Kale recipes
Step-by-step recipes with realistic quantities, all starting from one 3adan bag. Filter by your time, meal and what’s in your kitchen.
16 recipes
Salads
Tabbouleh is the queen of the Lebanese table, and here very finely chopped kale takes over part of the parsley, adding a gentle crunch and a soft, earthy note. The rules stay the same as ever: plenty of greens, just a little bulgur and a generous hand with the lemon.
Salads
No Lebanese table feels complete without fattoush: crisp toasted bread, crunchy seasonal vegetables and a sumac and pomegranate-molasses dressing that is both tangy and gently sweet. Here massaged kale joins the bowl, adding a green crunch that holds up to the dressing far longer than lettuce.
Salads
Sometimes less is more: fresh kale, bright lemon and your best olive oil. A few minutes of massaging turns the sturdy, curly leaves into a tender, glossy salad that goes with almost anything.
Salads
Jewel-like pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts and a pomegranate-molasses dressing — autumn flavors every Lebanese table knows — meet fresh kale in a colorful salad that is tangy, sweet and crunchy all at once. It looks festive but is ready in under half an hour.
Main courses
Chickpeas, tahini and lemon — a trio no Lebanese kitchen is ever without. Here they come together with massaged kale and crunchy oven-roasted chickpeas in one colorful, satisfying bowl that works as a quick lunch or a light dinner.
Vegetarian / vegan
Inspired by the way Lebanese grandmothers cook wild greens such as hindbeh (dandelion) with olive oil and garlic, this quick sauté turns a bag of kale into a bright, tender side dish finished with a squeeze of lemon. It is ready in under 20 minutes.
Healthy snacks
Crisp, lightly salted and gone in minutes. With just a little olive oil and a gentle oven, kale leaves turn into feather-light, paper-thin chips — a snack for all ages and a crunchy topping for soups and salads.
Soups
On cold days, few things warm you like a bowl of lentil soup. This one is inspired by Lebanese adas bi hamod — brown lentils, potato, garlic and coriander — with kale stirred in at the end so it stays green and tender, and a generous squeeze of lemon to finish.
Pasta
A bright green pesto of blanched kale, toasted walnuts, garlic, lemon and Parmesan, tossed through pasta with a splash of its cooking water until silky. It is an easy weeknight dinner for four that turns a good part of a 250 g bag into supper in about half an hour.
Breakfast
Two tender omelettes folded around a soft tangle of wilted kale, spinach and spring onion, finished with a pinch of sumac. Breakfast is ready in about 20 minutes and uses just 50 g of kale, leaving most of the bag for lunch and dinner.
Breakfast
Golden potatoes and soft onion meet wilted kale in a thick, sliceable frittata that starts on the stove and finishes in the oven. Serve it warm for brunch, or cut it into wedges for tomorrow’s lunch — it is just as good cold.
Main courses
Fluffy quinoa folded with lemon-massaged kale and sweet roasted carrots, zucchini, pepper and red onion, all brought together with a garlicky lemon dressing. It is colorful and satisfying, happy to be served warm or at room temperature, and packs well for the next day’s lunch.
Lebanese & Mediterranean
Golden grilled halloumi rolled up with lemony massaged kale, labneh, tomato, cucumber and fresh mint in warm Lebanese bread. It is a quick, satisfying lunch with the flavors of a Lebanese table, ready in about 20 minutes.
Smoothies
A bright, tangy green smoothie of raw kale, crisp apple, fresh lemon and creamy yogurt, with an optional banana or a sliver of ginger. The apple’s sweetness and the lemon’s sharpness balance kale’s earthy edge, and it is ready in 10 minutes.
Main courses
A thin, crisp-edged pizza with garlicky tomato sauce, melting mozzarella and kale leaves that turn lightly crisp in a very hot oven. The trick is a little olive oil on the leaves, so they toast at the edges instead of burning.
Soups
A thick, comforting pot of white beans simmered with onion, carrot, garlic and cumin, made creamy simply by mashing some of the beans — no cream needed. The kale goes in for the last few minutes so it stays tender and deep green, and a squeeze of lemon brightens every spoonful.
Illustration — not a photograph. Original photography is in production. 16 recipes.
