There are so many ways to prepare dark, leafy kale. Drizzle kale with olive oil and bake it and you wind up with kale chips. Blend it with cheese and pancetta and use it as a filling for a flaky, savory galette, or scatter broken leaves atop focaccia dough for a crackly contrast to the rich, olive-oil-infused bread. From delicate baby kale to hearty lacinato, we’ve rounded up our favorite ways to use this nutritious green. (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
This rustic, free-form tart is filled with a savory layer of crème fraiche and Gruyère, then topped with hearty winter greens, and crispy pancetta. It is a an easy alternative to quiche for lunch or a festive winter breakfast. If you’re pressed for time, the flaky butter pie crust can be swapped out for a prepackaged pie dough. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/galette-with-greens-gruyere-pancetta-recipe”>Galette with Greens, Gruyere, and Pancetta</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
Crispy and crowd-pleasing, these sandwiches are a gateway preparation for oyster neophytes. Feel free to use pre-shucked oysters to save time. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/fried-oyster-po-boys-recipe”>Fried Oyster Po’Boys with Kale and Tartar Sauce</a> (Ted Cavanaugh/)
Crunchy cashews coated with maple syrup and sesame seeds, and a boldly piquant dressing of Shanxi vinegar, add texture and verve to the classic kale salad from chef Cara Stadler of Tao Yuan in Brunswick, Maine. This vinaigrette is sharper than most, so if you prefer less acidity, add up to 1/4 cup more vegetable oil. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/apple-and-kale-salad-with-black-sesame-maple-cashews-recipe”>Kale and Apple Salad</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
In addition to being baked on an olive oil-slathered pan, this focaccia dough is mixed with olive oil as well as creamy mashed potatoes, giving it a fluffy interior and crispy, oil-slicked edges. Kale and red pepper flakes add color and texture that make an otherwise simple bread a side dish in its own right. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/tuscan-kale-red-pepper-focaccia-recipe”>Tuscan Kale and Red Pepper Focaccia</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
Bittersweet kale mingles with a tangy verjus and spicy pepper flakes in this spring greens recipe. Feel free to substitute other greens like cabbage, collards, or spinach, and adjust cooking times as needed. Store-bought peppadews are a good replacement for the pickled aji dulce, and if you can’t find fish pepper flakes, cayenne or Aleppo pepper are easy substitutions. Get the recipe for <a href=”http://www.saveur.com/spicy-braised-kale-recipe”>Braised Overwintered Greens</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
Amy Thielen’s interpretation of breakfast for dinner: these delicately sweet and savory pancakes, given lift by yeast and flavored with some bacon fat. They’re perfect for rolling up around crisp sausages, but are good filled pretty much everything. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/supper-pancakes-sausage-greens-recipe”>Supper Pancakes With Smoked Sausage</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
Kale takes on a crispy, addictive texture when drizzled with olive oil and baked. Try these chips tossed into salads, crushed and sprinkled on popcorn, or used to garnish finished dishes—if you can keep from eating them all immediately. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/make-your-own-kale-chips”>Kale Chips</a> (Laura Sant/)
In this rendition of traditional Genoese pesto, sweet and nutty cavolo nero (also known as Tuscan kale or Lacinato kale) is used in place of basil and pine nuts. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Farfalle-with-Cavolo-Nero-Pesto”>Farfalle with Cavolo Nero Pesto</a> (Laura Sant/)
Toasted walnuts, roasted butternut squash, baby kale, and a rich brown butter sauce combine over broad pappardelle noodles for a dish that perfectly captures fall’s best flavors. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/pappardelle-with-butternut-squash-walnuts-and-baby-kale”>Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Baby Kale</a> (Helen Rosner/)
This quick, zesty kale salad from Florida chef Jeffery Jew gets a decadent touch from rich pine nuts and ribbons of parmesan cheese. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/baby-kale-salad-with-pine-nuts-parmesan-and-lemon-vinaigrette”>Baby Kale Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Lemon Vinaigrette</a> (Andé Baranowski/)
Cavolo nero, also known as Tuscan kale, Lacinato kale, or Dinosaur kale, balances thinly sliced, salty prosciutto over toast. Get the recipe for <a href=”https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cavolo-Nero-and-Prosciutto-Bruschetta”>Cavolo Nero and Prosciutto Bruschetta</a> (Laura Sant/)
