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Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes is bursting with flavor from pan-roasted garlic and sweet grape tomatoes.
A couple of weekends ago, we had an impromptu get-together with our family. What started as plans to just serve a few light breakfast foods evolved into more of a full-on brunch menu. (What can I say? As food bloggers, even with family, we DO have a bit of a reputation to live up to!)
Our menu of oven roasted chicken, quiche (two kinds – see here and here), and roasted potatoes needed a green, leafy vegetable to round things out. We had a head of Tuscan kale in the refrigerator, plus a large container of grape tomatoes on hand – and some heads of garlic on the counter – I made this fantastic Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes.
How do you make Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes?
This easy recipe harkens back to a similar cooking technique that we originally shared here – where peeled, whole cloves of garlic are pan-roasted in extra virgin olive oil over very low heat, so the outside of the garlic turns a golden brown, while the inside becomes soft and the garlic flavor mellows. Once the garlic is golden, I add the grape tomatoes to the pan and cooked them until the skins puckered and burst open – creating a fantastic, super flavorful garlic tomato sauce.
At this point, cleaned and trimmed Tuscan kale is added to the pan and cooked covered until tender – tossing the leafy greens with the garlic tomato sauce. Finally, a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar is drizzled over the kale, and after one final toss – your Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes is ready to serve.
I always know that we have a winning recipe on our hands when everyone who takes a bite of a dish immediately asks if the recipe is posted here on A Family Feast – and that’s what happened with this Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes. (It’s posted now guys!) 🙂
I really should have made a double batch – this Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes was devoured quickly. And, it was so good, my husband Jack told me that he woke up the next morning thinking about it!
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Tuscan Kale with Garlic Tomatoes
Ingredients
1 very large bunch of Tuscan Kale (16 loosely packed cups once cleaned and chopped)
4 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
5 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled but left whole
2 pints grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
To clean the Tuscan kale, grab the leaves with your fingers on the thick end of each stem and pull down, ripping all of the leaves from the stem. Once you get the hang of this, you can go pretty fast removing the leaves. Discard stems. Lay the leaves out and cut across the grain then a few slices down the center to yield bite-sized pieces. Place in a salad spinner and rinse thoroughly, then spin to remove most of the water. Some water still clinging to leaves is fine and helps in cooking.
In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot then lower flame to medium low and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about five minutes until golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside, flipping to cook all sides.
Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes until they blister and start to burst. Use the back of a wooden spoon and flatten and break up the garlic, as well and crushing about half of the tomatoes.
Add the kale and toss, then cook for five minutes covered. Remove the cover and cook for up to five more minutes until tender and any liquid has evaporated.
Sprinkle on the vinegar, toss then serve immediately.
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Wow.This is a great tasting dish.I have struggled to find good ways to cook kale but this the one!Tastes great.Changed it a bit by using general store bought kale and tinned tomatoes.
Thanks Tizo – so glad you enjoyed it!
Winner! Made this last night with kale straight from my garden and just some of the growing pile of tomatoes that I’ve been harvesting all week. I also used elephant garlic from my mother-in-law. I didn’t have quite enough kale (without totally denuding my plants) so I supplemented with two Brussels Sprout leaves. Since I used regular tomatoes, they disintegrated while cooking, so that gave me a good excuse to add MORE fresh tomatoes (I really need more recipes for tomatoes) right at the end. I deliberately left a good amount of sauce in the bottom of the pan so we had something to soak up with the garlic toast I made to go with it (slice bread, lay on baking sheet, brush one side with olive oil, broil to lightly toast, remove, cool a minute or two, rub garlic clove on toasted side, sprinkle with salt)! I was skeptical half way through because I wasn’t using Tuscan kale and because of the difference in tomatoes and the garlic (elephant garlic tastes and cooks differently from regular garlic), BUT by the end, I was SOOOO excited about how good it was! Even more amazing: zero salt added! And it didn’t need it at all. We, like a previous commenter, added some grated Parmesan cheese, and even tried feta with it. Both were delicious. The best part was the saucy goodness leftover to eat with the garlic toast. So, even if you don’t have the right kale or tomatoes or even garlic, this is a fabulous, ridiculously simple and delicious recipe!
Thanks Kim! Great suggestions!
Do you think a can of diced tomatoes could substitute in a pinch?
Sure JG – I’d drain most of the juices if you are using canned.
Love this recipe, Thanks
You’re very welcome Lisa!
OMG, THIS IS SUBLIME!!! The Italian half of my heart is humming and singing! I followed your directions exactly, then added ribbons of fresh basil, some crushed red pepper and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the very end. Next time I’ll double it and save half to toss with pasta the following day. I’ll also add some extra cloves of garlic to smash on some crusty Italian bread to serve with it. Thank you so much for an awesome dish that I know I will be making often. Best regards, Janice Short
You are very welcome Janice! We love your additions to the recipe!