Kale Salad With Peaches and Cornbread Croutons
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 4 to 5ounces store-bought or homemade cornbread, torn into small pieces (about 2 cups)
- ½small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4½tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½tablespoons coarse-grain Dijon mustard
- 1½teaspoons honey
- 1pound curly kale, destemmed and torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 packed cups)
- 2large ripe peaches (or nectarines), halved, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
- 4ounces tender blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola, crumbled
For the Crispy Cornbread Crumbs
For the Dressing
For the Salad
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
422 calories; 27 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 671 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare the cornbread croutons: In a medium bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil with the paprika, onion powder and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the cornbread pieces, crumbling them gently between your fingers as you do. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture gently until evenly coated. (The croutons will crumble, but do not panic: The smaller size means more crispy bits.)
- Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the cornbread mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- Step 3
Make the dressing: In a large bowl, stir together the red onion, olive oil, vinegar, mustard and honey with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. (You should have ¾ cup dressing.)
- Step 4
Add the kale to the dressing and toss to coat. Then, using your hands, assertively massage the kale until tender. Add the peaches and blue cheese, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Transfer salad to a shallow platter or individual plates, and top with half the crispy cornbread crumbs. Serve with remaining cornbread crumbs, passing them at the table.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
BLT9
I made this again today, this salad is so good it tastes like dessert! This time however, I carefully cut the cornbread into cubes and dropped them onto a board sprinkled with the paprika. Next I sprayed olive oil on a foil lined cookie sheet, tossed the bread cubes and paprika onto the foil, then spritzed them liberally with olive and sprinkled more paprika on top. I roasted them in the oven at 350 until lightly brown and crispy. These turned out so much better than cooking them in a skillet.
Christine
I had everything but gorgonzola cheese in the fridge but did have a wedge of ricotta salata. Very good
Ellen Hershey
An alternative to massaging dressed kale is simply to bunch the undressed kale leaves together and slice them thinly as if slicing cabbage for slaw. Then of course toss them in the dressing. The narrow kale ribbons that result are easy to chew.
Lynda H.
Or . . . stir together the red onion, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper and let the mixture sit while you make the other salad components to lightly pickle the red onions. Just before serving, whisk in the mustard and olive oil until emulsified.
Sue
I wonder whether cornbread style is at the root of the crumbling issue here. My cornmeal-heavy Southern style cornbread will become crumbs with this treatment, but my neighbor's sweet wheat-heavy cakey version could break into croutons. I suspect this recipe is written for the latter.
sgrandits
Great salad! I wound up adding half of a peach to the dressing and emulsifying it to give it a touch more sweetness.
Joan
I tried this yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. I used what was at hand. I changed up the dressing by using Vidalia onion, lemon infused olive oil and lemon balsamic vinegar and half a peach. I blended it with the hand mixer til that emulsified. For the cornbread croutons i used ginger powder instead of onion. My homemade cornbread stood up well to the cast iron skillet. I'm no fan of blue cheese so i used feta. Very tasty.
Nicole
This is a fabulous recipe, beloved by many of my friends. In a pinch, I've substituted blue cheese & cornbread for goat cheese & sourdough croutons which worked very nicely. Also, shallot instead of red onion gives a gentler flavor. Highly recommend.
bp
Love this summery favorite. Usually make the dressing/red onions several hours to a day ahead to let the onions pickle a bit.
Jessie
Made this without the croutons. Only had white onion, would use red next time. Great combo of flavors. I only had feta, and if I make again will likely use that as my kids aren't fans (yet!) of blue cheese. Great summer salad.
Shanny Bee
Croutons and dressing were delish but I prefer more dressing on my salads. I keep wanting to like raw kale but it’s just my bag.
Frosty
Has anyone made the dressing without the honey?
Mary
I wonder how crispy chicken nuggets would go on this salad if I wanted it as a main course. Has anyone tried?
Ellen Hershey
An alternative to massaging dressed kale is simply to bunch the undressed kale leaves together and slice them thinly as if slicing cabbage for slaw. Then of course toss them in the dressing. The narrow kale ribbons that result are easy to chew.
sgrandits
Great salad! I wound up adding half of a peach to the dressing and emulsifying it to give it a touch more sweetness.
elissa
Used baby kale - easier and already tender
BLT9
I made this again today, this salad is so good it tastes like dessert! This time however, I carefully cut the cornbread into cubes and dropped them onto a board sprinkled with the paprika. Next I sprayed olive oil on a foil lined cookie sheet, tossed the bread cubes and paprika onto the foil, then spritzed them liberally with olive and sprinkled more paprika on top. I roasted them in the oven at 350 until lightly brown and crispy. These turned out so much better than cooking them in a skillet.
Theresa
This was so simple and very yummy! I followed the directions as written...except I kept my cornbread croutons a bit on the larger size. They provided an interesting texture to the salad that I enjoyed! They were more like fritters than croutons. Will definitely be trying this recipe again.
Bob271878
Very good and low effort. I skipped the cornbread and the cheese, due to a mix of dietary reasons, laziness, and what I had on hand. When making the dressing, leave the onions aside while whisking together the other ingredients. Once you have a good emulsion, add the onions.
Lynda H.
Or . . . stir together the red onion, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper and let the mixture sit while you make the other salad components to lightly pickle the red onions. Just before serving, whisk in the mustard and olive oil until emulsified.
Sue
I wonder whether cornbread style is at the root of the crumbling issue here. My cornmeal-heavy Southern style cornbread will become crumbs with this treatment, but my neighbor's sweet wheat-heavy cakey version could break into croutons. I suspect this recipe is written for the latter.
BLT9
Not only did the cornbread immediately become all crumbs, but over medium high heat they were starting to burn after only two minutes. There has got to be a better way to make cornbread croutons. Next time I will try spraying on the oil and toasting them in the oven.
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