Simple Kale Salad

Name: Simple Kale Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 4 cups of curly kale; 4 cups Romaine lettuce; 2 large Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters; 1/2 English cucumber sliced; 1/4 small purple onion, cut in quarters and sliced; 1 cup Gorgonzola croutons; 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1/4 teaspoon dried basil; 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds; 1 clove garlic, finely minced; 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese; 3 tablespoons real mayonnaise; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature; 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, divided; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1/2 baguette

by Deborah Duncan on June 21, 2025 0 comments

This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

This Simple Kale Salad recipe is a quick and easy toss of curly kale, Romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, red onion, English cucumber, Parmesan cheese shavings and big chunky Gorgonzola cheese croutons. The croutons are pretty addictive (just a warning), and they make this salad special, but so does the homemade creamy Italian salad dressing!

A white bowl filled with Simple Kale Salad with gorgonzola croutons.

Our simple Italian kale salad is great to serve as a starter or a side, but you can also make it a heartier salad by tossing in chopped grilled chicken and all your favorite salad add-ins.

This simple Italian kale salad recipe is a one of our favorite kale salads to make. We like to use a mix of Romaine lettuce and curly kale for this salad because we like the texture better with the added Romaine rather than using all curly kale, but you can use all curly kale if you prefer.

When making this salad, we like to start by first making the croutons, then while the croutons are toasting in the oven, we’ll whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Then all that’s left is to chop a few veggies and toss the whole thing in your favorite salad bowl and serve.

Simple Italian Kale Salad Recipe

Kale. We use curly kale for this recipe rather than Lacinato kale (also called Tuscan kale and dinosaur kale). Yes you can use Tuscan kale if you prefer.
Romaine Lettuce. We like to use a mix of 1/2 kale and 1/2 Romaine lettuce because we like the texture better of the mix rather than all curly kale. If you prefer, use all curly kale for this salad.
Cucumber. We use English cucumber for this salad, which adds a lot of crunch to the mix. You can also use garden cucumber or Persian cucumber, but if you use a garden cucumber, you will want to peel it and remove the seeds first before slicing it. The skins are thick and bitter tasting and the seeds are bitter tasting as well. English and Persian cucumber have thinner skins and fewer seeds and they have a more delicate flavor.
Red Onion. Thinly sliced red onion can be soaked in a cup of water while you finish preparing this salad. Soaking onions for a few minutes in water mellows the flavor quite a bit (making them a little less offensive for those who aren’t a fan of onions).
Tomatoes. We like to use Roma tomatoes for this salad, but you could use cherry tomatoes or any other tomato you like.
Cheese. We toss in Parmesan cheese shavings to the mix which adds a nice flavor.
Croutons. We toss our Gorgonzola Croutons with this salad (they are so good!), Homemade croutons make any salad extra special!
Salad Dressing. We toss this salad with our Creamy Italian Dressing. It’s one of our favorites!

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

Protein. You could toss in homemade chickpeas (you can also use canned chickpeas for convenience), cannellini beans, cooked chicken, salmon or canned tuna for some added protein.
Cheese. Use Feta or Gorgonzola cheese instead of Parmesan cheese.
Nuts. Add nuts like sliced or Marcona almonds, pistachios or walnuts.
Avocado. Toss in buttery avocado to this salad for some heart-healthy fat and delicious flavor.
Croutons. Instead of adding our Gorgonzola Croutons to this salad, you could try our other homemade crouton recipes like these Herbed Croutons, Parmesan Croutons and Basil Pesto Croutons.
Dressing. You can also toss this salad with our Greek Salad Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lemon Basil Vinaigrette or any of our other salad dressings (we have over 50 of them to choose from!).

How To Make Simple Kale Salad

This easy Italian kale salad recipe comes together in about 20 minutes start-to-finish.

Make Croutons. Mash together Gorgonzola cheese and minced garlic with butter and spread on slices of baguette. Cut the slices into cubes and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the croutons are golden and the cheese is bubbly.
Make Vinaigrette. Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or you can add the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and blended well. Transfer to an airtight container or a mason jar with a lid and refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
Prep Ingredients. Rinse and spin lettuce and kale, chop the tomatoes, slice the cucumber and onion and grate the Parmesan cheese.
Assemble Salad. Toss ingredients together (except the croutons) in a salad bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette and gently toss again. Toss the croutons in the salad just before you serve.

Gorgonzola Croutons Ingredients

Butter1/2 cup butter (1 stick of butter) at room temperature
Gorgonzola cheese1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, divided
Garlic1 garlic clove, minced
Baguette 1 baguette

How To Make Them

Mash the Gorgonzola, minced garlic and the butter together and spread on both sides of the bread slices.
Sprinkle and mash additional Gorgonzola cheese on top of the bread slices.
Cut the bread slices into squares.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top is bubbly and the croutons turn golden.

Tips For Making Simple Italian Kale Salad

Store the salad and vinaigrette separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Then drizzle the vinaigrette around the inner outer side of the ingredients in the bowl and fold the dressing into the ingredients and toss. This is a better way to evenly distribute and to lightly coat the salad ingredients rather than weighing them down if you pour the dressing directly over the top of the ingredients.
The vinaigrette will solidify a bit in the refrigerator, so you’ll want to take it out of the refrigerator to sit for 10-15 minutes to liquify before tossing with salad.
The salad keeps in the refrigerator best for up to 5 days if it has not been tossed with dressing. If you toss the salad with dressing, leftovers in the refrigerator will only be appetizing for about 1 day (maybe 2).

Looking For More Salad Recipes?

Yield: 8 Servings