Winter Kale Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette.
This blood orange kale salad is the perfect savory, nutty salad to make during the winter months. Vibrant blood orange pairs with pistachio and pomegranate to bring a lovely salad that works with soups, sandwiches and more.
Blood orange season thrills me!
I love these vibrant, stunning citrus fruits in all their stain-your-hands-pink glory. This salad is filled with tuscan kale, segmented blood oranges, pomegranate arils, roasted pistachios and parmesan cheese. It’s easy and flavorful and so, so pretty!
And yes, more kale today!
Kale in pesto, kale in salad. I’m in a kale mood this month and I love how incredibly versatile it is.
Plus, finally some blood oranges. It has taken me forever to find them in my area this year and I’m so excited that I finally did. Sure, I love using them for beautiful recipes like this. But we also really like to juice them. This juicer gets a workout this time of year and makes for the most gorgeous glass of blood orange elixir.
This is such a simple yet flavorful salad. It has so many winter ingredients that I love to eat. We have:
Tuscan kale. It’s definitely my preferred version of kale and I love it in salads.
Blood oranges. I will eat anything that is hot pink! Not to mention, it tastes incredible.
Pomegranate arils. You already know how much I adore these little winter jewels.
Pistachios. Chopped pistachios are my go-to in salad. So buttery.
Shaved parmesan. For some extra savory and rich cheesy flavor.
The entire salad is drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette. But honestly, it’s such a versatile dish that you could throw any dressing on top.
This can be a light lunch salad. It’s filling thanks to the kale, pistachios and parmesan.
It could also be a starter salad – one you have before a full meal, a soup or heck, even fondue.
And it is a fabulous base salad! I love to add crispy chicken to this, grilled salmon and even beans.
The blood orange vinaigrette is just as delicious as the gorgeous juice. It’s easily one of my favorite vinaigrettes of all time. Tangy, briney and bright, this is sweet and savory with that perfect hit of vinegar. I like to use a few tablespoons to massage the kale first, then add the toppings, then finish with more dressing.
This is one of those salads that I CRAVE. The texture is fabulous, the citrusy dressing is so wonderful with the rich parmesan and roasted pistachios. I love to shred the kale into small bits so this almost acts like a chopped salad, which we all know is the best kind of salad.
Doesn’t get much prettier than this!
Blood Orange Kale Salad
Blood Orange Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 cups shredded tuscan kale
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 blood oranges, segmented
- ⅓ cup chopped roasted pistachios
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
blood orange vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed blood orange juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- kosher salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place the kale in a bowl and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Massage the kale for a minute so - this releases the bitterness and chew from the kale. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss well.
- Top with the oranges, pomegranate arils, pistachios and parmesan. Drizzle with more of the dressing. Serve!
blood orange vinaigrette
- Whisk together the juice, vinegar, garlic, dijon and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. This stays great in the fridge for a few days!
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4 Comments on “Winter Kale Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette.”
Great salad but error in the ingredient list. The Parmesan is not listed. Looks like about 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan is added at the end. It is listed in the instructions but not in the ingredients.
Great recipe but the Parmesan cheese is not listed in the ingredients – only in the directions. Looks like about 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan to serve four.
What kind of beans do you recommend adding? Making this for a salad swap and trying to decide what proteins to add. I’m thinking chicken, quinoa and cannellini beans?!
love this salad! I’m making right now to take to work for lunch the next few days. I love how kale salads last and it tastes delicious. I add pumpkin seeds in addition to the pistachios.