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This is a great salad for entertaining. It’s easy to make, people love it, and it pairs well with a wide variety of entrees. I like to make it when we host board game nights. I serve it along side a big pot of chili or soup. I’ve increased the yield to match my largest serving bowl but it still usually runs out well before the other dishes. The salad travels pretty well too so you can take it to BBQs and potlucks. If you are looking for a salad that’s great for a crowd, try this crunchy kale caesar with cornbread croutons!
On My Crunchy Kale Caesar Salad with Cornbread Croutons
The recipe is adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon cookbook. I made only minor modifications and increased the yield. You will need a big serving bowl.
I’m personally not a huge fan of kale in salads. When I do use it, I prefer lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur or tuscan kale) to curly kale. I also make sure to mix it with another green – typically romaine. I use 3 heads of romaine and 1 bunch of kale for this salad. You can change the kale/romaine ratio if you like more kale. Whatever amount you chose, make sure to remove the stems and cut it into bite size pieces.
You will need cornbread for the croutons. Whip up a batch or purchase it pre-made. I usually just buy a slab of cornbread from our neighborhood Whole Foods. They sell slabs of fresh cornbread that happen to be just the right amount for this recipe. It’s better to buy (or make) your cornbread a day or two in advance if possible. Day old cornbread will get crunchier in the oven but fresh cornbread works too. If your cornbread is in a loaf shape, you can cut it into square croutons (like the ones pictured). If you have muffins, you can crumble them into chunks.
Crunchy Kale Caesar with Cornbread Croutons
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and rough chopped
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2–3 tsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small bunch parsley, divided (approx 3 tbsp parsley for dressing)
- 1 tbsp chives, roughly chopped (optional)
- juice of 2 large lemons
Salad
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
- 3 romaine hearts, washed, dried, and torn into bite size pieces
- 1 ¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- remaining parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp chives, chopped (optional)
- 2 cups diced or crumbled cornbread, preferable day old
- extra virgin olive oil for making croutons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree
- Combined all dressing ingredients in the base of your food processor. Remember to use only 3 tbsp of the parsley in the dressing – the rest gets reserved for the salad. Blend until smooth.
- Arrange the cornbread pieces on a baking sheet or in a large cast iron skillet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Toss to coat and then bake in over for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Assemble the salad. Combine the kale, romaine, remaining parsley, and parmesan in a large mixing bowl and add dressing to taste. Toss until greens are evenly coated. Mix in the croutons and serve.
Notes
I’ve found this salad travels pretty well and can be made in advance. I would recommend keeping the dressing and croutons on the side until closer to serving time though.
This recipe will feed 10 to 12 as a side. You can halve it easily if you want a smaller salad. You can also add grilled chicken it you want to serve it as an entree.
