Cooked Kale

Kale is a robust leafy green related to cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Its sturdy, crinkled leaves hold up well to cooking, becoming tender and mellow once boiled — losing some of the raw leaf’s bitter edge in the process.

Cooked kale is a versatile side dish that pairs well with roast meats, grain bowls, and hearty soups. It features prominently in Southern American, Portuguese, and Northern European cooking, appearing in dishes like colcannon and caldo verde. In Australia, it’s become a popular addition to stir-fries, pasta dishes, and warm salads.

Kale’s thick leaves take a little longer to cook than softer greens like spinach, but the trade-off is a satisfying texture that doesn’t turn to mush. Tuscan (lacinato) and curly varieties are the most common at Australian grocers.