• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Gluten Free
    • Mexican Food
    • One Pot
    • Paleo
    • Pasta
    • Quick Meal
    • Recipe Videos
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Burgers
    • Skillet Meal
    • Soups
    • Tacos
    • Vegan
  • About
    • Copyright
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure and Content Uses
    • Image Usage Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
  • Cookbook
  • Contact

A Simple Pantry logo

Home » Appetizers » Easy Kale Salad Recipe with Marcona Almonds, Manchego, & Aleppo Pepper

Published: Jan 11, 2021 by Karly · This post may contain affiliate links

Easy Kale Salad Recipe with Marcona Almonds, Manchego, & Aleppo Pepper

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The perfect side dish, this Easy Kale Salad Recipe features an array of Spanish flavors including buttery Marcona almonds, zesty Manchego cheese, and spicy Aleppo pepper. With plump golden raisins, hard-boiled egg, and a garlic-infused lemon vinaigrette, this salad comes together quickly and brings life to the often-overlooked crunchy kale. Pair this salad with some roasted red pepper soup for an ultimate flavorful dinner!

bowl with easy kale salad recipe with marcona almonds, manchego, and aleppo pepper

How To Make This Kale Salad Recipe

  • To get the best flavor in the dressing, it’s important to warm the olive oil with the smashed garlic and aleppo pepper. Do this step first to give the oil the most amount of time to absorb the flavors from the aromatics.
  • While the aromatics steep, toss together the panko with the garlic, sea salt and olive oil and gently heat over medium-low until the panko is browned and crispy but not burnt. Try not to eat it all out of the pan, or just make extra so you can!
  • You can use the golden raisins as they are, but I think they are tastier when plumped. Simply pop them in a small bowl and pour hot water over them and let it sit for 5 minutes before draining.
  • For the most tender kale, add a little bit of lemon and olive oil to the leaves and massage for a few minutes. You’ll be able to feel the leaves loosen and soften!
  • I like to add a teaspoon of the dressing to the chopped egg and toss it gently before adding it to the salad, rather than tossing the eggs with the salad. You can do it either way.
  • Finish the salad right before serving for the best texture and flavor.

backlit plate of easy kale salad recipe with marcona almonds, manchego, and aleppo pepper

Easy Kale Salad Recipe with Marcona Almonds, Manchego, & Aleppo Pepper

This Easy Kale Salad Recipe features an array of Spanish flavors including buttery Marcona almonds, zesty Manchego cheese, and spicy Aleppo pepper. With plump golden raisins, hard-boiled egg, crispy panko crumble, and a garlic-infused lemon vinaigrette, this salad comes together quickly and brings life to the often-overlooked crunchy kale. Pair this salad with some roasted red pepper soup!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salad, Salads, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Appetizer, Gluten Free, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 339kcal
Author: Karly Gomez

Ingredients

Garlic-Infused Lemon Vinaigrette

  • â…“ cup olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
  • ½ teaspoon aleppo pepper
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • pinch sea salt

Panko Crouton Crumble

  • ¼ cup panko
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • pinch sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

Kale Salad

  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ½ cup hot water
  • 6 cups fresh curly kale chopped or chiffonade
  • ½ cup marcona almonds roughly chopped
  • 1 hard-boiled egg chopped
  • 1 cup manchego cheese finely grated
  • pinch aleppo pepper

Instructions

Garlic-Infused Lemon Vinaigrette

  • In a small pan over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, smashed garlic, and aleppo pepper. Once hot, transfer to a small dish and let sit. When ready to finish the salad, strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the garlic and aleppo pepper, then add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and whisk well.

Panko Crouton Crumble

  • In a small bowl, toss together the panko with the minced garlic, sea salt, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Wipe the pan from the vinaigrette clean and add the mixture, heating over medium until the panko is golden and crisp, stirring occasional to prevent burning. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Kale Salad

  • Add the golden raisins to a bowl and top with the hot water. Let sit for 5 minutes then drain thoroughly.
  • Add the kale to a large bowl, then drizzle with a tablespoon or two of the dressing. Gently massage the kale by hand until the leaves loosen and become tender. Add a couple more tablespoons of dressing, then add the golden raisins and marcona almonds. Toss well to combine then turn out onto a serving dish. Sprinkle with the hair-boiled egg, then top with the panko crumble and grated manchego cheese. Add more dressing as desired, then sprinkle with a pinch of aleppo pepper and serve immediately.

Notes

  • I recommend making extra panko crumble, because it smells and tastes so delicious, you may find yourself eating it out of the pan.
  • If you forget to plump the raisins, all is not lost! You can use them as-is.
  • Do not skip the massaging of the kale. Do not skip it, you will regret it.
  • I like to add a teaspoon of the dressing to the chopped egg and toss it gently before adding it to the salad, rather than tossing the eggs with the salad. You can do it either way.

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 461mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6890IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 342mg | Iron: 2mg
MADE THIS RECIPE?Click here to leave a comment + star rating! ★★★★★

Share your photo and tag @asimplepantry or #asimplepantry!

« Roasted Red Pepper Soup
The Best Damn White Bean Hummus »

About Karly

From her childhood home in Southern Minnesota, Karly embraces the crazy of everyday life by creating delicious dishes her family and friends love, while experimenting with new flavors and techniques and photographing the results. Karly’s love for beautiful foods and joy for creating is infectious to all who meet her.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

author karly gomez of a simple pantry with a background of red bell peppers
Hi, I'm Karly! Welcome to A Simple Pantry, where you’ll find inspiration for any meal and every occasion with tried-and-tested recipes, step-by-step tutorials, and occasional cooking videos that help you prepare easy gourmet dishes the whole family will love.
START HERE

i prefer margaritas and sitting in the shade to piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.

digital magazines and phone with cookbook viewing

Copyright © 2023 A Simple Pantry on the Brunch Pro Theme