This warm kale salad is made with a warm shallot vinaigrette and tossed with sharp pecorino, toasty pecans, and pickled golden raisins. It’s sweet, savory, and so satisfying on a cold winter day!
I’m obsessed with this warm kale salad. The hearty kale leaves are doused in a warm shallot dressing that's so flavorful and delicate. I just love the combination of ultra-savory shallots with all of the salty, sweet, juicy, crunchy things.
Kale is a polarizing salad base with its sturdy leaves and strong flavor. It’s not for everyone, and there have been plenty of unappetizing kale salads to make it a tough sell. But when we mix raw kale up with equally intense flavors and a lot of texture, you’re left with an unforgettable winter kale salad.
It’s also so versatile! The warm dressing plays up the savory quality and makes this salad perfect for a cold day. But toss it all together at room temperature or enjoy the chilled leftovers the next day, and you have an equally delicious kale salad that's great any time of year.
how to make this warm kale salad:
what's the best kale for this salad?
I love to use flat leaf kale here, and to be honest, it’s my favorite of all kales. I always default to the flat-leaf kale: it shines in stews, braises, beans and greens and all types of kale salad (like this lemony kale white bean salad). Flat leaf kale is also known as Tuscan Kale, Lacinato kale, Dinosaur kale, or Italian kale. It’s softer and much less frilly than the standard curly kale.
Lacinato kale is the easiest to clean (which is especially key for salads) and it’s not always necessary to massage the leaves with salt to tenderize. Slice them into ribbons and get to business!
If you do use curly kale, make sure to massage it with salt as described in Step 4.
You could also make this warm kale salad with baby kale, which is getting easier and easier to find. The baby kale leaves will wilt a bit more, and the salad will be more tender and sweet. Don't massage baby kale with salt!
why massage my kale?
When you massage salt into the leaves, they become more tender and wilted. The warm dressing soaks in more and it’s a saucier salad. The salt massaging can also make the kale less bitter for salad, and sometimes it even tastes sweeter.
If you just toss the leaves in the warm dressing, they won’t really wilt-- kale is too sturdy for that. The salad will be warm, but the leaves will be more textured and chewy. This is perfect if you want to make the salad ahead-- for dinner, or even for lunch the next day.
To be honest, I go both ways. Whether I massage the kale leaves is totally dependent on how much time I have and the type of kale I use. Sometimes I just want to pour the dressing on and eat! Both ways are great.
what to serve with kale salad:
We love to serve this kale salad with grilled or roast meats and something rich and creamy, like parmesan risotto.
It’s such an easy kale salad to make ahead of time, I also love to serve it when we go all in with homemade pizza! The sweet, savory, earthy flavors of this warm kale salad go especially well with our wild mushroom pizza!
warm kale salad with raisins
This warm kale salad is made with a shallot vinaigrette and tossed with sharp pecorino, toasty pecans, and pickled golden raisins. It’s sweet, savory, and so satisfying on a cold winter day!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 small shallot, peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch Tuscan kale, ribs discarded, leaves sliced into ½-inch ribbons
- ¼ cup roasted pecans, chopped
- 1 oz pecorino romano, coarsely grated
Instructions
- Heat raisins, vinegar, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until raisins are soft and plump, about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
- Rinse and dry saucepan; add shallots and olive oil. Cook over low heat for 10- 15 minutes, or until shallots are very soft but not browned. Pour shallots and olive oil into a blender along with mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Use a fork to fish out raisins and transfer them to a small bowl. Add ¼ cup of leftover vinegar mixture to the blender. Blend until very smooth. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Put kale in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Massage the kale until it’s tender and dark green. Toss with half the warm dressing, drained raisins, pecans, and pecorino cheese. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the extra dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of salad
- Calories: 379
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 308mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 27.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 4.5g
- Cholesterol: 7.4mg
Recipe originally published October 14, 2022. Updated July 1, 2025.
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