This super simple Sautéed Garlicky Kale recipe has quickly become one of my staples because it comes together in 5-minutes and makes the most delicious side dish!
If you’re like me, making vegetables taste delicious is a high priority in your life. Okay, I probably think about this more than the average person, but I know a lot of you want to eat more vegetables in your day, and one of my best tips to do that is to make them taste amazing!
I came up with this recipe when I was living in Baltimore, MD. My partner and I lived there for a few months for a short term job he had, and one of my favorite activities to do there was to visit the local farmers’ markets on the weekend. One stand sold five bunches of kale for $5, which was music to my ears as a huge kale lover.
My partner and I both make green smoothies with kale pretty much every morning, so it was never usually an issue using it all up before it went bad. This particular week, though, we were going on a weekend trip to New York City (remember traveling?!) and needed to use the kale up before then. I threw some kale in a pan along with garlic powder, soy sauce and nutritional yeast and was amazed at how delicious it tasted. It’s been a favorite ever since!
This Sautéed Garlicky Kale Recipe is perfect for those days when you feel like getting a good dose of greens in but still want a warming, comforting meal. I love pairing this kale recipe with some brown rice and my Smoky BBQ Tempeh – All the flavors work so well together. But it would also taste delicious with my Vegan Butter Chickpea Inspired Curry or my Vegan Mushroom Pasta.
Did you know that sautéing kale can make it easier to digest? When we cook a food, we initiate the process of helping to break down some of the fiber. This means that fibrous kale may be easier to digest when it’s cooked!
This recipe is so easy I debated even sharing it. But every time I show this recipe on my Instagram stories I get requests for it, so here it is!
Why you’ll love this Kale Recipe:
- It’s seriously easy and quick. Like, 5 minutes quick.
- It allows you to get a good dose of greens while eating something absolutely delicious!
- I’m pretty confident even your kids will love this recipe. If you try it out with your kids, leave me a comment letting me know or message me on Instagram!
- It’s the perfect balance of savory, salty and slightly cheesy (because of the nutritional yeast!)
- It’s the perfect side to pretty much any meal.
Main Ingredients:
Kale: Duh! We pack about four cups of kale into this recipe, but it cooks down so much! If you don’t want that much, feel free to half or even quarter this recipe! Kale is an incredible source of plant-based iron, calcium, fiber and vitamin C.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast adds a slightly savory, cheesey flavor to this recipe while also providing a boost of protein (one tablespoon of nutritional yeast has 2g of protein) and B vitamins!
Garlic Powder: Garlic powder gives this recipe a savory taste. You can definitely use fresh garlic in place of garlic powder, but it might not coat the kale leaves quite as well as garlic powder.
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce adds a deep salty flavor to this recipe, but feel free to replace with regular salt if you prefer!
Coconut oil: Coconut oil is a high smoke-point cooking oil, which is perfect for this recipe since we’re sautéing the kale.It also lends a subtle sweetness to the kale, which I love. If you don’t want to use coconut oil, though, you can definitely sub with avocado oil or another oil of your choice!
Lemon juice: The lemon juice is optional in this recipe, but it adds a brightness to the dish that I really love!
How to make this Sautéed Garlicky Kale Recipe:
- Add coconut oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once warm, add kale.
- Add all remaining ingredients besides the lemon juice and sauté until kale is deep green and wilted, about 4-5 minutes.
- Finish with lemon juice and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- If you don’t like coconut oil, you can use another high heat cooking oil as well! I’ve also tried this recipe without oil, and while I don’t like it as much, it’s still delicious!
- Feel free to use fresh garlic if you prefer, but it may not coat the kale as well as garlic powder
- Feel free to adjust the amounts of each ingredient based on your own taste preferences!
- Feel free to add other spices you like! Chili flakes would be super delicious.
- I’ve also tried this cabbage using half purple cabbage and it turned out just as delicious!
- This recipe doesn’t store very well, so I recommend eating it fresh.
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Okay, now back to the Sautéd Garlicky Kale Recipe! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Make sure you leave me a rating and review if you try it out, and tag me in your photos on Instagram or Pinterest!
Sautéed Garlicky Kale Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 4 cups kale washed and chopped
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Add coconut oil to a large pan over medium heat.
- Once warm, add kale and all remaining ingredients besides the lemon juice. Sauté until kale is deep green and wilted, about 4-5 minutes.
- Finish with lemon juice and enjoy!
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