This modern take on a Caesar salad features delicious cruciferous veggies, buttery avocado, salty parmesan and garlicky roasted chickpeas! Complete with a homemade creamy Caesar dressing, this kale Caesar salad is bursting with flavor and texture. Perfect for an easy and veggie-packed lunch or dinner!
Whether it's for meal prep, potluck, or just a healthy dinner or lunch salad, this kale Caesar salad will totally hit the spot for people who love a hearty salad. It's textured and crunchy from the kale and Brussels sprouts base, plus it's packed with even more nutrients from all of the delicious add-ins - roasted chickpeas, avocado, and freshly shaved parmesan.
And of course, our favorite yogurt-based Caesar dressing to tie it all together. This one is for people who want salads that are filling and flavor-packed. Let's make it!
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Ingredients
This take on Caesar salad has two main components - the salad and the homemade dressing. Below is everything you need to make both!
- Kale - Curly or Lacinato kale will be the base of this kale Caesar salad.
- Brussels sprouts - Shaved Brussels sprouts add more cruciferous veggies and crunch to the salad base.
- Avocado - Adds a rich buttery flavor and soft texture to contract with the other crunchy salad ingredients.
- Parmesan - A classic Caesar salad ingredient, parmesan adds a delightful salty and savory flavor.
- Chickpeas - We'll roast these for protein in our salad.
- Olive oil - For roasted chickpeas and for the homemade dressing.
- Garlic powder - A sprinkle of this will flavor our roasted chickpeas.
- 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt - The base of our healthy, creamy Caesar dressing.
- Lemons - We'll use fresh lemon juice for the salad dressing.
- Garlic clove - This will be blended up into the dressing.
- Anchovy or white miso paste - I adore both in a homemade Caesar dressing! They add a salty, umami flavor. Since anchovies are fish, you can use white miso paste to keep this recipe vegetarian.
- Dijon - Just a small amount adds more depth and savory flavor to the dressing.
- Salt + pepper - For seasoning the salad dressing and the roasted chickpeas.
Substitutions & Variations
To make this kale Caesar salad recipe work for you, here are a few adaptations.
- Vegetarian (aka no anchovies) - This recipe calls for my homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe, which does use anchovies. However, anchovies can be substituted! Use a tablespoon of white miso paste instead to get that salty, umami taste we all know and love. You could also omit anchovies and white miso paste and it'll still be delicious.
- Farro - Adding a cup of cooked farro to this recipe makes it even more hearty and textured. Love!
- Croutons - They're so easy to make homemade, like my whole wheat croutons. Yum!
How to Make Kale Caesar Salad
Step 1: Roast chickpeas. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and make sure chickpeas are drained, rinsed, and dried (use a clean kitchen towel or salad spinner). Toss chickpeas in olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Transfer chickpeas to a sheet pan and spread in an even layer. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until crispy.
Step 2: Make base salad. While the chickpeas are roasting, chop up your kale, shred Brussels sprouts (I love using a mandoline slicer to get super thin slices!), dice avocado, and shred parmesan.
Step 3: Make dressing. Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender until completely smooth.
Step 4: Assemble! Toss salad in dressing and top with roasted chickpeas and more parm if desired.
Storage
Thanks to hearty kale and Brussels sprouts, this salad stands up well to dressing and fridge time. Place any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
If you're making this salad ahead, I recommend storing the ingredients separately in three containers in the fridge: one for chickpeas, one for kale salad with parmesan, and one for dressing. When you're ready to eat, you have the option to re-crisp the chickpeas in your oven or air fryer and toss the salad freshly with the dressing. This helps keep everything as fresh and crunchy as possible right before you enjoy the salad!
Top tip
To save even more time, you could totally use store bought roasted chickpeas. I've been loving the Biena brand for crispy chickpeas, and they have tons of flavors, too!
FAQ
Anchovies are delicious but not at all required for this salad. My dressing recipe calls for them, but an excellent alternative is white miso paste or simply omitting the anchovies. It'll still be salty, savory, and delicious!
Related
Enjoy more hearty and delicious salads from our site:
Pairing
These are my favorite recipes to serve with a kale Caesar salad:
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!
Print📖 Recipe
Creamy Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado
This kale Caesar salad is a modern take on its traditional counterpart and is a vegetarian-friendly nutrient powerhouse! Complete with garlic roasted chickpeas for protein, buttery avocado for creaminess and healthy fats, parmesan for that salty goodness, and a yogurt-based homemade Caesar dressing.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Combine
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 6 cups kale, shredded
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, shredded
- ½-1 avocado, diced
- ½ cup shaved parmesan (and/or asiago)
For the Garlic Roasted Chickpeas:
- 1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
For the Caesar Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1 anchovy OR 1 tablespoon white miso paste (for vegetarian)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Roast chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Making sure chickpeas are completely dry, toss in a bowl with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Place on baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 20 minutes (or until crispy) while you prep the salad and dressing.
- Make the salad. While the chickpeas are roasting, combine kale, Brussels sprouts, diced avocado, and parmesan in a large bowl.
- Make the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Assemble the salad. Add the roasted chickpeas to the kale salad based and pour Caesar dressing all over the salad. Toss everything together and serve immediately!
Notes
- Dressing. This recipe is actually just our homemade healthy Caesar dressing rewritten here with a vegetarian-friendly adaptation (swapped miso for anchovy). It's a great salad dressing to have on hand, so feel free to double it if you think you might want more or extra.
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