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Summer Kale Salad with Oranges

This vibrant kale salad is full of feel-good ingredients like strawberries, navel oranges, and shredded carrots! It’s fresh, nutritious, and crave-worthy! It’s tossed in a homemade honey basil dressing.

kale salad with strawberries, oranges, and carrots in it.

Why You’ll Love this Kale Salad:

I am OBSESSED with this kale salad. It’s so fresh and bright with juicy oranges, sweet strawberries, nutty pecans, and creamy feta. It has ALL the things and I want it ALL the time.

I’m a big fan of homemade salad dressing! And this honey basil dressing is simple, herbaceous, and sweet.

I labeled this one as a “summer” kale salad because it has strawberries and navel oranges in it, but the truth is, it’s good in any season! I like to make it in the winter with Cara Cara oranges. You can’t go wrong.

Key Ingredients:

a bowl of kale leaves, matchstick carrots, feta, pecans, red onion, basil, strawberries, orange,
  • Kale – You can buy it in a bunch or precut. Trader Joe’s sells organic, shredded kale in a bag. It’s great because it’s already shredded without the stem. When I buy it in a bunch, I just move my fingers along the stem to remove the leaves and tear them into small pieces.
  • Pecans – I buy a big bag at Costco so I rarely run out! I always toast pecans before throwing them in salads. It draws out their oils and creates a nuttier, crispier flavor.
  • Strawberries – This salad is best with peak-season strawberries. If it’s winter, I spring for organic strawberries, which I find to be sweeter than non-organic ones.
  • Oranges – Feel free to use whatever oranges are in season! Navel oranges have a sweet, juicy consistency that pairs well with hearty kale.
  • Matchstick carrots – For a pop of color, crunch, and nutrients!
  • Feta – Goat cheese crumbles work great too.
  • Pickled onions – You can find these near the roasted red peppers and jarred, pickled items. I highly recommend making them though! They’re SO easy to make and just need to sit for 20 minutes before they’re ready to go.
  • Honey basil dressing – My favorite dressing lately! It’s herby and sweet. It’s just a mixture of olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, honey, and salt. I keep all these ingredients on hand except for basil.
close up of kale salad with pickled onions, strawberries, oranges, and carrots.

How to Make it:

You can buy them store-bought, but homemade pickled onions are SO much better. And they’re super easy. Here’s what you need to do:

  • Peel and slice half a red onion.
  • Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
  • In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
  • Heat on medium-high until simmering. Stir to dissolve the sugar/salt.
  • Pour the mixture over the onions. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes while you assemble the salad.

2. Prep the ingredients and make the salad dressing:

  • Toast the pecans. Dump them on a sheet pan and toast for 4 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven.
  • Dice the oranges and slice the strawberries. I diced the oranges into small chunks so they’re evenly dispersed throughout the salad.
sliced strawberries on a cutting board with oranges.
  • In a small food processor, combine the ingredients for the basil dressing.
  • Pulse until the basil is pulverized and the dressing is emulsified/creamy.

3. Assemble the kale salad:

  • In a large bowl, add the kale leaves. They should be torn into small pieces with no stems.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and use clean hands to gently massage the oil into the kale.
  • Add the toasted pecans, strawberries, oranges, carrots, feta, and drained pickled onions.
  • Drizzle the honey basil dressing on top and stir to combine everything.

Expert Tips:

  • Kale is very easy to de-stem! Just run your fingers along the stem to remove the leaves. You can chop the kale, but I find it just as easy to tear it with my hands!
  • I always use a food processor for my salad dressing, even when I’m not adding herbs. It creates a super creamy, emulsified dressing you can’t get by whisking.
  • If you’re making this in the winter-time, you can swap the fruit with seasonal ingredients like pomegranate seeds and Cara Cara oranges!
  • I highly recommend homemade pickled onions! Once you make them, you’ll never go back to store-bought.
pickled onions, oranges, strawberries, feta, carrots, and pecans on kale.

Storage:

  • Kale orange salad is best enjoyed immediately! The fruit is perky and sweet, the greens are crisp, and it tastes great right away.
  • That being said, kale salad stores better than any other salad. That’s because kale has hearty leaves that don’t get soggy nearly as fast. You can store leftover salad in the fridge for up to 1 day.

More Salad Recipes:

kale salad on a plate with strawberries and oranges.

Summer Kale Salad with Oranges

This vibrant kale salad is full of feel-good ingredients like strawberries, navel oranges, and shredded carrots! It's fresh, nutritious, and crave-worthy! It's tossed in a homemade honey basil dressing.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 375 kcal

Equipment

  • sheet pan
  • large salad bowl

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups shredded and de-stemmed kale I bought mine at Trader Joe's
  • cup pecans
  • 1 cup quartered stawberries
  • ¾ cup peeled and diced navel orange
  • ¾ cup matchstick carrots
  • cup feta cheese
  • cup pickled onions homemade or store-bought (see note)

For the honey basil dressing:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • small handful of fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
  • pinch of kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Make the pickled onions (if desired): Peel and slice half of a red onion. Transfer it to a medium sized bowl. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the sliced onion and let sit for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dump the pecans on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 4 minutes until fragrant. Set aside to cool. Tear or chop pecans into pieces.
  • Make the salad dressing: In a small food processor, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, basil, and kosher salt. Pulse until the basil is pulverized and the dressing is emulsified.
  • In a large bowl, add the shredded kale leaves. Add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and use clean hands to gently massage the oil into the kale leaves.
  • Add the toasted pecans, quartered strawberries, diced orange, feta cheese, drained pickled onions, and carrots to the kale. Drizzle the dressing on top. Use a large spoon to toss the ingredients together until evenly coated. Serve immediately!

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 7gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 321mgPotassium: 422mgFiber: 5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 7352IUVitamin C: 73mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 2mg
Keyword kale salad
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