This massaged kale salad with apple recipe is such a beautiful, nutritious Fall side dish! With cherry tomatoes, seared asparagus, radicchio, cranberries, pepitas, crumbled blue cheese, and pretty fanned apples, your guests will be so delighted with this crunchy, sweet, and savory salad!
Massaged Kale Salad with Apple
Now THIS is what I call an Instagram salad! Both delicious and photogenic!
The beauty of this salad is really in the slicing and placement, so don’t just toss everything into a bowl. If you really want to impress your guests, I’d serve this on a platter and have fun fanning the apples, scattering the cherry tomatoes, and nestling in the asparagus. It just looks so elegant!
I served this salad at my yearly, autumn lady’s brunch with a number of seasonal brunchy recipes like creamy pumpkin polenta, a perfectly spiced chai apple French toast, crispy sweet potato hash, and a gorgeous butternut squash quiche!
I like using my apple cider vinaigrette dressing for this salad, but feel free to use any non-creamy dressing you like. I’m also a big fan of Bragg’s ginger and sesame dressing for this salad as well!
The Simple Process
- First, we’ll slice, sauté, and cool the asparagus.
- Then, we’ll give the kale a luxurious massage, slice radicchio, and arrange them onto a serving platter.
- Next, we’ll slice tomatoes and apples.
- Finally, we’ll nestle the asparagus into the kale, fan and place the apples, add the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with pepitas, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and serve.
Ingredient Notes
kale – You can use any kind of kale for this recipe, just make sure to remove the leaves from stems, and break the leaves into smaller pieces.
apples – Use green or red apples, or both if you want to add more color.
radicchio – You can also use red endive and it looks just as pretty.
cherry tomatoes – I prefer yellow cherry tomatoes for this salad because the color really stands out like sunshine, but feel free to use any cherry tomatoes you like.
asparagus – Don’t use the entire stalks, it’s just a bit much for a salad. Slice asparagus to about 4 inches from the tops. Save the other stalks for another recipe.
blue cheese – I love crumbled blue cheese for this recipe, but you can also use gorgonzola or even feta.
pepitas – these are pumpkin seeds. You can also use pine nuts, shaved almonds or even crushed walnuts for this salad.
dried cranberries – The tartness of dry cranberries is so nice in this salad, but you can also use yellow raisins.
How to Make This Salad – Step-by-Step
1. Slice 1 bunch of asparagus 4 inches from the tops. Keep or discard the other bottom stalks for another recipe. Sauté asparagus in a pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil for 7-10 minutes. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once done, refrigerate in a covered container for 20 minutes or until cool.
2. Remove leaves from kale stems and place them in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Use your hands to luxuriously massage kale until it feels softer.
3. Slice ½ radicchio into thin strips.
4. Mix and place kale and sliced radicchio onto a platter.
5. Slice 1 cup cherry tomatoes.
6. Thinly slice 3 small apples.
7. Place cooked asparagus in groups of 3 into the kale and radicchio.
8. Fan apples slightly, and place them in the salad. Add cherry tomatoes, then sprinkle with ¼ cup pepitas, ¼ cup dried cranberries, and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles on top. Drizzle with apple cider vinaigrette, or your choice of dressing, and serve.
Common Questions
If you’ve met kale before, you’ve noticed it’s pretty stiff, especially when it’s very fresh. Massaging kale breaks up the fibrous texture and makes it easier to chew and digest.
First step: don’t overthink it. Second step: simply drizzle with olive oil, and rub the leaves between your fingers until they’re softer. You don’t want to turn the leaves to mush, but you do want them to feel a little wilted.
You can prepare this salad the night before serving, as long as it’s covered with cellophane, refrigerated, and not dressed until served.
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Massaged Kale Salad with Apple
Equipment
- 1 cutting board & sharp knife
- 1 sauté pan
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale – large
- 3 medium apples – any kind
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 bunch asparagus
- ½ medium radicchio
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
- salt & pepper – a sprinkle
- apple cider vinaigrette dressing – optional
Instructions
- Slice 1 bunch of asparagus 4 inches from the tops. Keep or discard the other bottom stalks for another recipe. Sauté asparagus in a pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil for 7-10 minutes. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once done, refrigerate in a covered container for 20 minutes or until cool.
- Remove leaves from kale stems and place them in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Use your hands to luxuriously massage kale until it feels softer.
- Slice ½ radicchio into thin strips. Mix and place kale and radicchio onto a platter.
- Slice 1 cup cherry tomatoes and thinly slice 3 small apples.
- Place cooked asparagus in groups of 3 into the kale and radicchio.
- Fan apples slightly, and place them in the salad. Add sliced cherry tomatoes, then sprinkle with ¼ cup pepitas, ¼ cup dried cranberries, and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles on top. Drizzle with apple cider vinaigrette, or your choice of dressing, and serve.
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