food to glow

Kale – the reigning king of the crops – turns festive and a little bit decadent with the addition of Parmigiano Reggiano, crème fraîche and nutmeg. But trust me, it’s a super easy and extremely delicious side dish for any time of year. And a great way to convert kale-sceptics.

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We in the Food To Glow household LOVE creamed kale. It’s so awesome that I have both a vegetarian and a vegan recipe for this must-make side. It’s sooooo good that I don’t need an occasion, or even anything more than a little protein on the side, to whip this up. Whether it is to go with Cauliflower Wellington, Carrot and Celeriac Rösti Cake, a grilled fillet of fish, or even a midweek supper omelette, creamed kale never fails.

To us, creamed kale falls into that exclusive category where the ingredients add up to more than the sum of their parts. Creamy, garlicky, minerally. Just fantastic. I must confess that I almost always need to make double as nearly half will disappear in the final “testing”. Do you need to do this for certain recipes, too?

Today’s simple recipe is still as easy as the original cheese-free version, but boy does it punch way above its weight. Not with spice – save for a few grates of fresh nutmeg. No, it gets culinary muscle from Italian superstar ingredient, Parmigiano Reggiano.

This is my third in the series of three recipes I’ve created for this iconic, all-natural brand leading up to Christmas. I wouldn’t necessarily say have all three on your festive table, but may I gently suggest that you pencil all of them into your menu plans for the festive days ahead?

Get a big wedge of the real thing at your favourite Italian deli or supermarket and feel confident that whatever it touches will have your guests/family begging for seconds. If you make it, let me know if this is true for you. We just might be extra weird!

What are my other festive Parmigiano Reggiano recipes?

Herb-Roasted Squash Stuffed Pasta with Parmigiano Reggiano

Roasted Parmigiano Reggiano Sweet Potatoes with Panko Crumbs

Making the creamed kale

The process for turning your tough-ish pile of greens into silky, slippery spoons of pleasure (am I going a bit overboard in my love for this dish? #sorrynotsorry) is straightforward and flexible.

• Use frozen chopped kale if you like. Fresh is great, but kale is at its best if locally grown rather than flown in “fresh”.
• If you get tender kale, with soft bendy “ribs”, don’t bother de-ribbing. Just slice it into thin ribbons and chop across it to get small pieces.
• Speaking of which, it is definitely worth chopping quite small. As a creamed kale pro (self-certified), the pleasure of the taste of this recipe is infinitely increased if you don’t have to chew each mouthful for five minutes.
• Use any kale that you like – the curly kind, elegant cavolo nero or even redbore.
• Use chopped frozen onion as long as it is finely chopped. Waitrose in the UK has the smallest dice. Ditto, garlic. I prefer using fresh, but there is probably no taste difference once the dish is made.
• Use olive oil or butter as is your preference. You aren’t using much so go with what you like.
• Don’t even think about using anything but real Parmigiano Reggiano. Unless you are vegetarian. PR isn’t vegetarian.
• Feel free to cook the kale ahead and finish the dish just before serving.
• To make a thicker sauce, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of flour to the cooked onions and garlic and “cook it out” for one minute before adding the kale, crème fraîche and pepper.
• If you are wanting to make it lower fat, ditch the crème fraîche and use 125 ml of milk. And take the advice of the step above to thicken it up a bit.
• As well as being lactose-free, Parmigiano Reggiano is lower in sodium than other hard cheeses, so you may wish to add a bit of salt towards the end of cooking.

To keep up with the latest recipes and Parm chat,  follow @ParmesanUK on Twitter @parmigianoreggiano on Instagram and Parmigiano Reggiano on Facebook!

*Please note that this is a sponsored post. I only write about products and services that I use and love.*

Remember to follow me on Pinterest and, if you make my Creamed Kale with Parmigiano Reggiano, click on the pin below the recipe card and leave a photo of your make with a comment telling me what you think, or any awesome changes that you made. Similarly, any Instagram posts tagged @food_to_glow using my recipes will go on my Story if I see them. I’m always so proud when you share my recipes with the world. Yay!!!

Whether on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or of course here on the blog, I love to see what you do with my recipes, and I welcome your comments, star ratings, tweaks and suggestions.

How deep is your love of creamed kale? Do you need to make extra to ensure it actually makes it to the table? What new side dishes will you be trying over the festive period? What are your family favourites that HAVE to be made every year?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I am very nosey!

4.6 from 15 votes

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Creamed Kale with Parmigiano Reggiano

Creamed Kale with Parmigiano Reggiano is a super-easy and utterly delicious side dish for any meal. 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword easy recipe, kale, Parmigiano Reggiano, quick

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 165 kcal

Author kellie anderson

Ingredients

• 500 g kale
• 1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil or butter
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
• 1 garlic clove grated
• 175 ml lower fat creme fraiche or full-fat
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tbsp milk if needed
• 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated
• 1 tsp lemon juice optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

1. De-rib and chop the kale into small pieces. Place in a pan of boiling water and boil for five minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze well with your hands, or use a tea towel.

2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium flame. Add the onion and saute for five minutes, stirring. Add in the garlic, nutmeg, cooked kale, crème fraîche and pepper. Toss well, then pop on a lid and cook on lowered heat for five minutes. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano and stir well. If you want more of a sauce, add the milk, heating all through thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt and/or lemon. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Creamed Kale with Parmigiano Reggiano

Amount Per Serving

Calories 165 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 11mg4%

Sodium 301mg13%

Potassium 448mg13%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Protein 10g20%

Calcium 331mg33%

Vitamin C 101.3mg123%

Vitamin A 8455IU169%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

RIPE FOR PINNING!