Confession time, I do NOT eat enough greens! And I'm betting many of you don't either. So, let's fix that. Let's make Instant Pot Garlic Kale because it's super quick, really good for you, and tastes amazing with just a few basic ingredients.
One of my many friends and followers invites me to her home every year for an end-of-summer picnic. Everything we eat comes out of her humongous garden.
And this year I got to try some Kale she had cooked with garlic and I was surprised at how GOOD it was! I'm not a huge Kale fan, but with the garlic? Wow. It was tasty.
So I bought some Organic Kale at my local grocery store the other day and decided to try it in my Instant Pot. Yes, you can easily make this on the stove, but with the Instant Pot, it was done in no time flat.
TWO minutes is all it took!
Well, shoot, THAT'S easy. I figure if I can figure out a way to not only make eating greens easier - but TASTY too? Well then, I might just eat more of them.
Because growing up my only experience with cooked greens were those cans of spinach you buy in the store. (sorry popeye but yuck! )
So I hope you like the recipe and if you have any of your own secrets for making greens taste good, please share in the comments below.
Garlicky Instant Pot Kale
I started with a bunch of Organic Kale. And by a bunch I mean one of those tied bundles you see in the grocery store.
I washed the leaves to remove any debris and stripped the leaves from the stems. You can save the stems for putting in a soup or broth if you want. I tore the leaves into bite-sized pieces and placed them in a colander to drain.
To my Instant Pot, I added an entire bunch (again one of those tied bundles) of chopped green onions and 4 cloves of minced garlic. I added a splash of veggie broth and pressed the SAUTE button.
It will only take minute or two to soften the onions so WATCH CLOSELY.
Once the onions & garlic are soft, press CANCEL to stop the cooking process and add the Kale.
Finally, whisk 1 Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar into ½ cup of low sodium vegetable broth and pour that in. Attach the lid, make sure the vent valve is on SEALING, press MANUAL and enter 2 minutes.
Bam. You got Kale.
I let it naturally vent for 10 minutes before carefully venting any remaining pressure.
I was surprised how good this is (despite how bland and boring the picture looks.....kale is just hard to photograph).
So if you too, are having trouble finding ways to get your greens in every day, I hope you give this a try and let me know how it goes.
Until next week - eat your greens!
Garlicky Instant Pot Kale
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 2 min
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
- Category: greens
- Method: instant Pot
- Cuisine: american,vegan
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Kale
- 1 bunch Green Onions
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- pinch of salt & pepper
Instructions
- Clean kale, remove stems, tear into small pieces, and drain
- Chop the green onions and add to the instant pot along with the garlic
- Add a splash of veg broth or water and SAUTE until softened, about 1 min
- Press CANCEL and add kale.
- Whisk vinegar and broth together and add to pot
- Attach lid, make sure vent is on SEALING, and cook on MANUAL for 2 minutes
- Allow to vent naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully vent remaining pressure
- Carefully open the lid and stir to mix
- Season with salt and pepper
Sarah B
Love this recipe!! I made this and my kids all went back for seconds! They even asked if I would make it again tomorrow night. Winning!!!
Channing
Yep this style of cookin dark leafy greens gets me to actually eat em and enjoy em. I like em mushy with strong vinegar and flavors that cut that bitterness. I also added some chopped Granny Smith apples, liquid aminos, lemon juice, and extra broth to make it more soupy, then some of Trader Joe’s rosé vinaigrette at the end. Finally they’re yummy.
Karen A.
I just put the onions and garlic in with the kale and water or broth; I don't bother to saute the onions first. It comes out pretty much the same in terms of texture and taste. I use any kind of onion I have: yellow, white, red, green, or shallots. My brother-in-law taught me how to make greens Bhutanese style. Add diagonally sliced carrots and some hot pepper flakes or slices to the onion/garlic/kale mix. Delicious! Sometimes I also add mushrooms that need to be used. I agree with others that setting the time to zero or just one minute is my preference, with a quick release to keep the kale a brighter green. I try to cook a big bunch within a day of buying the kale,. Then I have a cup or more of it every day with whatever else I'm fixing. Most of the time, I use it in a savory oats dish for breakfast. Thanks for introducing this to everyone, Chuck! Most of us feel we should eat more dark leafy greens. The vinegar is also good for reactivating the enzymes to make nitric oxide for our artery linings and improved athletic performance.
Sue
Wondering if anyone's tried this with collards. TiA
Karen
Yes, the same method works well.
Eileen A
I love vinegar on my greens too. A splash of hot sauce adds a nice little kick too.
mary
can a different green be used instead of kale>
Liz King
You can also make a cashew cream sauce and pour it over the cooked kale -- it makes creamed kale. I have done that in a large nonstick pan after cooking the kale in broth with onions, carrot sticks, and garlic. It tastes great. ( if you eat nuts, that is)
Pam
I don’t like cooked greens unless I put a little vinegar on them. A trick my mom told me about years ago.
Cathy
Learned something new! I always thought you needed at least one full cup of liquid in the Instant Pot, but you used a half cup + 1 Tbsp. I'm not a Kale fan either, but I'm willing to try this one! I'll be back to rate it after it is in our bellies! Thanks, Chuck!
Brenda
I made this but cooked at manual pressure for zero minutes and quick release. Kale stayed bright green and tender. I cook all of my vegs (except potatoes) for zero minutes. No soggy veggies for me!
Irene
I made this with mixed greens from (a bag from Costco) and topped a sweet potato with your chili and then the greens last night for dinner. Delicious! I use lemon juice instead of vinegar a lot of the time - still great.