Even if you're not that into kale, you'll still love this crispy kale salad. It's both raw kale and crispy kale chips, sweet roasted beets, crunchy candied pecans, and cheese all tossed in an irresistible balsamic vinaigrette. It's a beautiful salad full of texture and flavor, and it's ready in just 45 minutes!
Ingredients
1lbbeets, chopped
8cupskale leaves or baby kale, divided
2teaspoonsolive oil, divided
½teaspoonsea salt, divided
¼cupshaved parmesan cheese, use your vegetable peeler for nice big pieces
¼ cupgoat cheese
Black Pepper Candied Pecans
½cuppecans, roughly chopped
1tablespoonmaple syrup
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1teaspoonbutter
The Dressing
2tablespoonsEACH: apple cider vinegar and honey
1 ½tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar
1teaspoondijon mustard
1smallgarlic clove, very finely minced
1pinchsea salt
4tablespoonsolive oil
Instructions
Turn your oven on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss the beets in half the oil and salt and place them on one of the baking sheets. Put them in the oven and let them roast for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
1 lb beets, 2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt
Toss half the kale with the remaining oil and salt and spread them out on the remaining baking sheet. Put them in the oven with the beets and cook the kale chips for 15-20 minutes. Watch them closely after 15 minutes as they burn easily near the end.
8 cups kale leaves or baby kale
While the beets are in the oven, make the candied pecans and the dressing. Place the pecans, maple syrup, and black pepper in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring often, until the pecans are coated in a thick syrup, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and stir to coat the pecans. Transfer the pecans to a piece of parchment paper and make sure they are not touching each other.
½ cup pecans, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon butter
To make the dressing, add the apple cider vinegar, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, and salt to a bowl and whisk. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is nice and creamy.
2 tablespoons EACH: apple cider vinegar and honey, 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 small garlic clove, 1 pinch sea salt, 4 tablespoons olive oil
When the kale chips and roasted beets are ready, add both to a large salad bowl with the candied pecans, raw kale, parmesan cheese, and goat cheese. Pour the dressing over the top and toss.
¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese, ¼ cup goat cheese
Notes
The dressing makes more than you need for this salad. We like to use about half of it and then save the rest for another salad later in the week.