Creamy Kale Caesar Salad

This delicious and creamy kale caesar salad is made in under 30 minutes and is the perfect staple to have in the refrigerator. You can additionally top it off with cooked protein to make it an all inclusive meal. It is dairy free, paleo, and Whole30.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Creamy Kale Caesar Salad, Kale Caesar Salad

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 596kcal

Author Monica Stevens Le

Ingredients

Caesar Dressing

1 cup avocado oil or safflower oil (see notes)
1 large egg at room temperature
1 lemon juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 anchovies
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Salad

2 bunches kale (i.e. Green & Lacinato)
1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
4 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated or shredded, omit for Whole30
2 small avocados diced
1 large green apple quartered and thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 lemon juiced, to taste

Instructions

Caesar Dressing

In a glass jar (see notes), pour in the oil. Add egg to the oil and let the ingredients settle for 1 minute.
Take the immersion blender and let it touch the bottom of the container, piercing the egg yolk completely. Turn the immersion blender on and leave it on the bottom for about 20-30 seconds, until the whole bottom has turned white in color.
VERY SLOWLY lift it up to continue emulsifying. This process should take anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue blending until the mixture has thickened to your desired amount.
Add the rest of the dressing ingredients to the jar. Blend again, moving the blender up and down until smooth and creamy throughout. Set aside.

Salad

Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. You can use a salad spinner or paper towels to do a great job here. De-stem and cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
Place in a large mixing bowl and massage with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil. Massage the kale for 3-4 minutes with your hands. Season with a few large pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.
Toss thoroughly with the dressing (add about 3/4 of it). Add the rest of the ingredients and add more dressing if you’d like depending on your preference. I ended up using it all.
Top off with fresh lemon juice and more salt and pepper, if needed.

Notes

You can alternatively use safflower oil or a light-tasting olive oil.
You can use 1.5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
If your mayo does break, here is an incredible tutorial that will get it emulsified and creamy!
If you'd like your dressing thinner, simply add in room temperature water 1 tablespoon at a time and stir until it reaches your desired consistency.
Simply omit the parmesan cheese to make this recipe dairy free and Whole30.

Nutrition