Easy Garlic Kale

Add a delicious pop of color to your plate with this 3-ingredient kale recipe that comes together in just 15 minutes. If it sounds too good to be true, try this crowd-pleasing side dish for yourself — you'll be shocked at its simplicity.

Easy Garlic Kale Ingredients

This recipe for kale is incredibly easy to make with just three ingredients:

Kale
Choose sturdy kale that's evenly green and free of yellow or brown spots. The leaves should be crisp and unwilted.

Garlic
A teaspoon of minced garlic adds just the right amount of flavor. You can keep it simple or add salt, pepper, and/or other seasonings to taste.

Oil
The kale is cooked in olive oil until bright green and tender.

How to Prepare Kale

You'll need to thoroughly clean the kale before you cook it. To prepare kale for cooking, simply soak the leaves in a large bowl of water until the grit sinks to the bottoms. Lift the leaves out and repeat the process with clean water if they're particularly dirty.

What you do next will depend on the recipe. For this one, immediately discard the stems and chop the kale into 1-inch pieces.

How to Make Easy Garlic Kale

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's what you can expect when you make this incredibly easy garlic kale recipe:

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Stir in garlic and cook until sizzling. Add kale to the skillet, toss, cover, and cook (tossing occasionally with tongs) until the kale is tender and vibrant green.

How to Store Cooked Kale

Let your leftovers cool to room temperature, then place them in a shallow airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to five days. Eat the kale cold, microwave it in 10-second increments, or reheat it on the stove.

Learn more: How to Store Kale

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"I liked the simplicity of this recipe," says Allrecipes Allstar thedailygourmet. "Great side and fast to make — no changes other than using kale that was already rinsed...it made preparation that much faster."

"I will make it again," according to Clare. "I added plain pasta and a sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to make it a complete meal."

"This is such an easy quick way to fix such a delightful vegetable," raves Rebecca Mitchell. "My whole family loved it! I used Cajun seasoning instead of salt and pepper because I was serving it alongside Cajun-style fried fish."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams