This Lemony Sautéed Kale is possibly one of my most famous recipes ever! It solves two problems: how to make kale delicious…and how to eat it more often.
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Remember the start of the kale craze? The buzzy green officially swept the nation several years ago, and I can’t tell you how much that made my little kale-loving heart swell! When I learned of the nutritional POWERHOUSE that is kale, I made a deal with myself that I would do two things:
- Figure out a way to eat it that actually tastes REALLY GOOD.
- Find a way to plug it into my routine so I can enjoy it regularly.
You see, kale really is king of the veggie world. It contains more Vitamin A, C, and K than you can shake a stick at. But, it also has a reputation for being the worst kind of health food: chewy and without great flavor. Before I learned how to prepare lemony kale, I really thought: rabbit food.
Lemony kale got its official debut in my first book, Fed & Fit. While my dear friend Diane Sanfilippo and I were out on our combined book tour, I introduced her to the lemony kale. You see, I prefer this kale for (brace yourself) breakfast. I do! It’s light, bright, and (believe it or not) totally crave-able if prepared correctly.
While lunch and dinner are sometimes a toss-up (maybe we’re dining out or want a specific dish), breakfast is highly consistent in our house. So while I might make a Curried Kale Salad, Mexican Street Corn and Kale Slaw, or Creamy Sausage Kale Soup for lunch or dinner, adding a pile of lemony kale to our breakfast plates is an easy way to ensure that I enjoyed this vitamin-packed green OFTEN.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- An essential recipe you’ll make again and again!
- Just 10 minutes of prep and less than 10 minutes of cook time
- A quick and easy way to get tons of healthy vitamins and nutrients
- Versatile dish that’s perfect for lunch, dinner…even breakfast!
Sautéed Kale Recipe Ingredients
All you need is 4 ingredients to make this easy kale recipe. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Olive Oil – start with 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kale – you’ll use one whole bunch of kale
- Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (which is about half of a small lemon) adds a bright pop of citrus that’s essential to this recipe
- Salt – we call for 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
Here’s how to make this recipe your own:
- Get your greens – While we think lacinato (or “dino”) kale is best for this method, you can swap in curly kale, or other greens like Swiss chard or spinach. (If you do opt for chard or spinach, just keep a close eye on your pan since these more tender greens will cook more quickly than kale.)
- Fat options – Olive oil is great for this recipe, but you can opt for other fats like butter, bacon fat, or avocado oil if you’d prefer.
How to Make Sautéed Kale
You won’t believe how quickly and easily this healthy greens recipe comes together!
Step 1: Melt the butter (or oil or bacon fat) over medium heat in a large frying pan that has a matching lid.
Step 2: Add the greens and toss to coat in the butter.
Step 3: Cover and steam until wilted, about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add the lemon juice and salt and stir to combine with the wilted greens. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips
- Types of kale – Though curly kale is acceptable in a pinch, lacinato (or “dino”) kale is best. The texture of lacinato kale can’t be beat!
- Options for fat – Use a tasty cooking fat to start: bacon grease is our preference, but butter and ghee are great, too.
- Destemming – You don’t want to skip this step! For tender kale, peel the leaves off the thick stems. (Discard the stems, or save them for stock.)
- Cook time – Saute in your hot pan with cooking fat just until the kale wilts and reduces in size a bit. Undercooked = warm salad. Overcooked = better than undercooked, but not as good as perfectly cooked. This usually takes me about 3-4 minutes until it’s all bright green and a little droopy.
How to Serve
Serve these greens warm seasoned with sea salt and a hit of lemon juice.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container and eat within a day or two.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can use a few tricks to make raw, tough kale more tender (like finely shredding, massaging, or softening in an acidic dressing), we love this method because it yields perfectly cooked greens that are tender and delicious, but still retain some of their heartiness.
This easy sauté method is the perfect way to turn raw, tough, and chewy kale into perfectly cooked and tender. The combination of the heat, cooking oil, and tenderizing lemon juice are the keys!
More Delicious Vegetable Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Lemony Sautéed Kale, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Lemony Sautéed Kale
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large frying pan that has a matching lid. Add the greens, toss to coat in the butter, and cover to steam until wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and salt and stir to combine with the wilted greens. Serve warm.
Nutrition
This is so simple and delicious! I meal prepped breakfasts this week with roasted sweet potatoes, this kale, and sautéed ground turkey. It keeps me feeling full and satisfied until lunchtime.
That’s amazing, Kylee! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
This was quick and so flavorful! We loved it!
We’re so glad, Jessica! Thank you for sharing this with us!
WOW!! This is amazing! I actually like eating kale now!
SCORE! That’s awesome, Cheryl!
Super simple but adds a punch of flavor and is particularly delicious served with smoked salmon and eggs
So glad you enjoy this recipe, Emily! Thank you for letting us know!
Have you ever tried this recipe with mustard greens?
I haven’t, but I think they’d work great!
Time and again I come back to this recipe, and it is so delicious every time!! Even my toddlers gobble it right up! Thanks thanks thanks!!
So glad you love it, Jessica! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made this today with curly kale with tons of stems and it was DELICIOUS!! My 2 year old kept ditching his cold pizza slice for more of it. I can only imagine how much better it is with destemmed Dino kale. Totally recommend though if this is all you have, it’s dynamite!
That is awesome, thanks for sharing!
What’s the best way to reheat this?
Reheat over the stove for a few minutes, and if you’re already reheating a few other things on the stove just toss it in the same pan! You can also microwave for about 30 seconds if you’re short on time!
Woohoo! I have been waiting for this recipe because I am not a huge fan of kale but I wish I were! I’m happy to report that I tried this recipe already with a bunch of kale from my local farmer’s market and I loved it!!! Thank you, thank you! Will for sure be making this again 🙂
HI Cassie! Do you use enameled cast-iron for this kale recipe? Thanks!
Both enameled cast iron and stainless steel!