Kale Salad With Cranberries 5 Minute Meal Prep

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💭 Why you’ll love this kale cranberry salad

Quick and easy. Ready in just 5 minutes, this easy salad recipe Best recipe for beginners. This kale cranberry salad recipe uses simple ingredients and a simple dressing. Just give everything a good toss, and this is definitely a no-fail recipe even if you are serving salad for the first time. Also great for special occasions. This recipe might be simple, but the sweet cranberries and zesty lemon juice makes this a tasty salad, and will surely get a five-star rating from your guests.

📋 Ingredients and notes

To make this kale chopped salad with cranberries, you’ll need Tuscan or dinosaur kale, dried cranberries, cashews, and goat cheese. For the dressing ingredients, you’ll need lemon, golden syrup, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

Variations & substitutions

Tuscan kale. Feel free to use other kale leaves for this recipe such as lacinato kale, baby kale, red Russian kale, or curly kale. If you want to add a touch of color to your salad, you may use redbor kale. Cashews. If you don’t have cashews, no worries! You can use any nuts like almonds or pecans. It’s definitely up to you! Goat cheese. You can substitute this with cotija, feta cheese or parmesan cheese. If you’re feeling extra, you can even mix it all up! Dried cranberries. If you can’t find dried cranberries, you can use dried currants or golden raisins. Using fresh cranberries is also a good option if you prefer to use fresh fruit for your kale salad. Lemon juice. Lime juice is the best substitute for lemon juice but apple cider vinegar is also an excellent choice due to its similarity in acidity. Use maple syrup instead of golden syrup!

📖 How to make kale salad with cranberries

Step 1: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced nuts until they are golden brown and fragrant. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning. Once toasted, set aside to cool. This is optional but definitely recommended! Step 2: In a small bowl, zest the lemon and squeeze the lemon juice. Add in the golden syrup and olive oil. Whisk together until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Step 3:In a large bowl, add the chopped kale. Pour in the salad dressing and use your hands to massage the dressing into the leaves. Step 4: Sprinkle the dried cranberries and toasted cashews over the dressed kale. Toss everything together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Step 5: Crumble the goat cheese over the kale cranberry salad and enjoy!

👩🏽‍🍳 Tips for the best kale cranberry salad

⭐ Remove the stems and slice the kale into thin ribbons. This not only makes it easier to get bite-sized chunks, and ensures even dressing. Massaging the kale with dressing is key to soften the leaves and reduce bitterness.

Nuts can burn quickly, so stirring frequently and removing them from heat as soon as they’re golden brown is crucial. If using goat cheese, let it come to room temperature before adding it to the salad. This makes it easier to crumble and ensures it blends well with the other ingredients. Let the salad sit for a few minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Be mindful of the lemon zest’s intensity. Taste the dressing before adding to the salad to ensure it’s to your liking.

🍴 How to serve kale salad with cranberries

Kale salad with cranberries is a perfect side dish for a healthy lunch.

Add more variety to this hearty kale cranberry salad recipe by adding your preferred toppings like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, crisp apples, crunchy almonds or top with croutons! If you want to make this salad a complete meal, add protein like chickpeas or quinoa.

🍴Storage suggestions

Only mix the portion of dressing and greens that you will consume. But if you have leftover kale salad with dressing, you can put them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. Longer than that, the kale leaves might get soggy. To make your kale salad last longer, separate the salad dressing and kale leaves. Wrap the leaves in a damp paper towel, place them in a zip bag, and store in the crisp drawer of your refrigerator. This will make it last up to a week and will make your kale leaves crisp and fresh for next time. Store the salad dressing in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator. This is actually a great make-ahead option if you plan to have a healthy yet easy lunch the next day. Pre-mix the dressing and store it in a mason jar. You already have a simple dressing and all you have to do is prep the rest of the salad.