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This tender, garlicky, sautéed kale is the perfect way to enjoy this nutrient-packed green. Ready in 10 minutes, it’s a great addition to any meal!
I use a lot of kale at my house. It’s delicious roasted, cooked down in a soup, or tossed in a salad. But one method of prep is so delicious, Alex and I agreed we could eat it every day: this sautéed kale!
Those leafy greens can have a strong flavor when they’re served solo, but when they’re sautéed with garlic and olive oil, they become instantly craveable. In under 10 minutes, you’ll have a vibrant, delicious, healthy bonus to any meal!
Ingredient spotlight: Tuscan kale
Curly kale works in this recipe, but Tuscan kale is milder, sweeter, and a little more crowd-pleasing if you’re trying to get everyone in your family on board with eating kale. It also makes for great crispy kale chips.
Tuscan kale is sold in most mainstream grocery stores, but it goes by a few different names: Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, black kale, or cavolo nero (black cabbage in Italian). Look for flat, ruffly leaves that are green-black. Again, if curly kale is all you see at your local grocer, that’s fine! You’ll still end up with a healthy, delicious side.
Tips for chopping kale
Before you can cook kale, you need to know how to cut it! I have a video to show you exactly how I do it, but here are the quick steps if you’re ready to go:
- Fold the leaves of the kale together and hold them with your non-cutting hand. Use a large chef’s knife to cut off the tough stem.
- Roll up a few kale leaves at once.
- Cut the kale into thick slices, using a circular motion with the knife. Rotate the slices and then chop them in the other direction to make small pieces. Repeat for all the kale leaves.
How to sauté kale (overview)
Sautéing kale brings out its natural sweetness while mellowing out its bitterness, making it tender, flavorful, and incredibly satisfying. The quick cook in olive oil and garlic adds depth that raw kale just can’t match.
Here’s my tested method to cook kale greens on the stove (or you can go ahead and jump to the recipe):
- Wash and dry your kale leaves thoroughly, then de-stem and roughly chop the kale.
- Smash and peel the garlic cloves. Steal my tips on crushing garlic if it’s new to you!
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-high. You can use extra virgin olive oil here if that’s what’s in your pantry, but the regular stuff is perfect.
- Add the smashed garlic and kale and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the kale is wilted and bright green.
- Remove the kale from the heat and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. I like kosher salt over sea salt and table salt in all of my recipes.
Discard the garlic cloves and serve! If you’d like, you can add some lemon juice and Parmesan for added flavor, but it’s not necessary.
Read a 5-star review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This was SOOO good, quick, and easy! Can’t wait to make it again and again.”
– Carolyn
Ways to serve this dish
I love a good kale salad, but kale is even more versatile when it’s sautéed. You can serve sautéed kale as an easy veggie side dish or as a vegan addition to your favorite mains. I really like it with Italian or Mediterranean-style recipes or as a leafy base in quinoa or farro bowls.
Here are a few of my favorite ideas for sautéed kale:
- Breakfast: Tuck your kale into a breakfast burrito, layer it on toast, or top it with a fried egg for a quick, savory breakfast or brunch.
- Pasta: I love kale with Italian-inspired dishes. Try it with a creamy gnocchi sauce, vegan lasagna, baked rigatoni, or roasted eggplant pasta.
- Shrimp: Kale’s sturdier texture works well alongside tender seafood. Try it with my sautéed shrimp or shrimp scampi.
- Salmon: Sautéed kale is great for soaking up the juices of a baked salmon or lemon dill salmon, making each bite a little more flavorful.
- Grain bowls: Make an easy lunch or weeknight dinner bowl by serving it with your favorite grain, topped with tahini sauce or cilantro sauce.
Storage tips
Leftover sautéed kale keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store it in an airtight container and reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water or olive oil.
If you have a large bunch of kale, you don’t need to cook it all. Chop it and freeze it. Kale doesn’t require blanching before freezing like many veggies. Just make sure to use it within 3 months. I like to add frozen kale to smoothies and stews – no defrosting needed!
Dietary notes
This sautéed kale recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Simple Sautéed Kale
Sautéed kale is the tastiest way to enjoy this powerhouse green! Cooked in olive oil with fragrant garlic until perfectly tender, it’s so good, you’ll crave it daily.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 pound or 2 bunches Tuscan kale*
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Optional: Lemon wedges, shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Wash and dry the kale leaves, then destem and roughly chop the kale.
- Smash and peel the garlic cloves.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the smashed garlic and kale and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until wilted and bright green.
- Remove from the heat and add the kosher salt and several grinds of fresh ground pepper.
- Discard the garlic cloves and serve immediately. If desired, you can add lemon juice or Parmesan, but neither is necessary with the sweet flavor of Tuscan kale!
Notes
You have choices when it comes to shopping for kale! If you’re using a more bitter kale, like curly kale, you may want to keep that optional step of adding citrus or apple cider vinegar and Parmesan after taking your kale out of the sauté pan.
Red kale has a similar flavor profile, but it has reddish leaves and stems. Treat it as you would curly kale.
Baby kale is tasty with other greens in a salad. It’s gentle enough to include in a spinach artichoke dip, too.
Love making this recipe. It’s quick easy and flavorful
Thanks for sharing
This was SOOO good, quick, and easy! Can’t wait to make it again and again. I did keep the garlic in for extra flavor and health benefits.
I’ve never liked kale, but this was really good! I sauteed half of a thinly sliced small onion and 4 garlic cloves, cooked them about 2 minutes before adding the kale. One of your commenters eats this for breakfast, so I think I’ll try that as a delicious way to increase my daily vegetable intake. Thanks for this recipe.
This is how I eat kale with my eggs for breakfast (sauté the kale and top with two eggs, over well, sometimes I add a sprinkle of goat cheese). So good!
Nice options. Can´t wait to try it.
Discard the cloves? Are you serious? Use six cloves and eat up those bad boys.
I love cooked Garlic ! And so healthy !
Also good w/ just a splash of sushi vinegar!
Delish! I added a little butter and a sprinkling of salt. So tasty!