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Home » Recipe Type » Salads
5 from 5 reviews

10 Minute Kale Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

5 minutes
green pepperskaletomato
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:1/27/22
Updated:5/2/25
Jump to Recipe

Eat all the vibrant colors and flavors of the rainbow with this kale tomato salad! The green salad is quite simple, combining massaged kale, juicy cherry tomatoes, and crisp bell peppers with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. Lightly tossed in a tangy lemon olive oil vinaigrette, this side salad is fresh, satisfying and oh so good! Ready in 10 minutes — from start to finish!

kale salad with tomatoes and peppers in bowl.

Kale Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of my absolute favorite kale salad recipes. It’s simple, fresh, and full of flavor—the combo of tender kale, juicy cherry tomatoes, and salty parmesan cheese tossed in a zesty lemon-olive oil dressing is just so satisfying. It reminds me a bit of my 5-Minute Arugula Salad with Chickpeas—another easy, flavorful salad we make on repeat around here.

If you’re already a kale fan, you’ll love this one. And if you’re not totally convinced about raw kale yet, this salad might win you over. The lemony dressing softens the leaves and mellows out the bitterness, turning even kale skeptics into believers.

Have extra kale on hand? You can toss it in a pan for sautéed kale with olive oil or make a batch of bite-size crispy kale chips—both are quick and delicious ways to use it up.

hands holding bowl of kale salad above table.

Kale Parmesan Salad Ingredients

  • Kale, you will need 2 bunches, wash it and chop into bite size pieces.
  • Olive oil, to massage the kale of course!
  • Cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. don’t have cherry tomatoes? You can also use grape tomatoes, chop up some roma/plum tomatoes.
  • Bell peppers, they add crunch to the salad! Since this is a rainbow salad I recommend a variety of colors – yellow, orange and red! If you don’t have bell peppers you can also use sweet lunchbox peppers.
  • Parmesan Cheese, to make it a little creamy.
  • Lemon Juice, to balance out the kale flavor.
  • Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes for the seasonings.

Extra: Love nuts? Sometimes I like to add 1/2 cup almonds into the salad if I want to bulk it up and add even more crunch!

Recipe Tip: Massage the Kale

To make sure your kale is tender and easy to chew, you have to massage the kale leaves first (oh la la!). I know it sounds silly, but it’s really important to always make sure to do this!

Kale is naturally bitter and dry. To help with the tough exterior, you want to massage the olive oil onto the kale with your hands. After a few minutes, the leaves will wilt and taste so much better!

hands massaging kale leaves with olive oil.

How To Make Kale Salad

You’ll need 2 bunches of kale for this salad (about 10 ounces worth). Once the kale is washed and chopped, place it in a large bowl.

washed kale in bowl.

Pour olive oil over the kale and use your hands to massage it into the leaves until they’re slightly wilted.

Add cherry tomatoes and chopped bell peppers – I like to use a variety of colors to make this a rainbow salad.

kale with chopped peppers and tomatoes in bowl.

Now add Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the bowl.

Parmesan cheese and seasonings in bowl with kale and vegetables.

Toss everything together, then serve and enjoy!

bowl of kale salad with wooden spoon in it.

Storing Leftover Kale Salad

This kale salad stores well if you have leftovers! I often will make it for lunch to eat for a couple consecutive days!

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator, good for about 4 days. When ready to serve it, just give it a mix. If it seems dry you can drizzle a little extra olive oil on top.

pink tongs in bowl of kale salad.

Pin for later:

Eat all the vibrant colors and flavors of the rainbow with this kale tomato salad! The green salad is quite simple, combining massaged kale, juicy cherry tomatoes, and crisp bell peppers with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. Lightly tossed in a tangy lemon olive oil vinaigrette, this side salad is fresh, satisfying and oh so good! Ready in 10 minutes — from start to finish!
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5 from 5 reviews

10 Minute Kale Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

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Eat all the vibrant colors and flavors of the rainbow with this kale tomato salad! The green salad is quite simple, combining massaged kale, juicy cherry tomatoes, and crisp bell peppers with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. Lightly tossed in a tangy lemon olive oil vinaigrette, this side salad is fresh, satisfying and oh so good! Ready in 10 minutes — from start to finish!
By: Pamela Reed
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Total Time 5 minutes minutes
serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches kale washed and chopped into bit size pieces
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup bell peppers (mixture of rainbow colors) chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Add washed and chopped kale to a large bowl. Pour olive oil on top and massage kale for 2 minutes, making sure to massage the olive oil into all the kale leaves.
  • Add tomatoes, bell peppers (I like to use a mixture of colors to give it the rainbow appearance), Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes into the bowl. Mix to fully combine.
  • Serve and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container, good for a few days.

Video:

Notes

Extra: Love nuts? Sometimes I like to add 1/2 cup almonds into the salad if I want to bulk it up and add even more crunch!
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: kale salad, kale tomato salad
Vegetarian Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

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5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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  1. Kym says

    September 25, 2024 at 12:27 pm

    This is my go to salad when I want to eat clean and still be extremely satisfied!

