Tomato season officially starts next week and I’m super excited to kick things off with this Kale Tomato Salad! It’s fresh, flavorful and the perfect side for your favorite sandwich or veggie burger!
Tomatoes and kale are a match made in heaven.
The hearty leaves don’t wilt and become soggy like typical lettuce, which means you can load them up with juicy tomatoes and as much delicious dressing as you’d like. Yes please!
This time around I made the most epic kale and tomato salad with a lemon-kissed mediterranean style dressing. Other dressing options include my fresh Lemon Dressing or even a tasty Restaurant-Style Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. You can also use your favorite store-bought dressing too if needed.
You can also amp up the veggie content with alllll the extra veggies since salads are the perfect excuse to raid your crisper drawer and use everything up while it’s still fresh and fabulous.
Ingredients Needed
- lacinato kale
- assorted cherry tomatoes
- crumbled feta cheese
- pepitas (roasted salted pumpkin seeds)
- red onion
- lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- dried oregano leaves
- salt and pepper
You can 100% use curly kale or baby kale if preferred – both are excellent options!
For the tomatoes, feel free to use cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, campari tomatoes, or even roma tomatoes – any variety you love and have on hand will work marvelous. You can even jazz things up by using my crazy flavorful marinated cherry tomatoes.
Optional extras are pretty much limitless here! Feel free to add anything and everything your heart desires.
How to make this tasty kale salad
This scrumptious salad is oh so easy to make. First combine your dressing ingredients (fresh lemon juice, evoo, red wine vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper) and whisk well.
Next remove kale leaves from the center stem and chop. Wash and dry using a salad spinner and add to a medium-large bowl. Whisk dressing again then add a small drizzle over the kale and massage it into the leaves for the most tender and silky kale experience.
Peel and finely chop red onion and add to the dressing to marinate while you prep the rest of the salad.
Wash and chop tomatoes (any variety desired) and snag some roasted and lightly salted pepitas or even sunflower seeds for topping. Crumble fresh feta off the block. Add tomatoes, pepitas, and feta to the salad and toss with freshly whisked dressing. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions for kale salad
This versatile veggie salad makes an excellent side dish for just about anything!
Serve it alongside your favorite grilled or roasted protein (chicken, steak, or try it with roasted cauliflower “steaks”) or as a side for your favorite sandwich or veggie burger.
Salad and Sandwich Options
Whip up this tasty kale tomato salad and serve it with on of these vibrant vegetarian sandwiches:
- Ultimate Veggie Sandwich
- Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Spinach and Tomato Grilled Cheese Pitas
- Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burgers
- Garden Veggie Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Homemade White Bean Burgers
- Spinach and Avocado Grilled Cheese
You can also embrace your inner T-Rex and serve it with a turkey sandwich, turkey bacon club, chicken salad sandwich, or tuna salad sandwich. I’ve added shredded rotisserie chicken to my salad before as well and it’s super tasty!
Kale Tomato Salad
Kale yeah! Let’s get our recipe on! This scrumptious salad is ready in just 15 minutes!
The recipe below yields one large lunch-sized salad or two side salads. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if needed!
Kale Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped lacinato kale
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2-3 TBSP roasted salted pepitas
- 2 TBSP finely chopped red onion
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp dried oregano leaves
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- This scrumptious salad is oh so easy to make. First combine your dressing ingredients (fresh lemon juice, evoo, red wine vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper) and whisk well.
- Next remove kale leaves from the center stem and chop. Wash and dry (a salad spinner works great here) and add to a medium-large bowl.
- Add a teaspoon of dressing to the kale and massage it into the leaves to make them tender and silky.
- Next peel and finely chop red onion and add to the dressing to marinate while you prep the rest of the salad.
- Halve or chop tomatoes and crumble fresh feta off the block. Whisk the dressing once more, then add tomatoes, pepitas, and feta to the salad. Mix well to coat. Feel free to add any extra seasoning or toppings you'd like. If adding lots of extras, simply make a little extra dressing to cover all the veggie goodness. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Kale Yeah! More Tasty Recipes to Try
- Lemon Orzo with Parmesan, Kale, and Cherry Tomatoes
- NEW! Modern Greek Salad with Kale and Quinoa
- Black Bean and Kale Tacos via Happy Veggie Kitchen
- Cheesy Kale, Mushroom, and Rice Casserole
- Kale Panzanella
- Roasted Garlic Kale Pesto Pasta
If you get a chance to try this kale tomato salad recipe, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Jenn, I was copying this recipe to make later this week. In the list of ingredients, you write 1/4 crumbled feta cheese. Is that supposed to be 1/4 cup or 1/4 “something”. Would you please clarify this for me?
Jenn, same question for the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. The 1/8 amount I’m guessing is probably 1/8 teaspoon?
1/8 teaspoon – I think I found the recipe card issue – all fixed now (PHEW!) Thanks again!
1/4 cup feta – I’ll check the recipe card markup and see what’s going on there so I can fix it – thanks Carolyn!