I love having easy vegetable side dishes, like this sautéed kale and mushroom recipe, in my back pocket. Fresh kale, button mushrooms, and fresh garlic are sautéed in olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt for a simple side dish that's ready in about 20 minutes.
This recipe is especially handy when I'm putting together a family dinner or hosting friends during the holidays.
Here's why:
- Simple ingredients: You only need kale, mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, salt, and a splash of vegetable broth to make this easy vegetable side dish.
- Ready in about 20 minutes: Cleaning and chopping the kale and mushrooms takes the most time. After that, everything cooks up quickly!
- Pairs with just about anything: Serve this dish alongside chicken, pork, beef, or your favorite pasta recipe.
If you're looking for more easy vegetable sides, try my roasted green beans and carrots or air fryer zucchini and squash.
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Key Ingredient Notes
- Kale: This recipe calls for curly leaf kale, not lacinto or dinosaur. This is the most common type of kale you'll find at the grocery store. It's usually sold in bundles or bunches.
- Mushrooms: You'll need a 12-ounce package of white button mushrooms.
- Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press. Garlic is the main flavor enhancer in this recipe, so you'll want to use the freshest garlic possible.
- Vegetable broth: The veggie broth deglazes the pan and adds a little steam to help cook down the hearty and tough kale leaves. Broth also adds a little salty flavor to the kale.
- Kosher salt: Season your cooked mushrooms and kale with a pinch of kosher salt, to your liking.
*See the recipe card below for a detailed list of ingredients.
Have extra kale on hand? Put it to use in my ground turkey, sweet potato, and kale skillet recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan with deep sides over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms.
- The mushrooms will immediately absorb the olive oil and temporarily stick to the pan. This only lasts about a minute; as soon as the mushrooms start cooking, they'll sweat out moisture and release.
- Sauté for about 3-5 minutes, or until tender.
- Pour the vegetable broth into your hot pan, then add the trimmed kale leaves. Stir the kale into the mushrooms, cover the pan, and let it steam.
- I like to steam the kale for about 30 seconds, uncover the pan, give the vegetables a good stir, then cover the pan again and repeat that process until the kale is wilted and cooked down.
- The kale only needs about 3 minutes total of cooking time.
- Before serving, add salt to taste.
Looking for another way to cook with kale? My turkey and white bean soup recipe includes fresh kale, for a light and brothy soup packed with wholesome ingredients.
Extra tips
- Remove the stems: When preparing your kale, separate the leaves from the stems. While the stems are edible, they're tough to chew. I prefer to remove the kale leaves from the stems and then break the leaves into medium-sized pieces.
- Wash the mushrooms and make sure they're fresh: My preferred way to wash mushrooms is by gently wiping them down with a damp paper towel. If your fresh mushrooms have soggy brown spots or have gotten slimy, then it's time to toss them out.
- Watch the salt: The vegetable broth will add some salty flavor to the kale. You can add more salt at the end of cooking time, after you've tasted your sautéed kale and mushrooms. You can always add more salt, but you can't take it away once it's in there!
Serving Ideas
- If you're in the mood for chicken or turkey, then sautéed mushrooms and kale would be terrific served with air fryer turkey tenderloin or Greek roast lemon chicken.
- Serving fish for dinner? Pair this side dish with my blackened cod or pesto crusted salmon.
- This recipe pairs especially well with my easy baked ziti and Dutch oven mac and cheese.
Storage and reheating
- How to store: Store leftover mushrooms and kale in a sealed, air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat: You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a frying pan over low heat. Leftover kale and mushrooms will reheat pretty quickly!
More Side Dish Recipes
If you tried this Sautéed Kale and Mushroom Recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sautéed Kale and Mushrooms
This sautéed kale and mushrooms recipe combines fresh kale, button mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil with a pinch of kosher salt. It's an easy vegetable side dish that comes together in about 20 minutes and pairs well with beef, chicken, turkey, or pork.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 12 ounces button mushrooms
- ¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 bunch curly leaf kale
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. Wash the kale leaves and separate them from the stems. Tear the kale leaves into medium-sized pieces using your hands. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp towel and remove the stems. Chop the mushrooms into thin slices. Discard the kale and mushroom stems.
- Heat the pan. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet with deep sides. Add the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms.
- Cook the garlic and mushrooms. Sauté the garlic and mushrooms over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. The mushrooms will absorb the olive oil and temporarily stick to the pan. This will only last about a minute. As the mushrooms cook, they will start to sweat out moisture, which will deglaze the pan.
- Add the kale. Add the vegetable broth and the kale to the mushrooms and garlic. Cover the pan and let the kale steam. Steam the kale for about 30 seconds, open the pan, give the kale a good stir, and cover again. Repeat this process a few times until the kale has finished cooking. The kale will be fully cooked in about 3 minutes.
- Add salt to taste. Once the kale has finished steaming/sautéing, remove your dish from the heat. Add a pinch of kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- You'll need a large skillet with deep sides and a tight-fitting lid.
- The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.
Crystal says
My 4-year-old daughter THANKED me for making this for her! She loved the kale. Thank YOU for getting my kid to enjoy kale so much.
Katie says
That's amazing!
Tina says
We love this! Easy to make.
Katie says
I love an easy side dish too!
Katie says
Cooking the kale in a small amount of broth helps it soften up so nicely! I love this technique!