Let’s shake things up a bit with this totally tasty Kale Panzanella Salad! This fresh vegetarian salad has amazing flavor and texture!
KALE YEAH I made another salad recipe!
This pretty panzanella may not be conventional but it sure is delicious.
From the tender massaged kale to the toasty crushed garlic seasoned croutons, it’s one of those salads that you sit down expecting to only have a scoop only to find you ravenously devoured the whole bowl. So so good!
In fact, I’m going to go ahead and insist you make it. Right now.
Seriously — what are you waiting for?!
Kale Panzanella Ingredients
- kale
- croutons (crushed and/or whole)
- red onion
- tomatoes
- fresh basil
- lemon dressing
Speedy Lemon Dressing
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 TBSP white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For this pretty panzanella salad you can use curly kale like I did, or opt for lacinato kale.
When it comes to the croutons, you can use your favorite store bought variety or make your own at home!
I like to use homemade when possible (its a great way to use up leftover bread) and love using a combination of whole and crushed.The crushed croutons give the salad a little crispy breadcrumb vibe in every bite and it’s just glorious!
Homemade Croutons
- 1 cup diced bread cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1/2 TBSP olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
This is a perfect way to use up day old or stale bread! I love using day old french baguette or ciabatta.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Add cubed bread to a bowl with oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well (using your hands works best to really work it into every piece) and spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for 12-16 minutes or until golden and crisp. Times may vary slightly based on type and staleness of bread.
Kale Panzanella Salad
This rockin’ recipe yields 4 side salads. It can also be divided between two bowls to make two larger salads if you’d like. I’ll admit I ate nearly the entire batch while recipe testing one time — I regret nothing!
Ready to eat? Let’s get our recipe on!
Kale Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped curly kale
- 1 cup garlic croutons (recipe below)
- ¼-½ cup red onion , sliced thin
- 2 cups tomatoes
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2-3 TBSP sliced fresh basil for topping
SPEEDY LEMON DRESSING
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 1 TBSP white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
HOMEMADE CROUTONS
- 1 cup diced bread cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- ½ TBSP olive oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For homemade croutons: Preheat oven to 375°F. Dice bread into ¾ inch cubes. Add cubed bread to a bowl with oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well (using your hands works best to really work it into every piece) and spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for 12-16 minutes or until golden and crisp. Times will vary slightly based on type and staleness of bread.
- While the croutons bake make dressing and prep salad ingredients.
- To make the dressing, combine ingredients in a small bowl, whisk, and set aside.
- Wash and dry kale and remove leaves from stem. Finely chop leaves and add to a large bowl.
- Drizzle a teeny bit of dressing (around 1/2 tsp) onto the kale leaves. Massage dressing into kale until the leaves darken in color and become tender and silky.
- Thinly slice red onion. If using cherry, grape, or campari tomatoes, cut into quarters. For roma or regular tomatoes, roughly chop or dice. Thinly slice fresh basil.
- For the crispy crushed crouton topping, place about ⅓ of the croutons in a plastic bag or between two paper towels. Use a bottle of olive oil to crush into small panko-sized pieces to sprinkle over the salad just before serving. The result is a little of this delightfully crispy topping in every bite. Love it so!
- Top kale with tomatoes, red onion, whole croutons, and basil. Pour over dressing and mix well. Next sprinkle crumbled feta and crushed croutons on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Hungry for More?
- Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad (Reader Favorite)
- Shrimp Panzanella Salad
- Easy Homemade Balsamic Dressing
- Tomato Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
- Mushroom Kale Tacos via Spices in my DNA
- NEW! Mediterranean Kale Salad
If you get a chance to try this kale panzanella salad recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Love this salad! It’s hearty and stands up well, making it a great choice for summer meals and cookouts. Most importantly it is super delicious!
This was SO fresh and delicious! I used vegan feta and it worked perfectly. Loved all the flavors and the crunch from the homemade croutons!
So glad it was a hit! xo