Ready in minutes, sautéed garlic kale is the perfect quick and easy side dish!
Sautéed garlic kale is my go-to lazy side dish. Making a salad is a great way to add more greens to the diet, but as the weather cools down it’s certainly nice to have a warm side dish to tuck into. So whenever I can’t be bothered, to peel, chop, dice, or toss, I just grab some kale, toss it in a pan and I’m good to go.
I use this side dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because it pairs well with everything. Eggs, check. Chicken, check. Beef, check. Not only is it simple to prepare, but gently cooking the kale actually helps to break it down more, making it more easily digested, which means more nutrient absorption. Although people often worry that cooked greens are not as nutritious as raw greens, it truly depends on the variety and cooking method, but kale’s hearty texture helps it withstand a little heat and bring out its nutritional value. And don’t worry, sautéeing is just a fancy french word for cooking something in a pan with butter, so I’m sure you can handle it.
Sautéed Kale with Garlic
This sautéed garlic kale is just one of the many ways to cook with kale, but it happens to be the quickest and simplest and easy way to add more leafy greens to your diet!

Sautéed Garlic Kale
To make this recipe completely vegetarian, simply swap the butter for coconut oil or olive oil, and if you don’t have fresh garlic, a sprinkle of dried garlic works too.
-
Prep Time: 5 minutes
-
Cook Time: 5 minutes
-
Total Time: 10 minutes
-
Yield: 4 servings 1x
-
Category: Sides
-
Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 head kale, dino or curly
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the kale. Using your hands or a knife, tear or chop the kale into bite-size pieces. Be sure to remove the thick stemmed centre ribs, you can leave thinner ones.
- Add chopped kale to a colander and rinse kale very. Strain and lightly shake or pat dry. You can leave some of the excess water as it will help the kale steam a little as it cooks to keep it tender.
- In a pan on medium heat, heat the butter to melt, add minced garlic allow to cook about 1 minute until soft and fragrant.
- Add the rinsed kale to the pan and cover. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes until the kale has wilted a little, tossing it with the butter and garlic.
- Once the kale has softened and is bright green in colour, add a good pinch of sea salt to the pan and toss well to combine.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 68 calories
- Sugar: 1 gram
- Fat: 6 grams
- Carbohydrates: 3 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 2 grams
Leave a Review