If you need an easy side dish for your family’s dinner, try this roasted kale salad with lemon dressing recipe. Why? Because it’s easy to make and it makes kale taste good. Yes, it really does make the kale taste good!
How is it May already? I am shocked that the year is almost half over. Goodness. In other news, we close on our house this month! About 3 weeks left, to be exact and I really can’t wait. I’m so excited.
Since it’s May and summer is almost here, I have been craving veggies and salads so much. One of the veggies that I am trying to add more of this summer is kale. I know, I know…we all love and hate kale – I get it.
Kale, the magic superfood that we all love to hate. I wasn’t a fan of it either, for a long time…that was until I figured out how to not have it taste so bitter.
The secret? Roast it and make it into a salad. Add a few extra greens and some carrots and tomatoes – and add a delicious dressing with my favorite ingredient – lemon juice.
And voila…you have a wonderful gluten free roasted kale salad with lemon dressing.
Yep, adding a lemon dressing truly cuts out the bitter taste of kale and makes this salad a must have. I love the added veggies as well – raw carrots and tomatoes really help make this a hearty meal.
You can even add more veggies if you wanted to to the salad – or roasted chicken to make it a full blown meal. If you are interested in additional salad recipes, try this avocado tomato and chickpea salad or this round-up of easy summer salads.
So why the sudden change with kale? Well, it’s a superfood and it has so many health benefits. I don’t really like it raw, but roasting it with the lemon dressing is such a great way to get the health benefits of kale without having that bitter taste.
I’m really trying to find new ways to eat kale while still keeping it healthy (I don’t really like kale chips …I want to add too much oil to them to make them taste good).
What are some of your favorite salads?

Roasted Kale Salad With Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls of kale
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced (about 2 cloves)
- cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 medium carrot chopped
- 1/2 medium lemon juiced
- 1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
To Prepare the Kale:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, mix the kale, olive oil and garlic together until fully combined. Place on a small baking sheet and bake in the oven about 5-7 minutes, or until the kale starts to look bright green and roasted.
- Remove from the oven and set aside.
To Prepare the Salad:
- In a medium bowl (you can use the same one you used for the kale mixture), mix together the mixed greens, cherry tomatoes and carrots.
- Add salt and pepper if needed. Take a little bit of olive oil and use to mix with the salad. Take a little bit of olive oil and use to mix with the salad. Add in your lemon juice and stir to combine. Finally, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese to each plate and serve immediately.
Thank you Christine. I loved how it tasted – so good!
Wow, I love the colors in this dish!
Thank you Anne! I am such a fan of lemon, and it’s a great compliment to the bitter kale taste. I love it!
Looks so good…fresh and crisp. I’m a huge fan of lemon as well!
Thank you! It is, and it’s so good.
Looks simple and delicious!