This Overnight Kale Caesar Salad will change your relationship with kale forevermore! And in a good way. The BEST way. You’ll make it over and over because it is the perfect make-ahead salad!

Make ahead kale salad on a serving platter

I originally shared this recipe on January 19, 2013. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

Table of contents

Why We Love This Recipe For Overnight Kale Caesar

Long ago, I thought kale chips were my favorite way to enjoy kale until I met this Overnight Kale Caesar salad. I really want you to try this recipe. That’s all there is to it. It is so darned delicious I can barely deal. I wanted to eat the entire bowl.

You all know about Massaged Kale Salad right? Well forget about it for the time being. This overnight kale caesar is a slacker way to get similar results. Let the dressing soften and tenderize the kale overnight in the fridge while you sleep! How easy is that?

I love the fact that you can make this kale salad ahead. Which is so helpful during busy times of the year. I make this a lot around the holidays or back to school when I have a lot going on.

So having a quick and easy recipe I can throw together in about 30 minutes, put in the fridge for a day and it just gets better and better as it sits is a big win for me.

Also, this Caesar dressing with the Parmesan, dijon, lemon juice and anchovies has incredible restaurant-quality flavor. The wholegrain croutons add the perfect crunchy, earthy texture that will have you digging in for more and more!

More Caesar Salad Recipes

Overnight Kale Salad in a large serving platter

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Curly kale

You’ll need about 12 cups of curly kale cut into bite-sized pieces. Make sure to remove the tough center stems. You can buy pre-chopped kale if you’re in a pinch. If you don’t have access to any good curly kale you can use Lacinato kale, Tuscan Kale or Dinosaur Kale instead.

Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese is a classic for Caesar salads. I prefer to buy it in a block and grate it myself so it’s nice a fresh. It also tastes much better than pre-grated Parm.

Anchovies

You can find anchovies at pretty much any grocery store. We recommend finding sustainable anchovies because they were recently added to the list of seafood that is in need of protection. If you’re not a fan of achovies, skip them and use a pinch more salt instead.

Whole-grain bread

Crusty or day-old bread is best here since you’ll be using it to make homemade croutons.

Make ahead kale salad in two large serving bowls

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Overnight Kale Salad

Step 1: Make caesar dressing

Peel and mince the garlic clove. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the garlic and mash with the side of a chef’s knife to form a smooth paste. Scrape the garlic paste into a mini-prep, food processor or blender. Add anchovies, 1/2 cup olive oil, cheese, lemon juice, Dijon and pepper and puree until smooth and pale yellow, about 30 seconds.

Step 2: Toss Kale with Dressing and Refrigerate Overnight

Toss kale with the dressing in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate the kale Caesar overnight or up to 36 hours.

Step 3: Make croutons

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss bread with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Italian seasoning, granulated garlic and the remaining pinch of salt until the bread is coated.

Spread the croutons out on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, but not hard, 10 to 12 minutes. They will continue to harden as they cool. Add the cooled croutons to the salad and toss again.

meal prep kale salad in two serving bowl

FAQs and Expert Tips

Do you massage kale before dressing?

For regular kale salad recipes you may want to massage before dressing, but since this sits overnight it tenderizes on its own.

Can this salad be made vegan?

Yes. To make it vegan use my egg-free Caesar Dressing linked above and remove anchovies. Then just use a dairy-free Parmesan.

How to measure the kale

To measure your kale, remove the central rib, and cut or tear into bite sizes pieces. Measure by filling the largest available measuring cup, and press down on the greens so they are packed, without overly crushing the greens. Repeat until you have 12 cups. The amount of kale seems almost ridiculously huge before it sits overnight. Don’t worry! It will settle down to a much smaller amount.

Additional Kale Recipes to Try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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This Overnight Kale Caesar Salad is the perfect make-ahead vegetarian dish! | Healthy Seasonal Recipes #vegetarian #entreesalad #makeahead

Overnight Kale Caesar

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 24 hours
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This Overnight Kale Caesar Salad will change your relationship with kale forevermore! And in a good way. The BEST way. You’ll make it over and over because it is the perfect make-ahead salad!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch coarse kosher salt, divided
  • 4 anchovies, chopped
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 cups bite-sized pieces of curly kale, about 1 1/2 to 2 bunches see note
  • 
4 cups crusty whole-grain bread cut into cubes, about 6 oz.
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic

Instructions

  1. Peel and mince garlic clove. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the garlic and mash with the side of a chef’s knife to form a smooth paste. Scrape garlic paste into a mini-prep, food processor or blender. Add anchovies, 1/2 cup olive oil, cheese, lemon juice, Dijon and pepper and puree until smooth and pale yellow, about 30 seconds.
Toss kale with the dressing in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 36 hours.
  2. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss bread with the remaining 1tablespoon oil, Italian seasoning, granulated garlic and the remaining pinch of salt until the bread is coated. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, but not hard, 10 to 12 minutes. They will continue to harden as they cool.
Add cooled croutons to the salad and toss again.

Notes

To measure your kale, remove the central rib, and cut or tear into bite sizes pieces. Measure by filling the largest available measuring cup, and press down on the greens so they are packed, without overly crushing the greens. Repeat until you have 12 cups. The amount of kale seems almost ridiculously huge before it sits overnight. Don’t worry! It will settle down to a much smaller amount.

  • Prep Time: 35 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup
  • Calories: 271
  • Fat: 19 g.
  • Saturated Fat: 4
  • Fiber: 4
  • Protein: 8

Keywords: kale caesar,make ahead caesar,make ahead salad,kale caesar salad

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Here is the original image associated with this blog post.

A plate of Kale with croutons and fork
collage of Kale and Salad