Winter Balsamic Kale Salad with Havarti Crisps

This balsamic kale salad is proof that simple ingredients can yield big flavors! With massaged kale, oven baked havarti crisps, pears and pecans all tossed in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.

Kale salad is one of my favorite side salads to prepare; this kale caesar with garlic croutons is one of our faves, and this staple kale salad is the one we've made probably a hundred times! But when we need something wintery and festive, this balsamic kale salad fits the bill.

Layers of flavor + texture

This salad has the perfect blend of ingredients to add flavor and texture contrast. This is (in my opinion) what makes a good salad!

We have soft massaged kale, a tangy balsamic vinaigrette, salty and crispy cheese crisps, soft and sweet pears, and crunchy, nutty pecans. Contrasting salty with sweet and soft with crispy and crunchy makes this salad interesting and gives depth of flavor.

The star of the show

Hands down, the most addictively delicious component of the salad is the havarti crisps, which are really simple to make! To prep havarti crisps, we shred the cheese and make small piles on a baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, and ta da! Havarti crisps.

They are salty, crispy, and so delicious!

Remove the bitterness from kale

I mentioned above that we are using massaged kale in this salad. Massaging the kale for 2-3 minutes before adding to the salad is important for two reasons:

1) it helps remove the tough texture that raw kale can tend to have

2) it helps remove the natural bitterness that kale can hold

To massage the kale, take clean, washed kale, and massage in your hands for 2-3 minutes, until kale becomes soft and bright green (as in the photo below)

Variations

This is such a flexible kale salad recipe. Mix up the ingredients to get your perfect salad! Here are some alternatives to the salad components:

• kale- swap for spinach, romaine lettuce or baby kale
• havarti- you can use parmesan cheese to make the crisps, and swap the cubes in the salad for your favorite cheese (feta, cheddar, gouda and more)
• pears- swap for pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries or apple cubes
• pecans- swap for your favorite nut or seed (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts)
• balsamic vinaigrette- swap for one of these 7 basic vinaigrettes

Storage and prepping ahead

After dressing, this salad should be consumed within an hour, however it is possible to make parts of this salad ahead and combine just before serving:

• pre wash + shred the kale (wait until just before serving to massage it) up to 7 days ahead
• shake up the vinaigrette up to 2 weeks ahead
• toast the pecans up to 1 month ahead
• bake the havarti crisps up to 24 hours ahead; store in an open container

Do not slice the pear or cheese until just before serving.

More holiday side dishes:

• Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
• Pear, Gouda and Spinach Salad
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
• Harvest Lentil Salad

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Winter Balsamic Kale Salad with Havarti Crisps

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

• Pin

Print Rate

This balsamic kale salad is proof that simple ingredients can yield big flavors! With massaged kale, oven baked havarti crisps, pears and pecans all tossed in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.

4

Ingredients

Havarti Crisps

• ▢ ½ cup havarti cheese (shredded)

Kale Salad

• ▢ 8 cups kale (curly or tuscan; shredded into bite sized pieces (washed and dried))
• ▢ 1 pear (sliced)
• ▢ ⅓ cup toasted pecans (coarsely chopped)
• ▢ ½ cup havarti cheese (cubed)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• ▢ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions 

• Havarti Crisps Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Make small piles of the havarti cheese, about ½ tablespoon of cheese per pile and 2 inches apart on the sheet.
• Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese becomes crispy (start checking on your cheese at 5 minutes to prevent burning). The edges will be slightly browned and the middle should no longer be jiggly.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool. Crisps may be made a few hours ahead of time.
• Kale salad 

  To remove any bitterness from the kale, give it a 'massage' for 2-3 minutes or until it turns a darker green and is slightly 'wilted'.
• Shake together the balsamic vinaigrette.
• Toss the kale, pear, pecans, and cubed havarti in the dressing.
• Top with havarti crisps prior to serving.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Tips:

Storage

This salad should be served immediately after dressing in the vinaigrette, and does not keep well for leftovers.

You can prep components of the salad ahead and assemble just before serving:

• pre wash + shred the kale (wait until just before serving to massage it) up to 7 days ahead
• shake up the vinaigrette up to 2 weeks ahead
• toast the pecans up to 1 month ahead
• bake the havarti crisps up to 24 hours ahead; store in an open container

Do not slice the pear or cheese until just before serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 batch, Calories: 352kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 25g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 271mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 8g

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.