Chopped Kale Salad
Try this Chopped Kale Salad for a vibrant and healthy twist on the classic Italian appetizer platter! Tender red kale, salty salami, zesty pepperoncini, and artichoke hearts are tossed with a simple and easy dressing made from the flavorful artichoke marinade, then topped off with shaved Parmesan cheese. Makes a great grab-and-go lunch!
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Antipasto is a traditional Italian appetizer that translates to “before the meal.” Typically, the dish showcases an assortment of cured meats, cheeses, and marinated vegetables. This Chopped Kale Salad reimagines those classic elements into a light, refreshing salad.
A simple dressing made from the artichoke marinade is a clever nod to frugality requiring only a splash of red wine vinegar. Salami, crisp red onion, pepperoncini, and artichoke hearts pair perfectly with the mildly bitter kale for a savory, balanced salad with bold flavor!
Red kale is slightly sweeter and more tender than its green counterpart to provide the perfect base for this salad. Whatever kale you use, the secret to making a great kale salad is to massage the kale leaves with olive oil. This process softens the kale, transforming what could be a tough texture into something wonderfully tender.
Kale salads hold up well in the fridge; this one is no exception! It remains super fresh with a great texture, making this antipasto-style chopped kale salad an excellent option for meal prep!
This Chopped Mediterranean Kale Salad recipe is:
- Delicious! This kale salad is bursting with vibrant Italian-inspired flavor!
- Simple and easy! This dish involves no cooking since all of the components are cold antipasto style.
- Fresh and wholesome! The red onions and zesty pepperoncini give this salad its bright flavor and delicate crunch.
- Customizable! Easily make this salad vegetarian by leaving out the salami.
- Make-ahead! This Chopped Kale Salad holds up well refrigerated for several days!
How to Make a Chopped Kale Salad:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this chopped kale salad recipe. The recipe card below has the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Red Kale: This salad uses red kale, which has a slightly sweeter flavor and is more tender than the curly green variety. Lacinato kale, or dino kale, is a good substitute in this chopped kale salad recipe. Remove the stems, as those can be pretty tough.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is used to massage the kale in this recipe and tenderize it. Use a good extra-virgin olive oil.
- Salami: The amount of salami in this recipe is highly customizable and depends on whether you’d like to serve this dish as a side salad or a heartier main dish. You can use Milano, Genoa, Calabrese, or a combination.
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts: One of my favorite pantry items! Marinated artichoke hearts are packed in a flavorful combination of olive oil, vinegar, and spices. Because the marinade is so flavorful, I always try to reuse it somewhere in my cooking. In this case, the dressing for this chopped kale salad recipe.
- Pepperoncini: Another one of my favorite pantry ingredients! Pepperoncini vary from sweet to quite hot.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar is fermented red wine. After fermentation, the vinegar is diluted to achieve approximately 5% acidity. Pompeiian is a reliable brand.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over kale. Season with salt and black pepper.
- With both hands, massage the kale for 1 to 2 minutes or until it softens and shrinks by about 1/3, adding additional olive oil if needed.
- Drain the artichokes, reserving 1/3 cup of the marinade.
- Coarsely chop the artichokes for the salad.
- Stir minced garlic into the reserved marinade and red wine vinegar to taste. Set aside.
- Toss the kale with artichoke hearts, red onion, salami, pepperoncini, and all but 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
- Drizzle with some dressing made from the marinade as needed (you don’t want it soggy).
- Add additional freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Add additional freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- The key to any good kale salad is massaging the kale. This step transforms the kale. Remove the stems and place the leafy green part in a bowl. Drizzle on a small amount of olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Then, use your hands to massage and soften the kale for a few minutes. The color will become more vibrant, and the texture will transform!
Recipe FAQs:
I prefer red kale in this Italian kale salad because it’s a bit sweeter than conventional green kale, so it pairs nicely with the other savory ingredients. It is also slightly more tender than the curly green kale variety. Lacinato, or dino kale, would also be delicious in this salad and in keeping with the Mediterranean theme.
Yes! While a kale Mediterranean chopped salad has a nice heartiness, you can substitute it with other greens, like spinach, arugula, or mixed salad greens, for a slightly lighter dish. You’ll need to keep the dressing and other ingredients off until serving time because they won’t hold up as well as kale.
Yes! This Italian chopped kale salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a few days.
Storage:
- Keep leftovers refrigerated and enjoy within three days.
Serve with:
- Italian Meatloaf
- Stuffed Zucchini Recipe
- Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Puttanesca Sauce
- Hamburger Vegetable Soup
More great kale recipes you’ll love!
- Tuscan Kale Salad
- Sauteed Kale with Andouille Sausage
- Beet and Kale Salad with Honey – Balsamic Dressing
- Kale Quinoa Salad with Lemon – Honey Dressing
- Balsamic Roasted Kale Sprouts with Shaved Parmesan
Get all my side salad recipes at Side Salads – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Chopped Kale Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 bunches red kale - stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - or as needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 jar (12-ounce) marinated artichoke hearts
- Red wine vinegar - to taste
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 4 ounces salami - (Milano, Genoa or Calabrese or a combination), thinly sliced into strips or coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese - divided
Instructions
- Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over kale. Season with salt and black pepper.
- With both hands, massage the kale for 1-2 minutes or until it softens and shrinks by about 1/3, adding additional olive oil if needed.
- Drain the artichokes, reserving 1/3 cup of the marinade. Coarsely chop artichokes for the salad. Stir minced garlic into the reserved marinade and red wine vinegar to taste. Set aside.
- Toss the kale with artichoke hearts, red onion, salami, pepperoncini, and all but 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
- Drizzle with some of the reserved dressing made from the marinade as needed (you don't want it soggy).
- Add additional freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
- Salad keeps very well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Stir from the bottom up before serving.
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Made this salad again today. So happy you updated it and kept it on your blog. Love it!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Since you posted this recipe, I made a big bowl of this salad every week with fresh kale from my garden.. I was totally addicted. Sad to say my garden is done, last kale picking today.