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

20200114-nduja-white-beans-kale-24 — Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Come winter, we love taking advantage of all the bitter greens we can get our hands on, such as kale, beet greens, escarole, and more. Many of these greens can be eaten raw, but they're just as delicious cooked, which softens their texture and helps coax out their sweeter, earthier flavors. Below, you'll find dishes—including bright salads and comforting soups—that will help you get your fill of winter greens.

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Roasted Kale With Tahini Sauce

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

10 minutes in a hot oven turns kale a deep emerald green and helps it develop an incredibly mix of textures, with crispy, browned edges and tender, wilted pockets throughout. A lemony tahini drizzle adds richness without weighing it down, while toasted sesame seeds, cracked coriander, and nigella seeds give the kale a layered, aromatic edge.

Roasted Kale With Tahini Sauce
Neapolitan Escarole Bean Soup

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Zuppa di scarola e fagioli is a humble Neapolitan soup of escarole and beans. Here's how to make a version that's greater than the sum of its parts.

Neapolitan Escarole Bean Soup
Creamed Kale

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Ward

Spinach doesn't have to be the only leafy green worthy of a creamy spotlight. Kale, with its hearty leaves and faintly bitter, earthy flavor, works just as well—and retains just enough texture to stay lively in the sauce, instead of disappearing into cream the way spinach sometimes can.

Creamed Kale
Radicchio, Endive, and Anchovy Salad

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Bitter greens like radicchio, Belgian endive, and parsley take on a surprising sweetness when paired with fennel and celery dressed in an aggressively savory anchovy vinaigrette.

Radicchio, Endive, and Anchovy Salad

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

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

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.

Creamy White Beans With 'Nduja, Kale, and Gremolata Breadcrumbs
Veneto-Style Radicchio Risotto With Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This classic risotto dish from Italy's Veneto region is made by cooking shredded radicchio into the rice, along with wine, cheese, and shallots.

Veneto-Style Radicchio Risotto With Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Winter Green Salad With Walnuts, Apples, and Parmesan-Anchovy Dressing

Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

This salad of chicories, parsley, apples, and walnuts has plenty of crunch. A few slivers of apples add sweetness, while an anchovy-heavy dressing brings savory depth.

Winter Green Salad With Walnuts, Apples, and Parmesan-Anchovy Dressing
Roasted Pear Salad With Endive, Blue Cheese, and Hazelnuts

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

In this wintry salad, sliced pears are sautéed in butter and sugar in a skillet until caramelized on the surface but retain a slight crunch in the middle. Sharp blue cheese, crunchy hazelnuts in the vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds, and a mix of bitter, crisp, and tender greens incorporate a number of textures and flavors.

Roasted Pear Salad With Endive, Blue Cheese, and Hazelnuts

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

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

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!

Ribollita (Hearty Tuscan Bean, Bread, and Vegetable Stew)
Winter Greens Salad With Fennel, Citrus, and Creamy Citrus Vinaigrette

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

This easy salad with bitter greens and a sweet, creamy citrus vinaigrette would do equally well with a light lunch or dinner, or as a side dish for a larger feast.

Winter Greens Salad With Fennel, Citrus, and Creamy Citrus Vinaigrette
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup)

Serious Eats / Eric Kleinberg

This comforting soup is made with a few affordable and simple ingredients, takes just 10 minutes to prep, and is ready to eat just half an hour later. Plus: It's made in a single pot.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup)
Roasted Delicata Squash and Kale Salad With Hazelnut-Parmesan Crumble

Serious Eats / Jillian Atkinson

This sheet-pan salad balances the natural sweetness of delicata squash with hearty roasted kale, a mustardy vinaigrette, and a crunchy topping of savory Parmigiano-Reggiano and toasted hazelnuts.

Roasted Delicata Squash and Kale Salad With Hazelnut-Parmesan Crumble

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

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