Happiest of New Years to everyone! If you lived a winning holiday life, then you are probably in as desperate a need for a salad as I am. So we might as well make it a delicious one...a lemon kale caesar salad with a perfect six-minute egg. And this healthy salad recipe with a homemade lemon caesar vinaigrette will make even a kale hater love a big bowl of these greens.
Now I have seen a lot of love for the Chick fila lemon kale caesar salad go around, and I am not going to lie...this is not a copycat recipe. This is SO MUCH BETTER and a healthy salad recipe that stays as true to a traditional caesar salad recipe as you could ever want.
And if you think you are not a kale fan, I want you to think again, and then I want you to try my kale and brussel sprout salad with cranberries, and tell me again that you are not a kale fan.
What goes into caesar salad?
Typically romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons and caesar dressing. But we are subbing kale for the romaine. Kale is a powerhouse green, that can be eaten similarly to spinach, raw or cooked. It is packed full of vitamins and fiber and is great for a quick lil detox eating.
Do I have to make my own dressing?
You certainly don't have to, but my recipe for dressing is so much better than anything you could get at the store that I cannot imagine why you would not make it. It is also more healthy than any Chick fil a lemon kale caesar salad you could ever order - I promise you that.
Store bought dressings are heavy, often times have mayo (which is full of calories) for creaminess and also have tons of sugar. This recipe is a lemon caesar vinaigrette, with is light and full of flavor. Oh yeah and also there's all the PARMESAN.
Ingredients for the lemon caesar vinaigrette
Glad you asked:
- egg yolk
- dijon
- tobasco
- garlic
- red wine vinegar
- lemon juice
- worcestershire
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese
Most things I bet you have on hand.
What is a six-minute egg?
Happily, as I really think this is something that elevates the whole salad. This is simply a soft boiled egg that you cook for exactly minutes. The result is exactly what you see...
...a jammy, soft barely cooked yolk that nobody is gonna say no to.
Tips for success
- For this lemon kale caesar salad you are going to want to chop your kale really thin. Like almost julienne. Kale is much tougher than lettuce so want to delicate it up a bit, and a good fine slice of the leaves is what does this best.
- Don't fret so much about the egg, it is supposed to be a bit jammy and runny. If you don't like this, do up a hard boiled egg.
- Don't compare this to any Chick fil a lemon kale caesar salad you think you want to make at home. Be original and enjoy a freshly prepared healthy salad with a a from scratch lemon caesar vinaigrette.
Equipment
- pan for boiling eggs
- large bowl
Ingredients
For the salad
- 6-8 cups of finely chopped kale
- Parmesan cheese
For the lemon caesar vinaigrette
- 2 garlic cloves smashed into a paste
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 teaspoon dijon mustard smooth or grainy works
- 1 anchovy look, this is a polarizing ingredient for people i get it, but it really just adds great saltiness, I swear. If your aversion to it is too much, just use a teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon four splashes of Tabasco yes, that is how I measure
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
For the six minute egg
- four eggs
- saucepan of boiling water
- bowl of ice water
Instructions
To make the six-minute eggs
- Bring the water to a full boil on the stove. GENTLY, like with a spoon, add your eggs to the water. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the eggs for EXACTLY six minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon from the boiling water into the ice water and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Peel them straight away.
To make the lemon caesar vinaigrette
- In the bowl you are going to toss the salad in, put your anchovy (or teaspoon of salt) and minced garlic in and smash together with the back of a spoon. Add your egg yolk, Worcestershire, lemon juice, dijon vinegar and tobasco and whisk really well until all the ingredients are totally incorporated and the egg yolk is thicker and lighter in color. To this, slowly drizzle in the oil, while whisking the whole time (this is called emulsifying) until you have a fully combined dressing that is thick and basically creamy looking. Whisk in your cheese at the end ad season with extra salt and pepper to taste (def a good amount of pepper will be wanted here).
To assemble the salad
- Throw the kale on top of the dressing and the extra grated parm and parm crisps (if you are using). Alternatively, you can most definitely use croutons too, I just opted not to have any this time around. Toss this all really, really well until the dressing is totally mixed in with the salad. I mean push the salad down into that dressing really well to get every inch covered. Dish it out in serving bowls. Gently cut your egg in half, preferably on the salad, in case any of that gorgeous yolk wants to slip out. Sprinkle with additional pepper and enjoy.
Nutrition
Looking for something else light and delicious this post holiday month? Check out my cauliflower hummus.
Kelly says
Making this!
Jim says
I didn’t think I would like kale salad but this was outstanding.
Debbie Beck says
Would love to try it!
Kelly says
Made this tonight as we are in need of some salads after the holiday and this hit the spot. The lemony dressing was perfect with the kale and the parm cheese. And she's right, use a good parmesan cheese, what a difference!
Katie Beck says
Thank you for making this! I agree the lemon in the dressing really makes it, as does good parmesan!