Sautéed Kale with Mushrooms and Tomatoes is the best healthy side dish. It whips up super quickly and easily and tastes fantastic!
Sautéed Kale
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I love greens. Kale. Escarole. Chard. Spinach. Mustard Greens. Dandelion greens. I love them all so hard! They're all so darn healthy and so delicious in their own ways. Growing up, I had a love/hate relationship with greens, like most kids (I know most kids are more on the hate side of that, but you know what I mean).
Kale didn’t actually come onto my radar until it became the sexy new food trend in recent years. While our current food culture is almost saturated with it, I've noticed it can be very divisive. I think it's the wild amount of texture it brings to dishes can turn some people off but I rather enjoy the texture.
The first time a variation of this recipe was made, it was by my mom. She made it with Swiss Chard and we knew instantly that it was a keeper. In addition to the healthy greens, you have onions and garlic to throw in some fantastic flavor, mushrooms for the umami factor, tomatoes for a bit of acid and some crushed red pepper for a nice kick.
Tips for how to cook kale
- Pre-washed and cut kale can help make the prep much quicker and easier.
- If you're working with kale that isn't prepackaged (or any greens for that matter) make sure you wash it extra well and keep an eye out for worms (this was the first thing my grandma taught me when working with greens).
- Either way, remove those fibrous stems. They're edible but not terribly enjoyable to chew. Take the extra step and remove those stems, you'll be glad you did!
- If you're really feeling frisky, you can throw in a few tablespoons of white wine to really pull everything together.
Frequently asked questions about making this sautéed kale recipe
- Do I have to use kale? This particular recipe is amazing with any greens you choose. I happened to have kale on hand and so this recipe was born. But feel free to sub any other type of greens.
- What do you serve with sautéed kale? This dish not only makes an excellent veggie side, but also a hearty meatless main. I've been eating it for lunch all week over brown rice and it's made an excellent lunch!
- Should you massage kale before eating? If you’re eating it raw then yes. For this preparation, it’s not necessary because cooking it will tenderize it.
- How long does sautéed kale last? This stays good covered in the fridge for up to a week.
- What’s the best way to reheat sautéed kale? I do it in the microwave, but you can also do it in a small pan over medium heat stirring often.
- Can this be frozen? I wouldn’t recommend it.
Make it a meal!
A few great recipes to round out and complete this meal would be:
Helpful tools:
- A large head of kale or your greens of choice, cleaned well, trimmed of stems and cut down to the size that you make lettuce in a normal salad- not a chopped salad
- 1 small to medium onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2-3 Tablespoons Olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Garlic powder to taste
- Crushed red pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons white wine (optional)
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Heat a olive oil over medium to medium high heat in saute pan and add garlic and onion.
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Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper to taste and saute stirring frequently for 5 minutes until they are sweating but not browning.
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Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and allow them to brown 3-4 more minutes stirring often.
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Add greens to the pan and season liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. Mix everything together and allow the greens to cook down for 3-5 minutes, turning them periodically.
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Add the diced tomatoes and wine. Cover and cook down for 5-7 minutes, stirring periodically.
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Once everything is well combined serve as a side dish or over rice as a meatless main dish.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @thelifejolie so I can share it <3
Try some other great vegetable side dishes include:
- Sautéed Shredded Brussels Sprouts
- Grandma's Baked Artichokes
- Honey Soy Glazed Carrots and Parsnips
- Garlic Green Beans
You can find a full index of my recipes here.
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