I am dating that guy who loves kale salads.
Like — really, truly, doesn’t-eat-them-because-he’s-supposed-to, genuinely-loves-everything-about-them, craves-them-all-the-time, would-choose-them-over-most-things-on-a-menu, can’t-get-enough-of-’em, loves kale salads.
Just last night, for example, we were eating out for KC restaurant week and he got so excited when he saw that a kale salad was listed as one of the appetizer options and ate every last bite. (I ordered the gumbo.) Or the night before, when we cooked a big feast for everyone in his band, he offered to toss together a giant batch of his favorite chopped kale salad from Costco. (I made vodka cream pasta and flourless chocolate cake.) Or even when I made us dinner for a little date night “in” last week, he filled up mostly on this kale Caesar salad. (I went back for seconds on the roasted vegetable mac and cheese.)
His commitment to hail the kale is definitely impressive. (And, um, maybe a little humbling.) ;)
But hey, I love a good kale salad too. And I think we’d both say that the kale salad we were both obsessed with was one we tried a few months ago on our trip to Washington, D.C. Some friends had recommended we check out a local grab-n-go salad place called Sweetgreen, so we stopped there for a quick lunch when we first arrived in town. And oh man, we were not disappointed. Everything on the menu looked incredible, and I spent forever deciding what to order. But I’ll give you one guess what Barclay ordered.
Actually, it was one step better than your average kale salad.
He ordered a kale Caesar salad.
We’re both pretty obsessed with Caesar salads. But I must say, this one might have been my favorite Caesar salad yet. Both of us took a bite and absolutely loved it, but then cocked our heads wondering what it was we were tasting that seemed extra-special. I couldn’t figure it out until I looked at the menu again.
And then it all made sense.
LIME!!!
Their Caesar dressing was made with lots of fresh lime juice instead of the usual squeeze of lemon! It probably shouldn’t have made that big of a difference, but lemme tell you, it did. And we couldn’t get enough of it. Actually, Barclay couldn’t get enough of it. I had thought we were going to switch salads halfway through, but when I asked if he was ready to swap, he didn’t really want to let go of the kale salad. ;) I don’t blame him.
So instead, I decided to try and replicate this salad at home to make a huge one for us to share. And oh man, I’m happy to say that it was a delicious success.
The one thing missing from Sweetgreen’s Caesar salad was croutons. I’m a big believer that all Caesars need croutons. So I went the lazy route and toasted up some leftover French bread that had been drizzled with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Then smashed them up into tiny croutons…
…and added them to a big bowl full of kale, Romaine (I like mixing the greens), lots of fresh Parm, and my homemade Lime Caesar Dressing…
…and within minutes, this sweet bowl of greens was ready to go.
Just like Sweetgreen, I served our salads with some extra lime wedges on the side. (And unlike Sweetgreen, I nixed the cherry tomatoes that I don’t like on salads, although you’re welcome to add them in.) And just like our date at Sweetgreen, we both dove in.
Seriously, this salad was beyond delicious. And with all of that kale in there and my lighter Caesar dressing (made with Greek yogurt, and so much lime!), it was actually a Caesar salad we could feel better about enjoying. And going back for seconds. And maybe thirds. ;)
Kale Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Kale Caesar Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped fresh kale
- 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 2 cups croutons (*I just toasted some French bread and crumbled it afterwards, see instructions below)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 batch Lime Caesar Dressing, below
- optional: 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
Lime Caesar Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
- 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-2 teaspoons anchovy paste, to taste
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
To Make The Kale Caesar Salad:
- Add the kale, Romaine, croutons, Parmesan, dressing, and tomatoes (if using) to a large bowl. Toss until combined.
- Serve immediately.
To Make The Lime Caesar Dressing:
- Add all ingredients except milk to a small mixing bowl, and whisk together until combined and smooth. Whisk in a tablespoon of milk at a time until the dressing reaches your desired consistency.
- Use immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Thinking about making this and adding chicken for a healthy lunch. Do you know how many calories this has in it per serving? Thanks in advance!!
Hey there! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
I made it and it was delicious!
We’re glad you enjoyed it Gayatri!
I just posted this salad in a “Badass Salad” roundup on my blog, and I just want to say 1) YUM and 2) Your blog name makes me SO happy
xxox
Laura @ Cook, Wine and Thinker!
Thanks for your sweet words Laura — we’re glad you like the blog! :)
Though my (kale hating) husband would prefer just romaine, I absolutely LOVED this salad. And since he’s a Caesar fan, he’ll eat it anyway. ;)
Thanks, we’re glad you enjoyed it!
Quick question – Can you make the dressing without milk or do you know a good milk substitute? This salad looks amazing btw!
Thanks Whitney — we hope you enjoy it! And you could use water. :)
THIS. IS AMAZING. I made a batch last night to enjoy with my lunch and dinner all week. I used bagged kale to save time, and my blend had shredded Brussels sprouts included. I roasted the tomatoes before adding them to the salad. And this dressing? Nailed it. I omitted the milk (because I didn’t have any) and used additional lime juice to thin. This is a winner and a repeat! Thanks so much.
Thank you Rachel — we’re so happy you love this! :D
the instant I read the entire blog… my mouth got watery and I immediately looked in my pantry to see if I had all the ingredients… sadly I do not… very sad.. I am definitely making this tomorrow. thank you #hailkale
We hope you enjoy this Crisbel! :D
Delicious! Upped the salt in the dressing a bit, but maybe more anchovy is the better solution. I had to use filets and mash them bit it was still amazingly easy! This is going into the regular dinner time rotation!
Thanks Melissa — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Hello!
This looks super delicious. I am very new to kale so I am wondering what type you used? Also how did you chop it up?
Hi Alexandra! We used Dinosaur/Lacinato/Tuscan kale. It’s darker green and a bit softer than curly kale. We just down both sides of the stem (you can totally chop and eat the stem too if you like), and then we roll the leaves up top to bottom and chop in half. Sometimes we just tear it though. We hope you enjoy this! :)
This is the BEST caesar salad ever!!!! My husband is obsessed (what?!). Much better than a mayo based caesar dressing. I’ve done it with shredded chicken and salmon also and it’s fabulous. Thank you!!!
Thank you Mary-Ella! We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it! :)