Sautéed Curly Kale with Lemon, Garlic and Tomatoes

This super simple sautéed kale with lemon, garlic, and tomatoes is ready in less than 15 minutes, and works with almost any main course.

Let’s name the elephant in the room: kale can be… how do I put it mildly – polarizing? Just the word alone is known to cause convulsions for the green-averse. My theory? When kale first became “a thing” in the early 2010’s, many of us assumed it was just another leaf we could toss into salads. And boy, were we wrong.

Unlike its distant, salad-ready cousins romaine and arugula, raw kale leaves are thick, rough-textured, and laborious to chew. But sautéing kale on the stovetop? An entirely different story!

This lemony, garlicky sautéed kale with tomatoes and red onion is the easiest way to make kale delicious. It’s juicy, packed with flavor, and has a bit of a kick from chili flakes.

Why You Should Make This Kale Recipe

Sautéing kale is the easiest way to mellow out its flavor and give it a more delicate, juicy texture. Plus, it’s super easy and takes just about 10 minutes. These greens are savory thanks to sautéed tomatoes and onions, tangy thanks to the lemon juice, and perfumed with garlic throughout.

Another bonus: because cooking wilts kale – thus decreasing its volume – it’s easier to eat a lot of sautéed kale than raw kale, which is a good thing because kale is one of the healthiest foods in the world. It’s known to be cancer-preventative, cholesterol-lowering, generally anti-inflammatory, and packed with vitamins and minerals, like Vitamins K, A, and C, manganese, calcium, and fiber.

How to Prep Kale for Sautéing

When you buy a whole bunch of kale (versus chopped kale in a bag), it’s often quite dirty/sandy. Be sure to wash each leaf individually under cold running water. Curly kale (pictured below) has tough, fibrous stems that are not fun to chew. To remove the tough stems before cooking, simply hold on to the stem with one hand, and pull off the curly leaves with the other.

Sautéed Kale with Tomatoes: Step-by-Step

Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Cook the Tomato Base

In a large skillet, cook a bit of sliced red onion in olive oil until it starts to soften and become golden brown (the onion will lend a subtle sweetness to the kale). Then add diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chili flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes collapse and get juicy.

Step 2: Add the Kale

Place the kale in the skillet, add a splash of water, and cover tightly with a lid. Cook for another few minutes, just until the kale is bright green and wilted. This step steams and softens the kale. Lastly, squeeze some lemon on top and give everything a good stir.

How to Serve This Kale Side Dish

Sautéed curly kale is a great accompaniment to Italian and other Mediterranean mains, like Italian tomato tofu, warm lentil salad, baked Greek orzo and other vegan pastas, and this chickpea flour “frittata”.