Kale Salad With Apples and Cheddar Recipe (2024)

If you use a sturdier kale, take a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of the oil and massage the kale in the large bowl before adding other ingredients. You're looking to soften the kale before you mix in the other ingredients. It really works.

This is tasty but there's no way it can be made in five minutes. Just cutting up the kale takes longer than
hat. I'd estimate between 20 and 30 minutes.

This is a simple and delicious way to eat kale. I found the cheddar was lost in the salad and have since made it without cheese - it's just a good. Also great with a few pomegranate seeds sprinkled in.

Absolute adore this recipe -- it's my favorite salad, hands down! It's so simple and so delicious! I typically dress the salad before I head to work in the morning, and by lunch the kale is perfectly tender but still fresh. I also substituted Gruyere to add a very subtle funk.

I feel the authors heart is in the right place with this recipe, but the execution is way off. All the ingredients work great together, but not in the given amounts. I changed it to 2 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp (one whole fresh lemon ) of lemon juice, 2 oz of cheddar cheese. Five tablespoons of olive oil is just way too much and leaves your mouth feeling oily, and 1 oz of cheddar leaves people poking around wondering where the rest is.

Massaging the lemon juice in first will cook and soften the kale (and your hands).

What a wonderful recipe - I substituted Cheddar cheese for Feta, and added walnuts and Sicilian olives. I also took advice from 'Monica R' and added pomegranate and 'Gabrielle' to up the lemon a bit. I also took advice from 'Me' to first massage kale with salt & oil - Thanks to everyones feedback the result was Delicious!!!

Speed the prep by buying a bag of shredded kale (found mine at Trader Joe's). Definitely a good base for variations. This time I substituted pumpkin seeds for almonds, due to a nut allergy, and next time, I'm going to try blue cheese instead of cheddar and add cranberries or pomegranate seeds, depending on what I have on hand.

This simple recipe can go so many ways! I have used pear & blue cheese for a twist....along with apple & pecans that were roasted with a bit of sea salt and cracked pepper. Simple and easy! Prepare it and go on with the rest of the dinner/lunch prep as the longer it sits the better it tastes!

An alternative version of this includes quinua, and feta along with the apples and kale rather than the cheddar.

Cooked, but the cheddar is a mistake. The freshness of the apples/kale is masked by the cheddar. Leave out the parmesan, too. Lemon juice is nice, but an apple cider vinegar seems more appropriate. Letting the salad sit around for a day adds to its sweetness. I would recommend a visalia onion to the garlic, but... garlic is lovely.

Quick and easy. With chicken on top, this is a go-to for bringing lunch take to work. If you make a batch of dressing beforehand and just leave it in the fridge, it takes about five minutes to chop up a single-serve portion. I dress the salad and by the time I eat it 4 hours later, the kale is nice and flavorful. (I wouldn't do it with any other green!)

Great salad. I wanted to double recipe, but didn't have enough kale, so added spinach and arugula that I had on hand, all cut up as small as the kale was. It really worked. Great salad to make ahead of time if you are going to an event. I put each ingredient already cut up into separate containers and bags and it was easy to assemble once I arrived after a long drive. Definitely adding this to my pot-luck list.

Delicious. Toasted pumpkin seeds made it even better. Loved the Apple/cheddar combo.

Thought this recipe was delicious and definitely worth making again. As mentioned below, massaging kale with oil makes a noticeable improvement to the texture, and we are glad we used a smaller garlic clove as directed (could see garlic overwhelming the dish if a larger portion was used.) If looking to make a more substantial meal, we added grilled, marinated chicken, and it made for a great dinner.

Yup, you really need to massage that kale with something— I opted for the lemon juice suggestion— to soften it up. Used chopped walnuts, bc that is what I had, and increased lemon juice per another suggestion. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.

Easy and tasty

Awesome recipe. I used Extra Sharp Cabot Cheese. Didn’t massage the kale. Just let it sit in the dressing for a bit. I’m definitely making again. THANK YOU NYT!

Works amazing subbing Arugula for Kale

Excellent use of my fresh grown kale. Served with brown rice and oysters wrapped in bacon.

I enjoyed the salad overall. The cheddar seems unneeded to me. Lots of possibilities for variations though.

This is a nice and easy alternative to other kale salads. Massaging the kale softens it and helps it absorb the dressing. Varying the type of cheese and apples is fun too. Tried a extra sharp cheddar and a different day used a white cheese marbled with truffle.

Add toasted almonds for a warm nuttiness I also use manchego instead of Parmesan

This was good, simple and easy peasy but not a mind blowing experience. Next time will add pomegranate because why ever not?

I made lots of changes but overall enjoyed the inspiration the recipe gave! Massaged the kale, grated the cheddar with a box grater, added apple cider vinegar to the dressing, added chopped craisins, and subbed chopped pecans for the almonds. Next time I may grate at least some of the apple too, to see if I like that texture more.

Good but needed tweaking, more almonds, a little sherry vinegar and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard in the dressing

I added apple cider vinegar and pepitas to it and it was great.

this is a great salad for a quick lunch or busy weeknight dinner. I add a touch of maple syrup to the dressing and roasted chicken peas or chicken for protein

Easy and delicious! Great flavor combo.