Braised Kale Recipe with Caramelized Onions, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese
This is the braised kale recipe that once made a four-year-old guest push one of the country’s classic stuffings to the side of his plate and ask, “Can I have more of that stuff?” We love to include this recipe on our Thanksgiving or Christmas table. It's a great pairing for lots of classic dinner party mains, too. Make-ahead friendly.
Servings: 6
Calories: 106kcal
Ingredients
- 2 bunches kale 1 ½ to 2 pounds / 680 to (907 grams) total
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced (see note 2)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (235 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
- ½ batch caramelized onions see note 3
- ¾ cup (90 grams) chopped walnuts
- 2 ounces (60 grams) blue cheese (about ½ cup crumbled)
Instructions
- Wash kale and shake to remove excess water, leaving some water clinging to leaves. Strip leaves from stems and discard stems. Tear or cut leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- In large pan that has a heavy bottom and a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add broth, vinegar, salt, and pepper, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil.
- Begin adding kale by the handful, pausing to let it wilt as necessary, until all the kale is in the pot.
- Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on type.
- Gently stir in caramelized onions, walnuts, and blue cheese until well-mixed and creamy.
Notes
- I've pictured lacinato (dinosaur) kale in the photos of the finished dish and curly kale in the video. You can use any variety that you like.
- I sometimes use a lot more garlic than called for. In the video I used about 4x as much. Since it cooks for a long time, it gets quite mild. You can choose your own adventure.
- I really recommend that if you're going to go through the process of caramelizing onions, you make a whole batch and save the other half for burgers, risotto, and more. That said, if you prefer to cook them just for this dish, here's what to do. Slice 1 pound yellow onions thinly from root to tip. In a 10-inch frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter along with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 small sprig fresh rosemary and 1 generous sprig fresh thyme. Stir well to coat. For the first 20 minutes or so, the onions will sweat a lot and reduce in volume substantially. Stir occasionally during this time to keep them cooking evenly, and adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Don't expect to see too much color on the onions during this time. During the next 20 to 40 minutes, the onions will really start to caramelize. Your job during this time is to stir the onions not too little but not too much. Allow them to get a little bit browned on the bottom without burning, and then scrape up the browned bits while stirring the onions with a metal spoon or spatula. Typically the heat should be in the medium to medium-low range, but your mileage may vary. Over time you'll learn exactly how dark you like your caramelized onions. Our favorite point to stop is when they're a gorgeous mahogany brown and just on the cusp of jammy. At this stage they're super sweet and savory and not at all burned. Remove any large herb stems before using.
- If you'd like to make this recipe in advance, you've got a couple of options. First, you can make the whole dish up to a few days in advance and gently reheat it in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop just before serving. Or you can braise the kale and caramelize the onions in advance and finish the dish in about five minutes before serving. It's up to you — both methods work beautifully.
- Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 342mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g