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Home » Recipes » Healthy Lunch Recipes

Kale Caesar Salad with Chickpeas and Avocado

Modified: Mar 23, 2024 · Published: Jan 8, 2020 by Tera Gigot · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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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!

Kale caesar salad with garlic roasted chickpeas and thinly sliced parmesan in a clear glass bowl. A serving spoon rests in the bowl and the bowl sits on a light blue and white surface. this recipe

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. Pair with a sandwich or piece of avocado toast with jammy eggs for a complete and delicious lunch!

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!

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • How to Make Kale Caesar Salad
  • Top tip
  • FAQ
  • Pairing
  • 📖 Recipe

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 both work for the base of this salad. Purple kale is fun too, if you're looking to try a new variety! Any extra kale you have can be used up in this chicken tortilla soup recipe with kale, or bake it into this crustless kale pie recipe.
  • Brussels sprouts - This is not our first rodeo with Brussels sprouts in a salad (see this delish chopped Brussels sprouts salad!), and for good reason. Shaved Brussels sprouts add more cruciferous veggies and crunch to the salad base, plus they are hardy veggies that stay crunchy even after sitting the fridge. Yay for leftovers!
  • 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.
  • Dressing - 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy or white miso paste, and Dijon.

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.

Curly kale, thinly shaved Brussels sprouts, and diced avocado are in a clear glass bowl on a light blue and white surface.

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.

Creamy homemade Caesar dressing in measuring cup dressing container with black cover with handle and spout.

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.

Kale caesar salad with garlic roasted chickpeas and thinly sliced parmesan in a clear glass bowl. A serving spoon rests in the bowl and the bowl sits on a light blue and white surface.

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

Does kale Caesar salad need to have anchovies?

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!

How do I store this salad?

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. That said, if you're making this salad for meal prep, I recommend assembling the veggies and storing separately from the dressing in the fridge. Store chickpeas at room temp and toss salad just before eating or packing for work.

Pairing

Round out this kale Caesar salad with one these recipes!

  • Homemade Caesar dressing in a small jar with freshly cracked pepper on top, on light gray surface, with slice of sourdough and lemons on side
    Homemade Caesar Dressing with Greek Yogurt
  • Baked croutons on sheet pan
    Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons
  • Two Ninja Foodi hard-boiled eggs sliced in half on gray plate, with pink and white linen, on white and light gray surface
    Ninja Foodi Hard-boiled Eggs
  • Healthy egg salad with Greek yogurt served as a sandwich on fresh sourdough bread and topped with microgreens. To small sourdough egg salad sandwiches are stacked on top of each other, sitting on a white plate.
    Easy & Creamy Greek Yogurt Egg Salad

Did you make this kale and Brussels sprouts Caesar salad? 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

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Kale caesar salad with garlic roasted chickpeas and thinly sliced parmesan in a clear glass bowl. A serving spoon rests in the bowl and the bowl sits on a light blue and white surface.

Creamy Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado


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  • Author: Tera
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
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Description

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.


Ingredients

Units Scale

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

  1. 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.
  2. Make the salad. While the chickpeas are roasting, combine kale, Brussels sprouts, diced avocado, and parmesan in a large bowl.
  3. Make the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Combine
  • Cuisine: American

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Tera Gigot, the author, photographer, and recipe developer of Roots and Radishes.

Hey, I'm Tera! And I'm so glad to meet you. I've been using seasonal produce to create recipes in my Wisconsin kitchen for 12 years. Here you'll find nourishing whole foods recipes that are approachable and delicious.

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