Sauteed Kale
We’ve heard kale is a superfood, but how do you eat it? Much on it raw? Salad? Steamed? Baked? Fried? There are many options, but my favorite way is sauteed. Sauteed kale is tender, a little sweet, and not overpowering on the ‘kale’ flavor.
Sauteed kale makes a great side to dinner, or even a snack in between meals. It’s yummy hot off the pan but also cold from the fridge, so we like to have extras for that purpose.
Sauteed Kale:
6 c. Kale, chopped (3-5 large leaves, shove it down in the measuring cup)
1 Tbsp Avocado oil (or other fat of choice)
1 Tbsp Soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
2 tsp Coconut sugar (or 1 serving stevia if low-carb)
2 tsp Garlic, minced (2 cloves)
1 tsp Ginger, grated
Prep the Kale
I grab my kale straight from the garden and use it as-is. If store-bought, you might want to rinse and pat dry. I’m not worried about little bugs, but if you are check the undersides of the leaves.
Arrange a kale leaf on it’s side, so the firm “rib” is toward you. With a knife, slice down that stalk where the tough part starts, and you’ll end up with an upside down “V” shape in the leaf. Or cut it out however works best for you. Or don’t cut it out, and saute it along with the rest of the leaf.
6 cups is a rough estimate. I normally don’t measure, but when I measured to create this recipe I took my chopped up kale pieces and put them in a 4-cup measuring cup. Then I smashed them down, as fluffed up raw kale takes up a lot of room. For my large leaves, it took about 3-5 leaves to get the right amount.
Cook it Up
Turn on the frying pan and add the oil. Add the kale as you chop it – let the chopped parts cook while you work on the rest of the leaves. (Unless you want to be more specific on your measuring.) This is good for two reasons. 1, it allows the kale in the frying pan to start condensing down. 2, it saves time as you can be cooking and chopping at the same time.
Raw kale will fill your pan, possibly before you’re done chopping and it won’t all fit. Let some cook down, then add the rest in batches until it all fits in the pan. In my pictures I was making a 2-3x batch, and what you see in the first picture is only half my kale. The rest fit fine after some cooked down.
Add the soy sauce at any time. I wait until I’m done chopping. Once the soy sauce (or coconut aminos) goes in, it will speed up the shrinking process as the kale will sort of “steam” from the liquid.
Wait to add the dry ingredients until the kale is all bright green. It will change color from the waxy green (or purple) look to a bright, wet and shiny green color. If the spices get added to early on they will tend to burn.
A note about adding the dry ingredients. Don’t dump them all in one place, or they will tend to clump and not flavor the whole batch. Instead, sprinkle some on, stir the pan, then sprinkle the rest.
The kale is done when it’s to your liking. You can have a tougher, chewier kale and pull it off sooner, or wait until it is all limp (what I do). Serve it with another dish or eat it on its own!
Sauteed Kale
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 c Kale, chopped (3-5 large leaves, shove it down in the measuring cup)
- 1 Tbsp Avocado oil (or other fat of choice)
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 2 tsp Coconut sugar (or 1 serving stevia if low-carb)
- 2 tsp Garlic, minced (2 cloves)
- 1 tsp Ginger, grated
Instructions
- I grab my kale straight from the garden and use it as-is. If store-bought, you might want to rinse and pat dry. I’m not worried about little bugs, but if you are check the undersides of the leaves.Arrange a kale leaf on it’s side, so the firm “rib” is toward you. With a knife, slice down that stalk where the tough part starts, and you’ll end up with an upside down “V” shape in the leaf. Or cut it out however works best for you. Or don’t cut it out, and sauté it along with the rest of the leaf.6 cups is a rough estimate. I normally don’t measure, but when I measured to create this recipe I took my chopped up kale pieces and put them in a 4-cup measuring cup. Then I smashed them down, as fluffed up raw kale takes up a lot of room. For my large leaves, it took about 3-5 leaves to get the right amount.
- Turn on the frying pan and add the oil. Add the kale as you chop it – let the chopped parts cook while you work on the rest of the leaves. (Unless you want to be more specific on your measuring.) This is good for two reasons. 1, it allows the kale in the frying pan to start condensing down. 2, it saves time as you can be cooking and chopping at the same time.Raw kale will fill your pan, possibly before you’re done chopping and it won’t all fit. Let some cook down, then add the rest in batches until it all fits. In my pictures I was making a 2-3x batch, and what you see in the first picture is only half my kale. The rest fit fine after some cooked down.
- Add the soy sauce at any time. I wait until I’m done chopping. Once the soy sauce (or coconut aminos) goes it, it will speed up the shrinking process as the kale will sort of “steam” from the liquid.
- Wait to add the dry ingredients until the kale is all bright green. It will change color from the waxy green (or purple) look to a bright, wet and shiny green color. If the spices get added to early on they will tend to burn.A note about adding the dry ingredients. Don’t dump them all in one place, or they will tend to clump and not flavor the whole batch. Instead, sprinkle some on, stir the pan, then sprinkle the rest.
- The kale is done when it’s to your liking. You can have a tougher, chewier kale and pull it off sooner, or wait until it is all limp (what I do).Serve it with another dish or eat it on its own!
More Suggestions
This Sauteed Kale is delicious with other sides like cornbread, pinto beans or ranch beans.