato kale, baby kale, tuscan kale or dinosaur kale.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: When I massage the kale I use an extra virgin olive oil. You can skip this step if you don’t mind the texture of the kale. 

CRISPY CHICKPEAS: I love adding crispy chickpeas to salad. You can use this recipe here to make a batch. Try adding your favorite spices to the chickpeas for extra flavor. Feel free to use croutons instead if you like. 

CAESAR DRESSING: I used a homemade caesar dressing for this salad. You can also buy whatever you prefer at the store.

I suggest trying to make your own because you can control the ingredients and you know exactly what is in your dressing. 

PARMESAN CHEESE: I like to add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to my Caesar Salad. 

WAYS TO MODIFY A KALE CEASAR SALAD 

I like to give you guys a variety of ways you can take my recipe and modify it. Here are some of my ideas for this salad:

NUTS AND SEEDS: I used sliced almonds in this salad but I also love using pine nuts, pecans, walnuts or sunflower seeds.

BEANS: I added the crispy chickpeas because I like the crunch it adds to the salad. You can add white beans or regular chickpeas for extra protein.

CHEESE: This salad does not use cheese but I think it would be a great addition. Try goat cheese, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.

MEAT: Try adding protein to the salad like Baked Cod with Lemon, Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, tofu or crispy chickpeas.

VEGETABLES: Fresh vegetables are a nice addition to this salad. You could add carrots, radish, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, mushrooms, squash or broccoli.

VEGETABLES: I often will add whatever vegetables I have in my kitchen. I like tomatoes, carrots, onion, bell peppers and celery.