Warm Kale Asparagus Salad

5 from 12 votes

A bistro salad recipe with kale, asparagus, hard boiled eggs, and almonds tossed in a warm bacon dressing.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asparagus, kale, lunch, salad, side dish

Servings: entrees

Calories: 169kcal

Before prepping anything steam or boil your hard boiled eggs. While they cook, chop the onion, asparagus, kale, and bacon.
Heat 3-4 inches of well-salted water in a large, rimmed sauté pan over high heat. Cover to bring to a boil. Prepare a bowl with ice water.
Add in the asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes or until bright green.
Transfer asparagus directly into the ice bath and return the pan to medium heat. Add in the bacon.
While the bacon cooks to almost crisp (6-8 minutes), peel the eggs and set aside. Stir the bacon occasionally.
When bacon is almost crisp add in the onions and stir occasionally until softened. Reduce heat if needed to prevent browning.
Add the chopped kale to a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of oil and a pinch (1/8 tsp) of salt. Massage the oil and salt into the leaves until its slightly bruised, 1-2 minutes.
When onions are soft, drain off all but 1 tablespoon of remaining bacon fat from the pan. Add in the water, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper.
Let the dressing simmer until slightly reduced, 2-3 minutes. Taste and add a pinch of salt or pepper if needed.
Set the dressing aside off the heat to cool for a few minutes and assemble the salad. Dry the asparagus gently and combine with the almonds and kale.
Toss the salad in the warm bacon dressing then arrange on a platter and top with sliced or halved hard boiled eggs.
Serve immediately.

*If you're using pencil thick asparagus 2 minutes of blanching is perfect, for thicker pieces, increase to 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender.

The kale, eggs, and asparagus can be prepped up to 3 days in advance.

Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side dish.