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Roasted kale is a tasty, easy side dish! Baked until tender and crispy at the edges, it’s quick to make and a total crowd pleaser.
Here’s a unique side dish: roasted kale! As two cookbook authors, this sauteed kale recipe is typically our go-to for garlicky leafy greens. But once we found this roasting technique, it changed the game for us.
Did you know you can roast kale? It makes it wilted and tender but crispy at the edges, which gives it a unique texture. Even better: you can refrigerate it and use it in meals throughout the week. It works as a side dish, thrown into a grain bowl, or in sandwiches or stir fries.
How to make roasted kale: basic steps
This roasted kale is like a combination between sauteed kale and kale chips. It’s tender and wilted, yet at the same time crispy at the edges. The best part is that it will last for quite a while refrigerated, so you can use it for lots of meals. Here’s how to make it:
- Chop a few bunches Tuscan kale into bite-sized pieces. For this recipe we used two bunches or 12 ounces. It’s also easy to double, so feel free to use more and spread across two baking sheets.
- Mix with olive oil and salt. The quantities are fairly loose: just make sure the leaves are coated and sprinkle with a bit of salt. (Greens are easy to oversalt, so take care.)
- Roast at 425°F for 9 to 10 minutes, stirring twice. Because it cooks quickly, you’ll need to stir a few times in this recipe. Once it’s mainly wilted but crisp at the edges, it’s ready!
Tuscan kale vs curly kale
Go out and grab a few bunches of Tuscan kale for this recipe! You should be able to find it at your local grocery. Tuscan kale is an Italian variety of kale with dark green leaves and a mild, almost sweet flavor. You can also find it labeled as Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, black kale, or cavolo nero (black cabbage in Italian). Why is it called dinosaur kale? Its “scaly” leaves almost resemble dinosaur skin!
You can use curly kale if that’s all that you can find. Curly kale has a fluffier texture than Tuscan, and the flavor is a little more bitter and spicy. But the flavor becomes much more mellowed when roasted…
Storing leftovers
Another great thing about this roasted kale: leftovers save well! You can save this kale up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Just keep it in a sealed container. Then you can add it to meals throughout the week (see below).
You may want to make a double batch: which is easy to do. Just double the kale and make sure to use 2 baking sheets to spread the leaves in a single layer.
Ways to serve roasted kale
Leafy greens as a side dish work with just about anything! And there are more creative ways to serve roasted kale too. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- With pasta. It would be perfect with Roasted Eggplant Pasta, Baked Rigatoni, Pasta Primavera or Vegan Lasagna.
- With salmon. Try with our Baked Salmon or Lemon Dill Salmon.
- With shrimp. It would make a super-quick dinner Garlic Butter Shrimp.
- Grain bowl. Add it in a grain bowl with rice or quinoa, chickpeas for plant-based protein, and tahini sauce. Or try it in our Mediterranean Couscous Bowls.
- In grilled cheese. Why not throw it into a Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese?
- Stir fry. Throw leftovers into our Easy Veggie Stir Fry.
Dietary notes
This roasted kale recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Roasted Kale
Roasted kale is a tasty, easy side dish! Baked until tender and crispy at the edges, it’s quick to make and a total crowd pleaser.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 small/medium bunches (about 12 ounces) Tuscan kale*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or two if you’re doubling the recipe). Chop the kale. In a large bowl, mix the kale with the olive oil, garlic power, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place the kale leaves onto the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 5 minutes. Remove the tray, stir and roast another 2 minutes. Remove the tray one more time, stir, and roast 2 minutes more until wilted and crispy on the edges. Eat immediately, or you can refrigerate up to 1 week and add to meals throughout the week.
Notes
*Substitute curly kale if you’d like, but we like the flavor and texture of Tuscan kale best. For curly kale, go by the weight (not the bunch size). This recipe is easy to double: simply use 2 baking sheets for the kale.
Wow! Just made this kale recipe and it’s fantastic and so fast/easy to make. Can’t wait to incorporate this into my weekly meals.
So glad you enjoyed it!