Kale Blueberry Salad
This Kale Blueberry Salad with crunchy pecans and creamy feta takes just minutes to throw together and makes us want to eat our weight in greens. With an easy homemade vinaigrette massaged in to soften the kale, this has all the flavor and texture you need for an any day, everyday salad.
Massaged Kale Blueberry Salad
Eating those all-important dark leafy greens is so much easier when we have new and delicious combinations to try, and this kale blueberry feta salad rises to the occasion. A veritable explosion of flavor and texture, this has quickly become our family favorite for everything from a pizza night side to an easy lunch.
This massaged kale salad checks all the boxes:
- Quick and easy to make.
- Packed full of nutrient-dense greens, fruits, and nuts.
- So delicious you’ll go back for seconds. Of salad!
Enjoy this as the best side salad ever, or add grilled balsamic chicken or roasted salmon for more protein and make it a meal unto itself.
Ingredients & Common Substitutions
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need to make this, as well as possible substitutions.
- Kale: I like to buy pre-washed curly kale to save time. It does help to go through the greens by hand and quickly remove any thick stems, which are tough and unpleasant to eat. It’s a couple of minutes well spent.
- Blueberries: Juicy fresh blueberries make everything better!
- Candied Pecans: You can use “regular” pecans in this salad, but taking the extra few minutes to give them a quick candied effect takes this whole salad to another level. You’ll find specific instructions for this in the recipe card below. You can also purchase candied pecans — our favorites are from Trader Joe’s, and we keep them in the pantry all the time for adding to salads just like this one. You should also feel free to swap these out for almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, or anything else that strikes you.
- Pumpkin Seeds: More salty crunch! Sunflower seeds are a good substitute or addition, too.
- One Granny Smith Apple: Tart and juicy.
- Feta: The perfect creamy complement to all those crunchy bits. Leave it out if you want to keep this salad dairy-free and vegan. Or, substitute goat cheese if that’s more your thing.
- Dressing Ingredients: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper. Prefer a hit of citrus? Substitute lemon juice for all or part of the vinegar.
How To Strip Kale
Prefer to buy whole kale, or already have some to use up? No problem, but you’ll want to strip it first, because you definitely don’t want the thick stems in your salad. Simply hold the bottom of each stem in one hand, and use your other hand to rib the kale leaves away from the ribs. Here’s a quick visual on kale stripping, as well.
How To Make a Kale Blueberry Salad
A few simple things go a long way to making this salad more than the sum of its parts: dressing up the pecans, and massaging the dressing into the kale. Here’s the run-down:
- Candy the pecans. This sounds fancy but is really just a matter of warming the pecans in about 3 Tablespoons of sugar over medium heat. The sugar will melt and become a lightly caramelized coating over the pecans, which is indescribably delicious. Set the pecans aside to cool slightly and sprinkle with sea salt. You can do this way ahead of time, if you like, and just keep the pecans in the pantry.
- Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients and shake or whisk well. You can also make the dressing ahead of time and store in the fridge.
- Massage dressing into the kale. Just pour most or all of the dressing over the kale and work it in with your hands, like you’re literally giving the kale a massage. This serves to soften the kale, which is one of the sturdier leafy greens, and also ensures the dressing is in your salad, rather than swimming at the bottom of the bowl, if that makes sense.
- Add blueberries, chopped apple, pumpkin seeds, feta, and cooled pecans. Toss well and dig in!
What is healthy about kale?
Like all dark leafy greens, kale is a nutritional powerhouse. Despite having only 40 calories per cup, it’s packed with antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, and K, and is a good source of essential minerals including copper, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. Superfood here we come!
Why massage kale?
The downside of kale? It can be tough, literally! The stems are thick, and even the leafy bits tend to be dense and somewhat difficult to chew — and even to digest — without a little love. Massaging a dressing directly into the kale softens it up a bit, much as a quick wilting would if you were using it in a stew or a skillet recipe.
Storage Tips
Quite unlike most salads, this one keeps well for up to a day–even with the dressing already on it. Store in a tightly-covered container in the refrigerator. Consider adding more pecans just prior to enjoying the second time, for maximum sweetness and crunch.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Love finding new ways to pack in fresh veggies? You’ll also enjoy a healthy broccoli salad, classic French carrot salad, a spinach strawberry salad with walnuts and feta, or a spinach salad with nectarines.
Does it happen to be mid-summer for you? This peach arugula salad with blueberries and prosciutto is a true show-stopper when the fruits are in season.
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Kale Blueberry Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2/3 cup pecans
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5-6 cups curly kale
- 1 cup blueberries rinsed
- 1 medium apple ideally Granny Smith or another tart variety, chopped
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Place the pecans in a nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Sprinkle the sugar on top and cook for about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sugar melts into a light caramel coating over the pecans. Watch closely and turn down the heat if needed; the sugar should not burn. Transfer pecans to a plate or piece of parchment paper to cool, breaking apart any that stick together, and sprinkle very lightly with sea salt.
- Make the dressing by combining olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, a pinch of sea salt, and 6-8 cranks of fresh-ground black pepper in a small jar or liquid measuring cup. Whisk or shake vigorously into a smooth dressing.
- Place kale in a large bowl, removing any thick stem pieces. Pour dressing on top, then use your hands to lightly massage the dressing into the kale.
- Add blueberries, chopped apple, pumpkin seeds, feta, and cooled pecans to the bowl with the kale. Toss well, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
- You can purchase candied pecans and skip the step of caramelizing them in the skillet. Our favorites are from Trader Joe’s; they’re sold right alongside raw and salted nuts and dried fruit for snacking.
- Amounts for the kale, pecans, blueberries, and pumpkin seeds are just guidelines. Eyeball everything and adjust to your taste.
- This salad keeps well, even with the dressing on, but if you know you plan to wait a bit to serve it, hold off on adding the pecans and pumpkin seeds until right before, so they stay maximally crunchy.
