Sautéed kale and mushrooms is a quick and easy side dish with hearty, softened kale leaves and tender, meaty mushrooms. Great for a healthy veggie side dish!

I love that kale has catapulted itself from a lowly salad bar garnish to a center stage mega star superfood. 

We used to use it in planters as a pretty accent in garden pot arrangements and now we’re loading it onto our plate and devouring it by the forkful.

I mean, if ever you needed some hope or inspiration for a turn-around, just look to kale! Impressive indeed.

So like most people, I didn’t really grow up eating much kale. Iceberg lettuce? Oh yes. Occasionally some romaine? Maybe. Collards? A definite on special occasions here in the South.

But it turns out, I really like kale. Then again, I really like most dark, leafy greens. As an adult at least. Who knows what the kid version of me would have thought!

Kale melts down like spinach as it cooks, reducing in volume and softening, but the end product has much more substance. It holds its form a bit more. This makes it feel even more hearty and filling, in my opinion.

(You know how you can dump an entire bag of spinach in the pan and end up with the tiniest clump? So sad. Not the case with kale though.)

Plus, it’s fun to stuff a pan full and watch it wilt, wilt, wilt. But again, not to nothingness. Here’s my pan when I first added the kale for this recipe.

In today’s recipe for kale and mushrooms, I’ve paired our hearty kale leaves with some sautéed onions, garlic and mushrooms.

Tons of heavy hitting flavor with just basic, on-hand ingredients.

It results in a really delicious combination and it couldn’t be easier to fix.

That’s my kind of weeknight dinner side dish solution!

Plus, it only takes about 10 minutes to cook. After you saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic, you stir in the kale until it’s softened.

That’s all! It’s about 20 minutes start to finish. And honestly, prepping the kale is the hardest part.

Oh, and I use just regular white button mushrooms in this recipe. But you could certainly try it with cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms if you prefer. All would work great!

A for serving, I highly recommend adding some red pepper flakes if you like a little heat and/or some grated Parmesan cheese at the end to mix in or serve on top of this side dish.

Either – and especially both together – just add some extra flavor and “oomph” to the dish.

I hope you give this a try soon to add a new veggie side to your dinner routine.

And if you’re already a kale lover and convert like me, check out this citrus kale salad that features massaged kale. Or go main dish with this chicken tortellini soup with kale or sausage and kale stuffed spaghetti squash.

Get in on that veggie goodness and enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 2-4 servings

Sauteed kale and mushrooms

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Sautéed kale and mushrooms is a quick and easy side dish with hearty, softened kale leaves and tender, meaty mushrooms. Great for a healthy veggie side dish!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, washed and torn into pieces or roughly chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
3. Add garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant.
4. Add mushrooms and sauté until they’ve released their liquid and are slightly browned.
5. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Add kale and continue to stir and mix so the kale wilts.
8. Season with remaining salt and pepper and red pepper flakes, if using.
9. Once kale has wilted, reduce heat to low and let it cook for another couple of minutes, to let it soften a little more and get well mixed.
10. Turn off heat and serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Watch that your pan doesn't get too dried out or the kale will burn. Add a splash of water if you need a bit more liquid in your pan.

I use regular white button mushrooms, but you could certainly try this with cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushroom if you'd like. They would work great too!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 757mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 12gSugar: 13gProtein: 15g