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!

Course Appetizer, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salad, Salads, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Appetizer, Gluten Free, Mediterranean, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 339kcal

Author Karly Gomez

Ingredients

Garlic-Infused Lemon Vinaigrette

⅓ 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