This hearty Kale and Roasted Mushroom Salad is full of flavor, protein and fiber!
If you think kale salads are boring and played-out, this one might change your mind. Too often we think of kale salads as hippy food, lacking pizzazz or staying power, being too focused on healthy and not focused enough on deliciousness. That stops now. Roasted mushrooms and crispy bacon add savory richness, and hard-boiled eggs turn this salad into a full, satisfying meal. Tossed in a thick, glossy sherry vinaigrette that has just the right amount of smokiness from the bacon, this is the kind of salad that actually satisfies!
What You’ll Need for this Kale and Roasted Mushroom Salad:
1 large bunch of curly green kale, stems removed
1 lb. mushrooms (cremini or baby bella)
12 oz. bacon
6 eggs
shallot
sherry vinegar
Dijon mustard
honey
olive oil
salt and pepper
How to Make the Kale and Roasted Mushroom Salad:
Roast the mushrooms
Cook the bacon
Hardboil the eggs
Make the sherry vinaigrette
Prep the kale (ribbon it)
Assemble the salad
FAQ
Can I make this ahead of time? Yes, this salad holds up well for several hours, even dressed. However if I were going to serve it for entertaining, I would prep all the components and store them separately, tossing together about 10 minutes before serving.
Kale and Roasted Mushroom Salad with Hardboiled Eggs and Bacon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
12oz.bacon, preferably thick cut
6largelarge eggs
11b.mushrooms, rinsed and drained in a salad spinner
2tbspolive oil
1tbspsoy sauce
1bunch green kale, thinly sliced, to yield 8 cups
1/2halfshallot, thinly sliced
Sherry Vinegar Bacon Dressingย
Kosher salt
black pepper
Bacon Vinaigrette
2tbspbacon fat, in liquid form
6tbspextra virgin olive oil
2tspDijon mustard
1tbsphoney
1peeled garlic clove
4tbspSherry vinegar
1sprigthyme, leaves removed
1 tbspfinely chopped bacon
Kosher salt
black pepper
Directions
Cook the bacon: Preheat the oven to 375ยฐF and line a half sheet pan (13 x 18 inches) with parchment paper. Lay each piece of bacon flat crosswiseย in the pan. Place the pan on the middle rackย of the oven and set a timer for 45 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pan and, using tongs to hold the bacon in place, carefully drain the bacon fat into a clean bowl or other heat-safe receptacle (because we will use some of the bacon fat in the dressing). Flip the bacon, using a heat-safe spatula, rearrange it into a single layer and return the pan to the oven. Perform the โdrain and flipโ twice more, at 10-minute intervals. When the 45 minutes are up, you should have perfect bacon (although the time will vary slightly depending on the thickness of the bacon). Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Roast the mushrooms: Increase the oven temperature to 400ยฐF and quarter the mushrooms (halve if small). Whisk together the olive oil and soy sauce and toss with the mushrooms. Roast the mushrooms for 15 minutes, then carefully drain off their liquid. Reduce oven temperature to 375ยฐF and continue roasting until caramelized, about 20-25 more minutes.
Hard-boil the eggs: In a medium-sized saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Carefully add a steamer basket, set the eggs in the basketย ย and cover the pan with a lid. Lower the heat to medium-low and steam the eggs for 13 minutes. While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath by filling a medium-sized bowl halfway with ice, then enough water to fill the bowl two-thirds of the way. When the eggs have finished cooking, transfer them to the ice bath.
Ribbon the kale: Remove the stems from the kale by holding the stem in one hand and stripping the leaves off with your knife or your hand. Stack 3 to 5 leaves on top of each other, aligning them so they lay flat, and roll them tightly from one long side into a snug bundle. Use the fingertips of your non-knife hand to anchor the kale, pressing very firmly. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice crosswise into the kale to make very thin cuts, about โ inch apart or even thinner, keeping the slices as close together as possible to create fine ribbons. Once sliced, use your fingers to fluff and separate the strands. Add to a bowl and sprinkle a small amount of kosher salt (1/4 tsp-ish) onto kale. Toss gently with your hands and set aside.ย
Prepare the dressing using instructions below.
Peel, then slice the eggsย into rounds and add to the bowl with the kale. Chop the bacon and add to the bowl along with mushrooms and shallot. Dress salad and season to taste.
Bacon Fat Dressing
Whisk together the bacon fat and olive oil and set aside. Place the Dijon mustard, honey, garlic and sherry vinegar in a pint sized mason jar. Using an immersion blender (you could also use a regular, top loading blender), blend until combined. While blending, slowly drizzle in the oil/bacon fat.ย Stir in the thyme leaves and bacon. Season to taste.