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This Blood Orange Vinaigrette Kale Salad is obsession-worthy!! Not only does it come together easily (there’s nothing complicated about it), but it’s super pretty, seasonal, and lends itself well to the addition of a white meat or fish!
Boring salads don’t exist around here. This isn’t your-moms iceberg salad with store bought ranch (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But this just isn’t it.
This salad is pretty, it’s festive, and it’s dare-I say, special? Because it’s not all season that you can get blood oranges in season. Blood oranges are so pretty and they’re not just for making cocktails. They are the star of this dressing and after you make this salad (and the vinaigrette), you’ll see why.
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Ingredients
Okay let’s discuss the ingredients. First, the vinaigrette. It’s simple, just add all of the ingredients to a mason jar and shake it violently until it's combined. Shake it like a cocktail, you don’t want it to be clumpy, you want it to be well combined.
- Olive oil - I used extra virgin, organic olive oil because you’ll be able to taste it and you want it to taste good. Something I try to do is always use a quality olive oil for my salad dressings.
- Blood orange juice - just use a lemon squeezer to squeeze the juice out of your blood oranges. If you’re feeling zesty, you can add a little zest to the jar as well. But you certainly don’t have to do that.
- Red wine vinegar - my favorite vinegar for making sweet, tangy vinaigrettes. White wine or champagne vinegar also works! Champagne vinegar is a fun substitution!
- Honey - thickens and sweetens the dressing. This is by no means a thick vinaigrette but honey will add a bit of thickness.
- Dijon mustard - this adds just a bit of tang but it also works as an emulsifier.
- ¼ tsp kosher salt - if you don’t want to use salt, or you’re sensitive to salt, you can leave it out. But I think it needs salt, kosher, pink, or sea salt works fine. Avoid using table salt (it adds a metallic flavor to your dressing, you don’t want that!)
- Oregano - this spice helps to balance the acidity.
- Red pepper flakes - to add just a slight kick, but if you’re sensitive to heat you can leave it out.
I suggest making the dressing first and then popping it into the fridge so that the flavors have time to mesh together. Or just slide it to the side if you're making the salad and serving it immediately.
If you happen to have leftover dressing, save it and use it as a marinade for chicken, or salmon, or white fish. Or just use it for another salad or as a panini or sandwich dressing.
Assembling the salad
After making the vinaigrette, assemble the salad. You’ll need:
- Kale - kale is great for this salad, just chop it and remove the stems.
- Blood orange - remove the skins and slice the blood oranges or dice them, whatever your preference is.
- Red onion - red onion adds a nice color and layer of flavor to this salad.
- Pecans - chop the pecans. If you have candied pecans, those would be fabulous in place of regular non-candied pecans.
- Goat cheese - goat cheese is the best cheese for this salad but if you don’t have it you can use feta.
Substitutions and Variations
- Kale - okay, this is a tricky one, because this is a kale salad and if you prepare it right (massage some of the dressing into the stems-removed kale leaves), it can be pretty fantastic. But if you’re totally against it, you’re going to want to replace the kale with something with some structure and flavor. Arugula would be a good choice. Romaine, while mild, is also a good choice.
- Blood oranges - technically any orange will work in this salad. So if you just love the salad and want to go for it, use any orange you have. For both the vinaigrette and the salad.
- Goat cheese - goat cheese is sweet and mild, so you can swap it for feta. You can also use bleu cheese but then it’s really going to taste different. Only make that swap if you are sure you like bleu cheese.
- Red onion - if you’re not a fan of onions in your salad (understandable, but I don’t agree), you can swap them for ¼ cup thinly sliced red cabbage.
Make ahead options
If making this salad ahead of time, I suggest making the vinaigrette and storing it in the fridge for up to one week.
For the salad you can chop and prepare all of the ingredients one day in advance but store them separately.
When you’re ready to serve the salad put the kale into a salad bowl, massage it with a tablespoon or two of the dressing, and then layer on the rest of the ingredients, serving the remaining dressing on the side.
Leftovers
Store the leftover dressing in a jar with a lid in the fridge for up to one week.
You can store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. But really, it’s best eaten immediately.
FAQs
WHY ARE BLOOD ORANGES GOOD IN SALAD?
They have a more complex flavor than navel oranges, but the flavor isn’t much different. They’re more tangy, and generally less sweet. They’re not as tart as a grapefruit but they lean in that direction. Imagine if a grapefruit and a raspberry had a baby? It would be the blood orange!
HOW DO YOU MAKE BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE?
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp blood orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
…Shake all of those ingredients in a jar and pop it into the fridge for the flavors to mesh together.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A KALE SALAD TASTE BETTER?
Remove the stems of the kale, and massage the kale with a little bit of salad dressing (like the one listed above) before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Serve this salad with:
- Pan Seared Filet Mignon
- Meatballs with Marinara
- Dutch Oven Pork Chops
- Lobster Ravioli
- Grilled Pink Shrimp
Blood Orange Vinaigrette Kale Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp blood orange juice freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
FOR THE KALE SALAD
- 4 cups kale stems removed
- 1 blood orange sliced
- ½ red onion sliced
- ¼ cup pecans
- 4 oz goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, shake all of the ingredients in a mason jar and place it into the fridge. Or just set it aside.
- To make the salad, layer the kale into a salad bowl and spoon 2 tbsp of dressing over the kale. Massage the kale with your fingers until it’s coated in the dressing (this helps to soften up the kale).
- Then layer on the rest of the ingredients and gently toss it.
- Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
When you’re ready to serve the salad put the kale into a salad bowl, massage it with a tablespoon or two of the dressing, and then layer on the rest of the ingredients, serving the remaining dressing on the side
LEFTOVERS: Store the leftover dressing in a jar with a lid in the fridge for up to one week. You can store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. But really, it’s best eaten immediately. *Nutrition facts are automatically calculated.
Nutrition
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