10 Recipes That Shine a Light on Kale, Radicchio, and Other Winter Greens

Come winter, we love taking advantage of all the bitter greens we can get our hands on—kale, radicchio, beet greens, escarole, and more. While any one of these can be eaten raw, they tend to be a little on the tough side and, well, bitter. Cooking the greens softens them up and helps bring out their sweeter, earthier flavors.

For all the dishes you need to get your fill of green vegetables this winter, read on for 10 of our favorite recipes involving cooked bitter greens, including pastas, soups, baked eggs, tarts, and more.

Vegetarian and Vegan

Hearty Vegan Polenta and Kale Soup With Miso and Toasted Sesame Oil

This easy one-pot polenta and kale soup hails from Italy, but we give it a distinctly Japanese twist by incorporating miso paste, soy sauce, scallions, and toasted sesame oil. A homemade vegetable stock is the best base for a tasty soup, and the polenta makes it rich, thick, and hearty, with a great aroma from olive oil and miso.

Pasta With Beans and Greens

Creamy beans and hearty greens are the perfect pairing for this quick weeknight pasta—and they’re also classic pairing in Italian peasant cuisine (as well as in many other cuisines from around the world), known as cucina povera (“poor cuisine”). It’s a recipe with humble ingredients but standout flavor.

Ribollita (Hearty Tuscan Bean, Bread, and Vegetable Stew)

This hearty Tuscan riff on minestrone is loaded with tender vegetables and beans and thickened with bread. You can control the final consistency by leaving the stew more broth-y, or cooking it down to a thicker porridge. The porridge can then be sautéed into a savory pancake. A recipe with dual purpose? We’ll take it!

Baked Eggs With Creamy Greens, Mushrooms, and Cheese

Three kinds of leafy greens—kale, Swiss chard, and spinach—combine with mushrooms, garlic, leeks, mustard, and spices to form the base for a baked-egg dish that’s a bit like an omelette turned inside out. It’s an ideal recipe for brunch, or really any meal of the day.

Vegan Peanut, Sweet Potato, and Kale Soup With Coconut

Kale is one of the most popular and versatile bitter greens around, in part because it’s one of the least bitter. Drawing inspiration from both West Africa and Thailand, this flavorful vegan soup calls for the dark lacinato variety, combined with peanuts, sweet potatoes, coconut milk and oil, ginger, and scallions.

Endive, Shallot, and Goat Cheese Tart

With a pronounced bitter flavor, endive is definitely an acquired taste. But give it a good sauté and its sweetness will begin to shine through, along with a mild earthy flavor that pairs well with Parmesan and goat cheese in this savory tart. Any goat cheese will work, but firm, funky Bûcheron is best if you can find it.

Nonvegetarian

Creamy White Beans With ‘Nduja, Kale, and Gremolata Breadcrumbs

Fiery ‘nduja spices up creamy white beans and earthy kale, for an easy, hearty weeknight meal. The soft spreadable texture and high fat content of ‘nduja allows it to easily emulsify and meld with the beans as they simmer, lending them floral heat from the Calabrian chilies and meaty richness from the pork. Lightly wilted kale balances the rich creaminess of the beans and ‘nduja, while lemon juice provides a pop of bright acidity.

Escarole and Parmesan Soup With Chicken Meatballs

This traditional version of escarole soup incorporates mini meatballs made with chicken breast and seasoned with Parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Rather than forming the meatballs by hand, we pipe the chicken mixture out of a plastic bag, cutting the little meatballs straight into the soup, like dumplings.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup With Sausage)

This easy Portuguese soup, made with potatoes, kale, onion, and chicken stock, is the perfect warming dinner on a chilly end-of-winter night. We use a mix of russet and Yukon Gold potatoes—the waxy Yukon Golds stay in nice chunks to add texture, while the russets break down to thicken the soup. Garlicky linguiça sausage is a traditional addition, but you can omit it and swap the chicken stock out for vegetable stock to make the soup vegetarian.

Stir-Fried Beef With Kale and Frisée in Black Bean Sauce

This quick recipe marries two very Western greens—kale and frisée—with a traditional Chinese cooking technique. We stir-fry the kale (both stems and leaves) with marinated flank steak, fermented black beans, and a sauce of sesame oil, soy sauce, water, and cornstarch. Cooking everything in batches keeps the wok good and hot.

March 2017