    Reply
    • Pamela Reed says

      September 25, 2024 at 3:12 pm

      So happy to hear you liked it, I just had it for lunch today! 🙂

      Reply
  2. T says

    July 28, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    Great recipe. I used vegan feta cheese and served the salad with a quiche I made with just picked chanterelles and Just Egg. Wonderful Vegan dinner. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Pamela Reed says

      July 28, 2023 at 8:32 pm

      So happy to hear you liked the kale salad! It’s one of my favorite kale recipes so I always get excited when anyone makes it. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Kathleen says

    March 21, 2023 at 7:34 am

    This has become one of my favorite kale salad recipes. It’s beautiful and delivers bright, light flavors that complement steak or savory dishes. I add extra Parmesan and a generous handful of roasted pepitas for even more flavor and crunch.

    Reply
  4. Denise says

    September 29, 2022 at 7:45 am

    Really loved the parmesan bit since it balanced out the acidity from the lemon. Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
  5. Jennie G says

    September 16, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    I loved this healthy and delicious salad. Thank you 👍

    Reply
  6. Eleanor Veronica says

    May 8, 2019 at 2:19 am

    Yummy and healthy salad recipe. I try this and I really like it. Also full of nutritious so also serve to my child. from now i be your regular reader so keep sharing more recipes.

    Reply
  7. Pili says

    June 22, 2017 at 7:25 am

    Can you believe I have never tried kale? Recently I found it on a local organic market but it is no easy to get. Next time I will buy some and try your recipe, it looks delicious especially with the heat we are having these months.
    ThanKs for sharing it at Sweet Inspiration.

    Reply
  8. Kathryn Griffin says

    June 20, 2017 at 10:19 am

    This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing it with us! You are one of the features at the Sunday Showcase. Here is the link so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2017/06/sunday-showcase-make-pretty-monday-8-11.html Hope you have a great week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    Reply
  9. Julie@CutOffintheKeweenaw says

    June 18, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    I’ve been buying a lot of kale for the last year or so. It’s delicious and less expensive than romaine, green leaf, red leaf, or other lettuces. It’s not my husband’s absolute favorite, but he’s perfectly OK with me mixing it with lettuce for the foundation of our side salads – maybe 2 parts lettuce to 1 part kale. And, we’re obsessed with those sweet little peppers lately! Love a pretty salad! Thanks for your info on massaging the kale.

    Reply
  10. Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures says

    June 17, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    OK. I did not know about massaging kale. ‘Definitely giving that a try. Thank you for sharing this beautiful salad recipe at Tuesdays with a Twist! I hope you have time to join us again this week! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

    Reply
  11. Mandibelle16 says

    June 17, 2017 at 1:00 pm

    Thank you for posting this! I’ve been looking for some yummy salads to eat and this is really simple for lunch with a bit of chicken or some almonds. I like the light salad dressing and kale is very good actually. I find you have t let sit and absorb the dressing or it’s too crunchy. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 17, 2017 at 4:55 pm

      Hey Mandibelle16, glad you like this salad, it’s one of my favorites for lunch! I don’t really let the kale sit and I don’t find it crunchy but if fresh kale isn’t your thing for salads, you can always throw it in some boiling water for 1-2 minutes to make it softer – my husband prefers it this way. Enjoy!

      Reply
  12. Amy says

    June 13, 2017 at 2:56 pm

    This looks delicious, Pamela. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  13. Leslie says

    June 13, 2017 at 8:38 am

    Oh my! This sounds wonderful. I’m going to try it tonight! And I have never heard of massaging the kale leaves so I will definitely do that. Thank you!

    Reply
  14. clairejustine says

    June 13, 2017 at 4:16 am

    This looks healthy and tasty, love all the colours too 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays

    Reply
  15. ARTantana says

    June 12, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    Loved all the colours you put together and so healthy too. Thanks for sharing!!

    Have a great day ahead!!

    Shantana

    Reply
  16. Carol@BlueskyKitchen says

    June 12, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    Pamela, I’m so glad to know I’m not the only person who massages kale! It does soften the kale and helps to get the olive oil down in every crevice and nook and cranny. It’s such a beautiful salad and so good for you.

    Reply
  17. Jess says

    June 12, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    Yummmmmmm! 🙂

    I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

    Reply
  18. Judee@gluten free A-Z Blog says

    May 29, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    What a beautiful colorful salad. I love cherry and grape tomatoes because they work in everything and are available all year. I’ve got to start massaging my kale…

    Reply
  19. STEPHANIE ABBOTT says

    May 23, 2017 at 6:57 am

    I need you to cook for me. Everything looks so good! Thanks for sharing at To Grandmas House We Go. Scheduled to Pinterest too.

    Reply
  20. Leigh says

    May 22, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    Yum! This looks delicious…and so healthy! Thanks for sharing for IDIYedThat!

    Reply
  21. April J Harris says

    May 22, 2017 at 11:37 am

    No wonder you have been eating this salad for lunch and dinner – it really does look so appetizing! It’s so nice when something this pretty is healthy and tasty too. Thank you for sharing your Rainbow Kale Salad with us at Hearth and Soul. Pinned and shared on the H&S Facebook page. Hope to see you at the party again this week!

    Reply
  22. Fabiola Rodriguez says

    May 21, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    This is so perfect for spring! And I happen to have peppers and parmesan at home 🙂 I can’t wait to try this.

    Greetings from the Blogger’s Pit Stop!

    Reply
  23. Sandra L Garth says

    May 20, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    These vibrant pictures are about to jump off the screen and hopefully onto a plate for me. Thank you for sharing with us at Celebrate Your Story, and I hope you’re having a great weekend.

    Reply
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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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