Kale Quinoa Salad

Fresh with lemon and  full of crunch, this kale quinoa salad has it all. It’s tossed in mix of toasted breadcrumbs and walnuts and is dressed in shallot vinaigrette. The salad is easy to make because you can overlap and multitask each of the components. That’s also why it’s perfect for meal prep for lunch or dinner.

This salad takes inspiration from one of my go-to pasta recipes, lemon kale orzo.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Toasted breadcrumbs are the new croutons. I think homemade croutons are a finishing touch that can take a salad to the next level, but lately I’ve been loving toasted breadcrumbs because they are a finer, more distributed version of croutons. For this kale salad, I combine them with chopped walnuts and lemon zest. This is flavor and texture that you can’t get with the usual croutons.

These quinoa salad ingredients are great for meal prep. You can make the quinoa and vinaigrette, chop the kale and toast the breadcrumbs in advance. Then you can wait to assemble the salad until you are packing it for a work lunch or whenever you’re ready to eat it. All you have to do is store these components in separate containers.

Texture and flavor always make a great salad. This recipe has both. The breadcrumbs and quinoa grains are about the same size, so they end up mixed together when you toss the salad. You get the crunch of kale and breadcrumbs and lovely, zesty lemon flavor from the shallot vinaigrette in each bite. It’s the kind of salad that keeps you going back for more.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Kale: You can use curly kale or lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale or tuscan kale). It’s up to you. For prep, just tear the leaves off the thick stems and finely chop those greens. 
• Quinoa: White, red, black or a blend of all three will work in this salad. It comes down to looks and what you have in your pantry. The quinoa simmers in water.
• Panko breadcrumbs: These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are the crunchiest kind you can buy. That’s why they are a pantry-staple for me. They are easy to find at the grocery.
• Walnuts: I finely chop walnuts and stir them into the breadcrumbs before they bake in the oven. You can substitute with chopped almonds or chopped pecans.
• Lemon: For the recipe, you will need one lemon. The zest goes in the breadcrumbs and the juice goes in the dressing.
• Parmesan: As you toss the salad, the grated Parmesan cheese kind of disappears, but it’s distinct flavor is still there. Once I plate the salad, I like to sprinkle it with a little more cheese. If you want something stronger, you can substitute with 1/4-1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese.
• Parsley: For fresh herbs, I stir in chopped parsley. Minced chives would be a great alternate for something mild and oniony. You can also include a mix of both.
• Olive oil: For the best flavor, use high quality extra virgin olive oil in the vinaigrette and for the breadcrumb-nut mixture.
• Salt & pepper seasons both the breadcrumbs and the dressing.
• Shallot vinaigrette has a combination of minced shallots, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, oil, salt and pepper.

How To Make This Kale Quinoa Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

1. Stir the breadcrumbs, walnuts, lemon zest, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on the prepared pan.

2. Toast the breadcrumbs until they are golden brown and crunchy. This will take about 12 minutes.

3. Simmer the quinoa on the stove. Combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. The water should absorb and the grains should be tender in 12 minutes. Let the quinoa sit covered for 5 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork.

4. Make the vinaigrette. Stir the shallots, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. As the breadcrumbs toast in the oven and the quinoa cooks on the stovetop, you can make the dressing.

5. Put the kale in a large bowl and pour in the vinaigrette. Toss to combine. You can also massage the kale.

6. Stir in the quinoa, toasted breadcrumbs, Parmesan and parsley.

Serving

I love this for a fall-winter lunch salad, but you don’t have to limit it to just that. It’s great for dinner too. Also, kale is one of those year-round, hearty produce ingredients, so you can absolutely eat it during the spring and summer too. You can even customize the salad seasonally and add a few feature ingredients. Here are a few ideas for additions:

• Summer: roasted tomatoes, corn or red bell peppers (raw, roasted or grilled)
• Fall/Winter: roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes or fingerling potatoes
• Spring: sautéed or roasted asparagus, sautéed snap peas 

For proteins, you can stir chicken, salmon or shrimp into the salad to create a main dish or make the salad the side dish.

Leftovers & Storage

As mentioned, you can make quinoa, breadcrumbs and vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature before putting it in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep the breadcrumbs in another container at room temperature.

Store the dressing in a jar in the refrigerator. Let it sit out a room temperature for at least 15 minutes because the oil will likely harden in the cold temperature of the fridge. Then stir it.

You can chop the kale up to 2 days in advance. If you do it too early, it will soften and lose some of its bite.

Don’t hesitate to store the assembled and dressed salad if you end up with leftovers. You can keep it up to 2 days. It will still taste good. You will just lose some of the crunch of the breadcrumbs. Kale is one of the few lettuces that won’t completely wilt if you store it when you have already tossed it in vinaigrette. The leaves will soften a bit.

Recipe Tips

Rinse the quinoa before you cook it. This removes the bitterness from its natural coating. Don’t skip this step. You can rinse it with cold water in a fine mesh strainer over the sink.

Don’t overcook the quinoa. Since the recipe calls for just 1/2 cup quinoa, it will cook faster than if you make a cup or more. I like to think of it like al dente pasta. You want to stop the cooking the moment the grains are tender and have absorbed the water. 

The salad is great for meal prep and leftovers, but make sure to store the main components in separate containers. Everything should go in the fridge except the breadcrumbs. This will help maintain freshness.