Have you ever ordered a kale salad on a first date and tried to gracefully consume a meal of giant, wayward kale leaves? Awkward. Regretful. Ugh. I’m on a mission to change that. I won’t quit creating new kale salad recipes until we can all walk into a restaurant and consistently receive a great kale salad. Based on some recent experiences, I declare that my work here is far from done.
Here’s how to make a kale salad that’s better than those sad restaurant salads. First, remove those tough ribs from the kale, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and massage it to minimize the poky factor and improve the flavor. (Yes, massage it. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s worth it! See instructions below.) Drizzle in a bold salad dressing and toss until it’s completely coated (I always use more dressing on kale salads than other green salads). Add some fun flavors and textures and you will have yourself a great kale salad.
I say all of this to defend kale salads against mentions that they’re “too trendy” or overdone. But kale salads, when made properly, can make truly delicious, crave-able meals. Those kinds of meals don’t go out of style. Right? Let’s make kale salad a classic like pizza and mac and cheese. We’ll all be better off for it.
This salad is the mac and cheese of kale salads, if you will. It’s creamy thanks to a bold tahini dressing, which makes this salad seem way more indulgent that it actually is. I packed in more flavor and texture with freshly toasted sunflower seeds and briny olives and pepper rings that I cannot resist. Chickpeas offer some protein and up the hearty factor. I’ve been craving heavy, cheesy comfort foods lately, but I legitimately can’t wait to get home and polish off this kale salad. I hope you feel the same!
Greek Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 side servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Greek
This healthy Greek kale salad recipe is full of bold Mediterranean flavors. It packs great for lunch, too. Recipe yields 2 large meal-sized servings, or 4 medium side salads.
Ingredients
Kale salad
- 1 medium bunch of curly green kale (about 8 ounces)
- Fine sea salt
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup thinly sliced Kalamata olives and/or roughly chopped pepper rings
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
- ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan (optional)
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Creamy tahini dressing
- 1⁄4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 to 1 ½ lemons)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the salad: Place the chopped kale in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with salt and massage it with your hands by scrunching up large handfuls at a time until it’s darker and more fragrant (this makes the kale more tasty and easier to eat). Add the chickpeas, olives and/or pepper rings, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan (if using). Set aside.
- To toast the sunflower seeds, combine the seeds with the olive oil and a few dashes of salt in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the seeds are fragrant and turning lightly golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Pour the toasted seeds into the salad bowl.
- To prepare the salad dressing: In a small liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and salt. Whisk until blended. Add the water and whisk until blended. Season generously with freshly black pepper, to taste.
- Pour the dressing into the salad (you might not need quite all of it, but I did). Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing. Serve immediately. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the Parmesan. You might like a light sprinkle of nutritional yeast to make up for it.
If you love this recipe: Check out more kale salads here.
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
AJ
Absolutely delicious. I added some feta instead of shaved parmesan and the dressing, along with the toasted sunflower seeds, really took this salad over the top.
★★★★★
Marina
Amazing.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Marina!
Raquel
OMG. This hearty salad is gonna be a staple for my family from here on out! To keep it dairy free I didn’t add Parmesan. To add flavor I used BOTH a half cup of pepperoncinis and a half cup of the olives. This is such an excellent salad!!! Perfect as a main meal but would also be killer with a meal of grilled salmon and lemony roasted potatoes. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Raquel! Thank you for sharing how you made it.
Melanie
I’ve had lots of kale salads that were pretty darn good, but adding the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, parm, etc. is totally off the chart delicious. This is my new favorite kale salad combo!
★★★★★
Jackie
All I have to say is…
OH
MY!!
DELISH, DELISH!! Oh and thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Jackie!
cynthia
love
Eva
My boyfriend and I are trying to turn over a new leaf (pun intended) when it comes to eating healthily and this recipe has genuinely blown our minds. Incredible flavours, filling, balanced nutritionally – we will be making this again very soon I’m sure! Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Eva! I’m glad you both enjoyed this recipe.
Cristy
For this recipe can I use the kale which is not curly? Thanks n appreciate your reply. Regards, Cristy
Kate
Sure! I hope you love it.
Cheryl
What a winner! I bought kale at the farm market today, and needed a way to get my fiancée to eat it. I thought a tahini dressing might do the trick. A web search turned up this recipe, and I’m so glad I found it! I didn’t have everything on hand, but it was close: I skipped the chickpeas and cheese, chopped up pickled cherry peppers instead of olives, and replaced the sunflower seeds with chopped toasted walnuts. Divine, and not only did the beau steal the rest for his lunch tomorrow—he’s asked me to make it again.
Nellie
Such a delicious & healthy alternative!!! Loved it
★★★★★
Melany
This salad is amazing. My husband who thinks kale is a weed & should be banished from the earth, actually enjoyed it and had a second helping! The tahini dressing really sales it. Just be careful and not put extra Dijon mustard in as it can overwhelm. This salad is very versatile and you can play with adding other veggies like sweet peppers. The sun dried tomatoes compliment a lot of different veggies. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
★★★★★