5 Healthy Kale Recipes for the Diet Conscious Eater

If you’re trying to eat healthier, having healthy kale recipes on hand is an absolute must. The original superfood, kale is packed with powerful antioxidants and vitamins. This leafy green is also incredibly tasty and easy to grow in your fall vegetable garden.

Kale is actually among one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world. A single cup of kale contains 33 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 684% of your daily needs for vitamin K. Vitamin K is imperative for blood clotting and helps prevent osteoporosis!

Plus, kale is loaded with powerful antioxidants like quercetin and kaempferol (which help prevent aging and diseases). It’s also generally shown to help people lose weight — its high water content helps fill you up without adding much in the way of calories.

All of this to say, kale is a staple in the healthy household.

We compiled 5 of our favorite healthy kale recipes. From hearty dinners, to breakfast, to salads, they’re delicious and nutritious options for your everyday.

PRO TIP: The recipes taste even better when you use freshly harvested kale from your container garden!

Quinoa with Mushrooms, Kale, and Sweet Potatoes

This recipe from Real Simple is exactly that: real simple. It takes less than half an hour to cook from start to finish. This recipe is a protein-packed veggie bowl that uses quinoa as a fibrous base. The mushroom, kale, and sweet potatoes are sauteed together with garlic, white wine, and parmesan (yum!).

Find the recipe here.

Overnight Oats with Soft-Cooked Egg and Miso-Braised Kale

This breakfast recipe is hands-down one of the most delicious breakfasts we’ve ever tried — so much so that we often make it for lunch and dinner too. This miso-braised kale brings out the tender side of kale and adds big flavor to the dish. Add an egg and your overnight oats et voila! A gourmet breakfast in seconds.

Pro Tip: Cook the separate components the night before and simply warm up in the morning before you chow down.

Go to bon appetit for this healthy recipe!

Raw Kale, Grapefruit, and Roasted Hazelnut Salad

Raw kale often gets a bad rap, but you’ll appreciate the leafy green’s crunch in this salad. With acidity from the grapefruit and warm nutty flavor from the hazelnut, this recipe is a flavorful and exciting option for our salad lovers out there.

Plus, grapefruit is rumored to actually speed up weight loss by lowering cholesterol and curbing hunger.

You can get the recipe here in the Health recipe archives.

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Kale and Roast Chicken

Diets do not mean carb-free…at least in our world. This whole-wheat pasta recipe is a healthy way to consume your freshly harvested nutritious kale without sacrificing satisfaction. It’s full of fiber, lean protein, and the good kind of carbs.

Bonus: it only takes 20 minutes to prepare this entire dinner.

Find the full recipe here.

Kale with Roasted Peppers and Olives

Many of the healthiest meals contain two components: a protein and a vegetable side. We recommend using this roasted peppers and kale recipe as your side dish. Drizzled with balsamic vinegar, this side is tender, tasty, and contains surprisingly complex flavors. Pair with steak or lean chicken for a healthy, hearty dinner.

Get the recipe at Real Simple.