kale breakfast salad

Have you ever craved a breakfast salad? Or something other than an omelet or green smoothie to pack in a few extra veggies? I’m usually happy with scrambled eggs (or to be honest, in this season of life, a half-mixed protein shake). But some days the lure of a fresh salad in the morning is strong.

It doesn’t have to be a health-food salad, either. I’m usually looking for something really flavorful and exciting, with a little more nutrition than the average piece of toast. So if you have the time, why not go all in on a gorgeous kale breakfast salad?

You can take a breakfast salad any which way you want, from tossing together whatever’s in your fridge to intentionally crafting a salad that plays off the flavors and textures of a great breakfast. 

We do the latter here, and we do it in an extra-savory, extra-satisfying kind of way. It’s a breakfast salad that’s cozy, filling, and ridiculously good. You’ll probably want it for dinner, too.

We start with massaged kale that is soft, a little chewy, and perfect for soaking up the miso sesame dressing. Then we top it with caramelized wild mushrooms, crispy brown rice, sweet carrots, avocado, and some soft-boiled jammy eggs.

Feel free to substitute crispy shredded potatoes for the rice and use whatever mushrooms you can find. You can even top the salad with a runny fried egg and skip the boiling and peeling if you’re in a pinch. Sprinkle with it with bacon crumbles if you want extra breakfast-flair, or throw in crispy pancetta. 

Whatever you do, don’t just make this as a fancy breakfast for yourself. This recipe makes the ultimate brunch salad: your friends and family will be obsessed.

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kale breakfast salad ingredients:

how to make this breakfast salad:

1. Make the sesame ginger dressing.
2. Soft boil eggs, blanch, peel and slice in half.
3. Shred the carrots.
4. Massage shredded kale with salt until dark green and softened.
5. Cook mushrooms until crispy and caramelized.
6. Fry the rice until crispy and browned.
7. Slice avocado.
8. Toss kale with a few tablespoons of dressing. Top with shredded carrots, caramelized mushrooms, crispy rice, jammy eggs, avocado. Drizzle with more dressing and serve.

make ahead:

This recipe can feel like a lot of steps first thing in the morning, so here are a few ways you can prep the ingredients and actually make a delicious salad for breakfast: 

• Cook brown rice up to 1 week ahead.
• Make the sesame ginger salad dressing. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Wash, dry and slice the kale. Store in a ziptop bag in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Shred the carrots up to 3 days ahead.
• Clean and slice the mushrooms up to 3 days ahead.
• Boil, shock and peel the eggs up to 1 day ahead.

To assemble: massage the kale with salt. Cook the mushrooms and rice. Slice the avocado. Toss everything together!

make this a brunch spread:

Here are some of our favorite brunch recipes that, combined with this kale breakfast salad, will make the ultimate spread!

smoked salmon toast

chorizo hash with poblanos and charred jalapeño hollandaise

easy eggs benedict

extra-thick cinnamon brioche french toast

wild mushroom leek frittata

strawberry muffins

the best Irish coffee

homemade bloody mary mix

more kale salad recipes to try:

warm kale salad with raisins

kale caesar salad

kale sweet potato salad

kale slaw with apples

quinoa kale salad with oranges and lemon tahini dressing

kale and brussels sprout salad with pecorino and almonds

tuscan kale salad

kale apple salad

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