This Tuscan kale recipe makes tender, sauteed kale scented with garlic! Also called Lacinato or dinosaur kale, it makes a fast and easy side dish.
Once you start cooking with Tuscan kale, you’ll never go back! This Italian variety of kale has a sweeter, mild flavor and is easier to prepare. Since it’s now fairly easy to find in grocery stores, I always recommend this variety to start with.
Here’s a way to make it taste irresistibly good: sauté it with olive oil and smashed garlic cloves for just a few minutes in a hot pan. In fact, Alex and I have been buying big bunches of Tuscan kale every week just so we can make this. Here’s how to prepare Tuscan kale: and a few other recipes to eat it!
What Is Tuscan Kale?
Tuscan kale is an Italian variety with a dark green color and mild flavor. You can also find it labeled as Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, black kale, or cavolo nero (black cabbage in Italian). Why is it called dinosaur kale? Its “scaly” leaves almost resemble dinosaur skin! The leaves are very dark green and flat, compared to curly kale which has frilly, brighter green leaves.
The flavor of Tuscan kale is milder and sweeter than curly kale, which can taste bitter and spicy. Tuscan is easier to use in recipes since it’s less bitter, and its stems are more tender than the curly variety.
How to Cook Tuscan Kale
One of the reasons I have been making this Tuscan kale on repeat is that it’s so easy. Tuscan kale takes only 3 minutes to cook! There are a few tricks to this recipe that take the flavor the top. Here’s how to make sauteed kale in under 10 minutes (or jump to the full recipe below):
- Chop: Destem and chop the kale (see below). Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces.
- Saute for 3 minutes: Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. We like to add smashed garlic cloves at the same time as the kale, which adds a nice subtle flavor. Saute the kale and garlic about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the leaves wilted and bright green.
- Season: Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper. That’s it! Perfect sauteed Tuscan kale that works as a tasty side dish for any meal.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was so good and so easy! I’ll definitely make this my go-to recipe”
Mix-ins and Variations
This sauteed Tuscan kale is delicious as is: but here are a few ways to step it up a notch!
- Toasted pine nuts: Pine nuts are used in Italian-style recipes as a garnish. While they’re a little pricey, they add a nutty flavor that can’t be easily replicated! Toasted pine nuts add a bit of glam (like in this Sauteed Rainbow Chard recipe).
- Shredded Parmesan or Pecorino cheese: Just a little aged cheese also takes it up a notch! Pecorino Romano cheese is our favorite: and a little goes a long way. It gives a big hit of savory, salty flavor.
You can serve this Tuscan kale as a side dish, or make it part of a main! Add it to a grain bowl with a grain like quinoa or farro, a protein like chickpeas, & and lemon tahini sauce.
More Tuscan Kale Recipes
Here are a few more ways I love to eat this variety of kale:
1. Sauteed Tuscan Kale
The flavor of this kale is so good, it will have you wanting to make it daily. It takes only 10 minutes to make Tuscan kale into a side dish you won’t want to stop eating.
2. Tuscan Kale Salad
This Tuscan kale salad has the power to transform the minds of kale haters everywhere. Tuscan kale is smothered in a lemony, garlicky Parmesan dressing is absolutely delicious.
3. Kale Quinoa Salad
This kale quinoa salad is perfect for a healthy lunch or side dish! It’s easy to make and stays good in the refrigerator for days. Paired with chickpeas, bell peppers, and quinoa, they’re covered in a tangy dressing.
4. Kale Pesto
Did you know you can use Tuscan kale to make pesto? Whiz that leafy green with Parmesan cheese, garlic, nuts and olive oil, and it makes a savory bright green puree with a spicy kick.
5. Ribollita (Tuscan Vegetable Stew)
Ribollita is an Italian vegetable stew traditionally thickened by bread as a way to use up old crusts going stale. It’s gently simmered so that the flavors meld together beautifully.
6. Grilled Tuscan Kale
This grilled kale comes out crispy and charred, with a smoky undertone. It’s perfect for throwing onto a grill rack while you’re cooking a main dish or other veggies. It’s almost like roasted kale meets kale chips.
7. Tuscan Lentil Stew
This cozy Tuscan lentil stew with kale, tomatoes and artichokes is a healthy and easy soup recipe that’s full of Italian flavors! It’s one of our fan favorites.
8. Roasted Kale
Oven roasting kale makes it wilted and tender but crispy at the edges, which gives it a unique texture. It works as a side, thrown into a grain bowl, or in sandwiches or stir fries.
9. Baked Kale Chips
These kale chips satisfy any salty snack craving! They’re easy to make with Tuscan kale, and come out perfectly crisp and satisfying.
10. Tuscan Soup with White Beans
This one I’ve affectionately dubbed “pizza soup” because it tastes like liquid pizza! Savory tomatoes, white beans, and Tuscan flavor soak up the goodness of the pizza-y broth.
How to Chop Kale
The only technique you’ll need to know to make this Tuscan kale recipe is how to chop kale! Here’s all you need to know about how to chop it into the bite-sized pieces needed for this recipe. We’ve also got a video: see below!
- Fold the leaves of the kale together and hold them with your non-cutting hand. Use a large chef’s knife to cut off the tough stem.
- Roll up a few kale leaves at once.
- Cut the kale into thick slices, using a circular motion with the knife. Rotate the slices and then chop them in the other direction to make small pieces. Repeat for all the kale leaves.
Nutrition Spotlight
Leafy greens like kale are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Here are a few facts about kale:
- Kale is full of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber.
- 1 cup of raw kale has 33 calories, 6 grams of carbs (2 of which are fiber), and 3 grams of protein.
- Because of its low calorie content, kale is among the most nutrient-dense foods on earth. Eating more of this cruciferous vegetable is a great way to increase the total nutrient content of your diet.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Easy Tuscan Kale
This Tuscan kale recipe makes tender, sauteed kale scented with garlic! Also called Lacinato or dinosaur kale, it makes a fast and easy side dish.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
- 1 pound or 2 bunches Tuscan kale
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Optional: Lemon wedges, shredded Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts
- Wash and dry the kale leaves, then destem and roughly chop the kale.
- Smash and peel the garlic cloves.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the smashed garlic and kale and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently until wilted and bright green.
- Remove from the heat and add the kosher salt and several grinds of fresh ground pepper. Discard the garlic cloves and serve immediately. (If desired, you can add lemon juice or Parmesan: but neither are necessary with the sweet flavor of Tuscan kale! You may want to consider them if using curly kale.)
