This Sautéed Cavolo Nero is the simplest of recipes. Cooked with butter and a little olive oil, the kale is made tender after a quick steam right in the pan, eliminating the need for separate blanching. Also known as black, dinosaur, lacinato or Tuscan kale, this dark, flavour-packed brassica is easy to prepare and makes the perfect side dish for a variety of meals.

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How to Serve Cavolo Nero

I do prefer to serve kale hot – I’m not a kale salad fan but even if I was, once it’s cooked with a bit of oil and butter, it tends to not be so pleasant to eat cold.

Cavolo nero makes a great side dish for any number of meals. I find it to be quite versatile. So not only would I serve it with a traditional roast dinner, but with with lighter meals too. So I’d serve some air fried chicken breasts or pork steaks, some roasted baby potatoes, the kale and a nice creamy mushroom sauce.

You could also try adding to a sticky rice bowl with thick slices of belly pork with crackling and a drizzle of hot honey garlic butter sauce.

Sautéed Kale Ingredients

Kale

Cavolo nero is also known as black kale, Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, or lacinato kale, depending on where you are in the world. It’s all the same plant from the brassica family with long, dark green leaves with a bumpy, almost blistered texture and a deep, earthy flavour. It’s especially popular in Italian cooking but is widely available in the UK, usually sold under the “cavolo nero” name or known as black kale.

When buying cavolo nero, look for firm, deep green leaves with no yellowing or wilting. The stalks should be crisp and not bendy or dry. If you’re buying it loose or in bunches, make sure the leaves aren’t slimy at the base, which is a sign it’s past its best.

Supermarkets often sell kale ready-chopped but I’d avoid these if you can. They’re marketed as convenient, but the problem is the stalks are still in there and they’re tough. To cook them properly, you’d have to boil them for ages, by which time the leaves are totally overdone and soggy. Ironically, it ends up being more effort to pick the stalks out once they’re chopped, so it’s much easier to buy whole leaves and remove them yourself. I’ve included my really simple method for doing this in the recipe.

Oil/Butter

I’ve used both oil and salted butter in my recipe for a specific reason. The salted butter adds flavour and is just a lovely fat that complements most sauteed, boiled and steamed vegetables. The oil prevents the butter from burning as it cooks.

I’ve just used a neutral vegetable oil but you could use olive or another oil if you prefer. As for the butter, you can use unsalted but you will need to add a little salt seperately.

I also add water once the kale has started frying. This allows the kale to soften in it’s steam but as the water start evaporating away, it also emulsifies with the fats a little. This coats the cooked kale leaves and gives them a lovely glossy finish.

Be Flexible

Add extra flavour with finely chopped garlic or a pinch of chilli flakes. A little grated nutmeg also works nicely, especially when serving with creamy dishes or strong meats like lamb or gammon.

To add some zing, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a bit of zest just before serving. A splash of balsamic vinegar or soy sauce can also give a savoury, slightly tangy twist.

Top with toasted almonds or sesame seeds for extra texture. A small handful of grated parmesan or crumbled feta adds a salty, creamy element if you want to turn it into more of a hearty side dish.

This method works well with other leafy greens too. Try spring greens, savoy cabbage, Swiss chard or spinach. Just adjust the cooking time – spinach needs only a minute or two, while thicker greens may need longer.

Vegetarian or Vegan Sautéed Cavolo Nero

This recipe is suitable for vegetarians. To make it vegan you will just need to switch out the butter for a plant based alternative. Or you can just use a little more oil and a small pinch of salt.

Make Allergy Friendly Kale

This recipe is free from egg, gluten and nuts.

Dairy Free: The advice here is exactly the same as above to make the recipe vegan.

Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

Equipment Notes for Sautéed Cavolo Nero

All you really need for this recipe is a decent sized frying pan, sauté pan or skillet. It is important that it has a lid. It doesn’t matter if you have to grab one from a different pan or stockpot of a similar size.

If you are really struggling for a lid, you can add a layer of baking parchment and/or tinfoil and something to weigh it down – that will do the job.

A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.

Get Ahead

You can prepare the kale leaves and store them in the fridge for several days. I like to put them in a freezer bag with a slightly damp piece of kitchen paper which stops them from drying out.

As for the actual cooking, as the cook is so quick, there isn’t generally a huge need to cook way in advance. But if you need to, you can take the kale off the heat before it is quite cooked and set it aside to reheat later. I’ll often just leave it in the pan to turn the heat back on and finish it off just before serving.

Leftover Cavolo Nero

Leftovers will store in the fridge for several day. You can reheat it easily in the microwave or back in a pan. You may wish to add a few drops of water if it is looking on the dry side. A little extra butter never hurt either.

You can also freeze any leftovers. Allow to defrost then heat as normal or you can add to other dishes straight from frozen.

If you don’t want to just serve leftovers as a side, it is a versatile ingredient to add into other recipes. Soups, stews, pasta dishes etc are all good options. I also like to add it to a chow mein dish or bowl of ramen.

Sautéed Cavolo Nero Tips

Don’t be alarmed about how much raw kale there is per portion. It will wilt and cook down dramatically. Not quite as much as spinach but still a lot. This is also why it is worth making sure you don’t cut the leaves too fine during the prep stage.

If at anytime during the cooking you think things look too dry, add more water rather than oil.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?

Still Have Questions?

Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.

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More Simple Brassica Recipes

The Recipe

Sautéed Cavolo Nero – Pan Fried Black Kale Recipe

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Servings

Author Chloe

Equipment

Ingredients

200 g Cavolo Nero/Black Kale
1 tbsp Salted Butter
1 tsp Olive Oil - or Vegetable Oil
4 tbsp Water

Instructions

Prepare around 200g Cavolo Nero by rinsing it and drying it thoroughly.
Remove the kale leaves from the thick stems. I find the easiest way to do this is to grab the cut end of the stem in one hand then use the other hand to push the leaf on both sides down and off the stem. Otherwise you can use a large sharp knife and cut as close to the stem as possible.
Carry on until all of the stems are removed.
Pile the leaves up and use a knife to slice through the leaves to make thick ribbons. You may find this easier to do in a couple of batches. Put the cut leaves into a large frying pan/skillet.
Add a generous 1 tbsp Salted Butter to the kale along with 1 tsp Olive Oil.
Put the pan onto a high heat and keep moving around the contents with a spatula until the butter has melted and it has started to sizzle.
Turn the heat lower and continue to move the kale in the pan.
Once it has started to cook down slightly, add around 4 tbsp Water to the pan and add a lid. Allow the kale to steam in the water for around 3 minutes.
Remove the lid, turn the heat back up and continue to stir the kale until all the water has evaporated. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes until the kale is tender.
Serve the kale hot straight from the pan.