I love that kale has catapulted itself from a lowly salad bar garnish to a center stage mega star superfood. We used to use it in planters as a pretty accent in garden pot arrangements and now we’re loading it onto our plate and devouring it by the forkful. I mean, if ever you needed some hope or inspiration for a turn-around, just look to kale! Impressive indeed. So like most people, I didn’t really grow up eating much kale. Iceberg lettuce? Oh yes. Occasionally some romaine? Maybe. Collards? A definite on special occasions here in the South. But it turns out, I really like kale. Then again, I really like most dark, leafy greens. As an adult at least. Kale melts down like spinach as it cooks, reducing in volume and softening, but the end product has much more substance. It holds its form a bit more than a more tender green like spinach. (You know how you can dump an entire bag of spinach in the pan and end up with the tiniest clump? So sad. Not the case with kale though.) This makes kale feel even more hearty and filling, in my opinion. Plus, it’s fun to stuff a pan full and watch it wilt, wilt, wilt. But again, not to nothingness. Here’s my pan when I first added the kale for this recipe. But there’s still plenty come time to eat. In today’s recipe for kale and mushrooms, I’ve paired our hearty kale leaves with some sautéed onions, garlic and mushrooms. Tons of heavy hitting flavor with just basic, on-hand ingredients. It results in a really delicious combination and it couldn’t be simpler to fix. That’s my kind of weeknight dinner side dish solution! (You might also like this roasted asparagus and mushrooms.) Plus, it only takes about 10 minutes to cook. After you saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic, you stir in the kale until it’s softened. That’s it! It’s about 20 minutes start to finish. Honestly, prepping the kale - pulling it from the stems, washing it and roughly chopping it - is the hardest part of the recipe. And that’s more tedious than difficult.
Recipe Notes:
Kale: I use a common curly kale (sometimes called dinosaur kale), but other varities would work as well. Just cook it until it’s reduced down and softened. Mushrooms: I use regular white button mushrooms in this recipe. But you could certainly try it with cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms if you prefer. All would work great! Watch that your pan doesn’t get too dried out or the kale will burn. The liquid from the mushrooms should take care of it, but add a splash of water or broth if you need a bit more liquid in your pan. Toppings: I highly recommend adding some red pepper flakes if you like a little heat and/or some grated Parmesan cheese at the end to mix in or serve on top of this side dish.
Either - and especially both together - just add some extra flavor and “oomph” to the dish. You might also want to try this quick and easy green beans and mushrooms recipe. I hope you give this a try soon to add a new veggie side to your dinner routine. And if you’re already a kale lover and convert like me, check out this citrus kale salad that features massaged kale or kale quinoa salad for another healthy side. Or go main dish with this chicken tortellini soup with kale or sausage and kale stuffed spaghetti squash. Get in on that veggie goodness and enjoy! XO, Kathryn Kale: I use a common curly kale (sometimes called dinosaur kale), but other varities would work as well. Just cook it until it’s reduced down and softened. Mushrooms: I use regular white button mushrooms in this recipe. But you could certainly try it with cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms if you prefer. All would work great! Watch that your pan doesn’t get too dried out or the kale will burn. The liquid from the mushrooms should take care of it, but add a splash of water or broth if you need a bit more liquid in your pan. Toppings: I highly recommend adding some red pepper flakes if you like a little heat and/or some grated Parmesan cheese at the end to mix in or serve on top of this side dish. They give a little “oomph” to the final dish.
