Side dish

Green Goddess Dressing with Wilted Kale

Great tasting wilted kale with green goddess dressing makes for a perfect side dish or appetizer. Serve alongside some grilled salmon or steak!

To recipe
wilted kale with green goddess dressing
Recipe insights & TIPS

Green Goddess Dressing isn't just for cold salads! Tossed with wilted kale, it makes an impressive side dish for any meal or you can eat it on its own!

wilted kale with green goddess dressing

It can be hard as a food blogger to constantly come up with recipes that are relevant to the blog and most importantly useful to the reader, but inspiration can be everywhere. Sometimes I'll order something in a restaurant that I like so much, I'll try to recreate it at home. If everything works out and it turns out just as good as (or better) than I tasted, then I'll post it on here for you guys! I had this wilted kale with green goddess dressing recently and I loved it. This could be an appetizer, a side dish or even a main course depending on how much you love kale! Kale is a powerhouse vegetable with lots of healthy benefits, but like spinach it needs a little help in the flavor department. You can keep things simple and just add some garlic to it, or go all out and make your favorite Bloody Mary for brunch with it! Kale takes just minutes to cook so making it a part of a weekday dinner is definitely possible and you can make a batch of this green goddess dressing to keep in the fridge ahead of time.

Where did green goddess dressing originate?

History states that the dressing was originated by a chef in San Francisco to honor a popular play at the time called The Green Goddess. The green color comes from the fresh herbs so don't worry about any artificial coloring to get that amazing green tint. This is just a fresh tasting recipe!

Ingredients you'll need to make this

  • Mayonnaise
  • Green onions
  • Fresh basil
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro
  • Lemon juice
  • Garlic
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Kale
kale in a bowl with green goddess dressing

Is the dressing best served warm or cold ?

Great question! Usually it would be cold for a green salad, but I liked it to be just slightly warmed to go with the wilted kale or at least at room temperature. If you do warm it in the microwave, it should only take a few seconds. If you heat it up too much it might separate and become oily. Serve it in a bowl and add the kale over the top, gently mix and you're good to go!

Does it matter what variety of kale I use?

Not really. You'll tend to see the same common choices in most grocery stores. I used Curly Kale which is probably the first choice for most people. You might also see Tuscan Kale or its other name, Lacinato or Dinosaur kale. It can be darker than the curly kale with thinner leaves. Red Kale is another choice and can be identified by the red-tinted leaves. It's very similar to the curly green kale but having the red tint makes it look a little more cooler to use in salads. They all taste very similar and as with all kale, make sure to trim the leaves from the center rib that runs up each leaf as they are chewy and fibrous.

Is kale better to eat raw or cooked?

It's definitely a personal preference. I can have it raw in a salad, shredded but I prefer it cooked as it seems easier to chew and digest. As long as you eat moderate amounts between raw and cooked, you should reap the benefits from both ways. Raw kale is likely to have more vitamins and minerals due to not being put through the cooking process.

green goddess dressing with kale in a bowl
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Recipe

Green Goddess Dressing isn’t just for salads! Tossed with wilted kale, it makes an impressive side dish for any meal or you can eat it on its own!

Course:
Side dish
COOKing TIME:
4 minutes
Total TIME:
14 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
10 minutes
SERVINGS:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup chopped green onion
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup parsley
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 head of curly green kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1/2-3/4 cup water

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a high powered blender except the water and kale and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
  2. In a large pan add the water and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
  3. Add the chopped kale and season with a little salt and black pepper.
  4. Cover with a lid and steam for aout 3-4 minutes and the kale is wilted.
  5. Place some of the dressing in a small bowl or a plate.
  6. Using tongs remove some of the kale shaking off teh excess water and place on top of the dressing.
  7. Serve at once

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