Spicy Kale & Mushrooms with Parmesan

This has been a weekly staple in my house and possibly my favorite way to eat kale.

If you don’t like mushrooms… (some of my favorite people don’t because they say it’s a “textural issue”, but I still don’t get it because they are one of my favorite cooked foods of all time), this may not be the recipe for you because ‘shrooms are the star of the show. The cremini mushrooms make this kale dish so rich, decadent, and filling.

Basically, I saute the onions and mushrooms in wine with a bunch of leafy kale. The finishing touch is freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The onions are the base flavor for all of these veggies. When you start to cook the onion and it slowly caramelizes, it actually gets sweet.

Cremini mushrooms are very similar to button mushrooms, but they have a lot more flavor and have a bit more of a “meaty” texture to them (which I like, even as a vegetarian).

If you have something like green beans or peas with edible shells on hand, you can add those in with the mushrooms if you are looking for more of an added crunch or green.

Next, I take the leaves off of the stem of the kale. The stems are pretty fibrous and hard to eat, so I just like to cut them off for this dish. Once I throw the kale in, I also add in some red pepper flakes. While the kale cooks down for 5 minutes, I get my lemon ready. Lemon is an important addition to this recipe because it brightens up the flavors. The lemon juice makes the onions taste sweeter and the kale even more flavorful. The final ingredient is the buttery and salt Parmesan cheese that I sprinkle fresh on top. The heat of the vegetables sloooooooowly melts that Parmesan cheese, which blends together so beautifully.

It’s very exciting. I just love it.

Let me know what you think!

Spicy Kale & Mushrooms with Parmesan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 people

Recipe inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and quartered (about 11-15 mushrooms)

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bunch kale (1/2 pound), rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onions with 1 tsp salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add more salt.

4. Add the red pepper flakes and the kale and continue cooking until the kale has wilted, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve immediately.