Smoky Braised Kale With Tomato Recipe (2024)

Delicious!! I've been making a version of this since in appeared in the "you don't need a recipe" newsletter. For the two in our household, I use 1 extra-large bunch of kale, one onion and 3 cloves garlic. Go heavy on the smoked paprika and vinegar--it really amps the flavor, as does a shake of crushed red pepper. And I always add some diced, cooked chicken or smoked andouille sausage to make it a one-dish meal, perfect for cold weather. A winner!

Can this be made ahead and reheated?

I added more tomato paste, more smoked paprika, less kale, included mushrooms and chickpeas and served it with polenta. It was really great. A very forgiving recipe! Probably took 40 mins from start to sitting down to eat though I could have been faster.

Absolutely!I always make a big pot then freeze some of the leftovers and save some for lunches as I'm lazy and dislike stemming kale.I used less liquid than called for, then let it simmer down so it wasn't too soupy. Next time I may make it with ham broth instead of chicken. I've been making kale with onions/pimenton for years, but really love the addition of the tomato paste & garlic from this recipe. The tomato give everything a nice sweetness.

We made this for Thanksgiving, and I would never make it quite this way again. Four (3/4 pound) bunches = 3 pounds of kale!! Much as we liked the smoked paprika and caramelized onion and tomato paste, the flavor was lost under 3 pounds of kale. We liked it enough to try again. Next time I would use only 1-1/2 pounds of kale and would throw in a can of white beans.On a side note, intense amounts of kale was a little hard on the digestive systems of our elderly guests. Just sayin'.

Wonderful, made this along with the entire Thanksgiving in 8 hours for fun and an early celebration with friends. Everything was excellent made exactly per each recipe. Entire meal was a hit. With 2 people and a good deal of "day before prep," we were ready the day of in 5 hours. Thank you for the interesting variations on a traditional meal.

Really fantastic flavors, and a very forgiving recipe. Was much soupier than I had expected so I wound up simmering a long time to reduce. I added some fresh cut corn kernels for the last ~10 minutes, and a can of mixed salad beans at the end (pinto, black, and garbanzo) to make a one-pot meal. I diced a strip of bacon along with the onions; maybe next time I'll try a smoky dried chipotle or a rind of parmesan. Leftovers made a great lunch with some crusty bread.

Made as directed for Thanksgiving (except only had regular smoked paprika, not hot). It was great. (A guest said "I may have to start eating kale.") It also made great next-day leftovers, so next year I'll feel free to make it a day ahead. Made it a second time tonight with collards (used bacon grease instead of olive oil and added a little Aleppo pepper for heat) - equally good. This is my new "go-to" recipe for braised greens.

If this is your main dish, crumble some queso fresco into it at the end, and serve with brown rice.

Delicious, especially as a left-over!

Red onion, added mushrooms - also changed proportions b/c I was using what was left of kale and for one - but worked great and will be using variations of this to cook braised greens!

This was really, really phenomenal. When I want to extend it a little, I add one 14 oz can cherry tomatoes.

Made 1/2 the recipe. Had leeks. 1 roma tomato that needed to be used. This is delicious! Great depth of flavor. Definitely a keeper.

I love this recipe- have made it twice, once with a combination of kale and cavolo nero (didn’t have enough of either in the garden) and today with silver beet which I think is also called Swiss chard. Today I added coins of frozen ricotta gnocchi. Lovely. And very welcome when the garden is producing!

Double the non-kale items AKA double the ratio of seasonings to kale.Otherwise yummy, the kale gets buttery and melted

Looks like there is something other than onion in that dish? What is in the middle of the pot, under the onion?

This recipe turns kale - kinda meh for me - into the most amazing vegetable ever. I love this! Don't skimp on the garlic.

11/28/2023 - I had enough kale for two people, and made this easily with an onion/garlic/smoked paprika and 1/2 cup of jarred tomato w/basil sauce, so no broth needed. Used vinegar from a jar of pickled pepper. Yielded two generous servings. Delish meal with rotisserie chicken from Earth Fare and toasted biscuits. yumm

Great way to use lots of kale. Add extra tomato paste, sausages

I made this with chard and white beans- very good! The Chard adds a nice bitterness. Served over rice for dinner.

It's a great method to make your various greens edible!

Curious if anyone has tried this with beet greens?

I added more paprika and chili powder. Delicious!

Delicious!!!! Abundance of kale in the CSA box so this was on the menu. Sam Sifton style, I used what I had on hand so leeks and mild smoked paprika it was. Added boneless, skinless chicken thighs the last 15 minutes and it made a delicious meal. I will make it again and again.

This is now my favorite kale recipe. It is also delicious the day after and a great "make ahead" recipe. This weekend I made a half recipe with one very large bunch of curly kale, one onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (sweet) plus a pinch of Aleppo pepper, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, and extra vinegar. We served it with braised pork with prunes and orange (also on NYT cooking) and polenta. Delish!