Hearty Warm Roasted Kale Salad

Kale is a super food, packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Its deep green color also makes it a striking addition to nearly any recipe. I used to use kale only as a garnish for thanksgiving turkey. Its characteristic hue contrasts a golden brown turkey, a subtle effect that greatly improves the overall presentation.

But kale is versatile and can be used in many more ways than merely a garnish. One of my favorite ways to enjoy kale is as chips. Kale chips are airy-light and crispy, making for a perfect snack! In this recipe, however, I am using them to make a warm, hearty salad. A salad loaded with vegetables is nutritious. But a warm salad can be very comforting, as well. This warm kale salad will surely nourish your body, as well as your soul!

Ingredients for Warm Kale Salad

• 8 cups pre-chopped Kale, or 2 bunches of Kale
• 5 spicy Italian sausages
• 1 medium Yellow onion
• 15.5 oz can White beans
• 1/4 cup Shaved Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

First, prepare the kale by washing and (if not using pre-chopped kale) chopping them into bite-sized pieces. Optionally, you may remove the stems. Personally, I don’t mind chewing on the stems, especially if I am eating the chips as part of a salad. But, if preferred, you can remove the thicker woody stem and only use the leaves for a more delicate texture.

Spread the kale on a sheet pan in a single layer and massage the greens with two tablespoons of olive oil. To make extra crispy kale chips, you can thin out the layer by spreading them across two sheet pans. Once ready, bake the kale for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 350° F. Halfway through baking, rotate the pan. Baking is such a simple, yet delicious way to cook this nutritious vegetable.

While the kale is roasting in the oven, remove the spicy Italian sausages from the casings. Cook the sausages on a skillet with thinly sliced onions. Start breaking up the sausages into bite-sized pieces right away—it will be harder to do this once the sausages are cooked. Stir occasionally and cook for 15 minutes until the onions are transparent and the sausages are golden brown.

There are a couple more ingredients that you need to prep for the salad. First, open the can of white beans and quickly rinse them with water to give it a quick rinse, then microwave them just for a minute until they are warm. These beans are very mild and buttery, they are the perfect addition for soups or salads.

The last ingredient is the Parmesan cheese. You can buy shaved Parmesan or shave it yourself. Shaving Parmesan takes some elbow grease, but it is so worth it! If you can, please steer away from pre-grated Parmesan cheese for this recipe. You will not regret it!

Now, it’s time for the kale chips to come out of the oven. They look perfectly cooked for the warm salad! After resting them for a few minutes, put them into a serving dish. Add the perfectly cooked spicy sausage and onions, scatter some white beans, and finally top off the salad with shaved Parmesan cheese! This salad is naturally low-carb and gluten-free. Try this salad and feel nourished!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Hearty warm roasted kale salad

Kale chip salad with spicy Italian sausage, white beans, and shaved Parmesan.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free, kale, low-carb

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 cups pre-chopped kale or 2 bunches of kale
• 5 spicy italian sausages
• 1 yellow onion medium
• 15.5 oz can of white beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shaved

Instructions

• Lay the pre-washed, pre-chopped kale on a baking sheet in a single layer. If using kale bunches, wash, then chop into 2-inch squares after drying off. Massage the kale with olive oil and put in a 350° F preheated oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the cooking process.
• Remove sausages from the casing. Cook the sausages and thinly sliced onions in a pan on medium heat. Break up the sausages into small chunks while still raw. Cook until the sausages are golden brown and the onions are transparent.
• Pour the can of white beans into a bowl and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute.
• Shave the Parmesan cheese.
• Remove the roasted kale chips from oven, put them in a serving dish. Layer with sausages and onions, white beans, and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Notes

• To make the kale extra crispy, spread the kale over two sheet pans for baking. 
• Remove the kale stems for a more delicate texture.

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