Kale salad with apple hazelnuts bacon

Healthy chopped Kale with apples, hazelnuts toasted, crisp pancetta, and fresh parmesan. Drizzled with sweet and tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

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This is my favorite recipe for kale salad. This chopped kale salad is my favorite. I have eaten so many bowls over the years that I cannot even begin to count. It’s just that good. This is a quick and easy kale recipe.

This salad is part of my mini-series of apple recipes. (That apple caramel sauce!) Instead of dessert, this recipe is a healthier, lighter version, a lemony kale Salad with lots of apples.

What is Tuscan Kale?

Tuscan Kale is the only kind of Kale that I will eat. It took me some time to like Kale, but I finally did. I prefer it when it is cut into thin strips and marinated in olive oil. (I use Luigi Tega) I also add a squeeze of lemon juice and kosher sea salt.

After massaging the Kale with these ingredients, it is allowed to marinate for some time. The massage helps to soften the Kale and remove some of its bitterness.

I love Kale and this salad, but I always want more. Loaded salads are my favorite.

Chopped kale salad ingredients:

I like textures in salads and especially crunch. This salad has three ingredients that add crunch: pancetta crisps, panko buttery breadcrumbs, and hazelnuts freshly toasted.

The hazelnuts come from Italy, and they are the best I’ve ever tasted. I ordered them from my friend Dave, from whom I also buy the Luigi Tega Olive Oil.

Let’s begin by preparing the Kale.

How to make chopped Kale?

To make chopped Kale, you must first remove the leaves from the stems. With one hand, I hold the branch, and my other hand is in a fist below it. I then run my hand along the stem to remove the leaves. It takes a bit of practice, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s super easy.

I trim away any stems I missed. I place the trimmed leaves in my Salad Spinner Bowl to drain and rinse. This step can be done with whole, cut, or chopped leaves. You can choose how you want to proceed.

The kale leaves are then rolled up and thinly sliced into 1 to 2-inch-long strips.

What is massaged Kale?

Before being massaged, the chopped raw Kale has a large volume. It is for this reason that I use a big bowl. The importance of marinated and massaged meat decreases.

For this recipe, I also use 4-5 large bunches. This recipe yields large bowls of salad.

The Kale is placed in a big bowl. After all the Kale has been chopped, I add olive oil, salt, and lemon juice.

This kale-apple salad has a vinaigrette made with apple cider. I use less olive oil and lemon juice than I would have if I were only using these two ingredients. Here, you can see how much the kale volume decreased after it was massaged with oil, lemon juice, and salt.

This step can be done ahead of time. This will keep the Kale fresh for several days in the fridge. Just place it in a container that is sealed or a bowl, like this one, covered with plastic.

It’s now time to prepare the remaining ingredients for the chopped Kale

While Kale marinates, I toast and chop hazelnuts and crisp up the pancetta.

Prepare the apples- Core, chop, and drizzle the apples with lemon juice before adding them to the salad to prevent browning.

To make panko breadcrumbs, Add some butter to a pan and add panko. Stir until the butter melts and the panko turns golden. It only takes a couple of minutes.

To make crisp pancetta- Take 8 ounces of diced pancetta, cook in a pan until crispy (I love my cast iron pans to do this), and then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Pancetta can be substituted with bacon; dice it into small pieces and cook. You can also omit it to keep your salad vegetarian.

To toast hazelnuts: Toast them whole in a pan, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Cool the hazelnuts after toasting before chopping.

Prepare the vinaigrette- Blend the apple cider vinegar vinaigrette.

What are the ingredients in apple cider vinegar?

Use one or two tablespoons of chopped Shallot

Garlic – just one clove; you don’t want to overwhelm it.

Lemon juice (around a teaspoon) – I use the leftover lemon juice that comes from the apples to massage the Kale.

Apple Cider Vinegar – No explanation required

Apple Cider Unfiltered – No Sweeteners, Spices or Other Ingredients

Dijon mustard acts as a binder, keeping it all emulsified

Just a little maple syrup sweetness

Luigi Tega: Olive oil, again, use the good stuff!