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A salad for BBQ lovers! Homemade ranch dressing tossed with kale, tomatoes, corn, and avocado with chewy BBQ tofu nuggets. A must-try! Gluten-free and vegan.
I’m ready for salad season! That’s true whether we’re talking about this ranch kale salad or my other favorites (looking at you, Italian chopped salad and southwestern quinoa salad).
As a registered dietitian, I advocate for meal-worthy salads. Salads that not only load up the vegetables but also contain plenty of satisfying protein and fat. Salads can be incredibly satisfying and filling as long as they contain these ingredients. Texture matters too, a point I drill home whenever I talk about my house salad.
This ranch kale salad has got it all– major flavor and plenty of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied for hours. It’s a delicious twist on kale salad and perfect for summer. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
This one comes together easily with a few ingredients.
- Homemade ranch dressing
- A batch of BBQ tofu cubes
- Ripe Tomatoes
- Corn kernels
- Cucumber
- Canned beans
- Avocado
- Kale
The BBQ tofu cubes are so great in this salad. If you want to make this salad quickly, you can forgo baking the tofu cubes first if you’d like. It won’t be as chewy as baking and then marinating, but they will still taste great.
How to Make this Ranch Kale Salad
- Make the ranch dressing
This is key to the flavor of the salad! Homemade dressing tastes so much better than bottled and is a must in my opinion. It’s also so simple to make! All you need is mayo or unsweetened greek yogurt of choice, milk, and some spices.
- Make the tofu
If you haven’t yet made your BBQ tofu, now is the time.
- Massage the kale
For tender, perfect kale leaves, add a little dressing to the chopped kale and then rub the dressing in, using your hands to massage as much of the kale as possible until it’s broken down.
- Combine together
Toss everything together, season to taste and enjoy!
What kale works best in this salad?
I’m partial to Tuscan kale in this salad as I think it has the best flavor of any kale, but any will work. The key is to massage the kale leaves with the dressing to create a tender salad. If you’ve had kale salad before and don’t think you like it, try this technique!
More Kale Recipes:
- Kale Pasta with Butternut Squash
- Creamy Vegan Gnocchi Soup
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Simple Tuscan Kale Soup
- Kale and Miso Power Bowl
More Salad Recipes:
If you make this recipe, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment! Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes, makes my day!
Print
Ranch Kale Salad with BBQ Tofu
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: lunch, salad, healthy, vegan
- Method: stove top, oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A salad for BBQ lovers! Homemade ranch dressing tossed with kale, tomatoes, corn and avocado with chewy BBQ tofu nuggets. A must-try! Gluten-free and vegan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: lunch, salad, healthy, vegan
- Method: stove top, oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: lunch, salad, healthy, vegan
- Method: stove top, oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Scale
Ingredients
Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayo of choice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk (or milk of choice)
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Kale Salad:
- 8–10 cups finely shredded/chopped kale leaves, stems removed*
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels*
- 1 batch BBQ Tofu
- 1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sliced cucumber - 1 large avocado, diced
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Whisk together the mayo, soy milk, parsley, dill, garlic powder and salt/pepper together. Season to taste, then set aside.
- Place the kale into a large bowl. Add 1/2 of the ranch dressing and massage into the kale leaves, using your hands to ensure that all the kale is coated.
- Add in the rest of the salad ingredients: tomatoes, corn, tofu, white beans and avocado. Toss to combine, then drizzle with more dressing. Season with more freshly ground pepper and salt, if needed.
Notes
*I prefer Tuscan kale for kale salads, but any kale works. To finely chop– I remove the stems and then lay the leaves on top of one another. Roll tightly, then finely chop into thin ribbons. Then chop again.
*For the corn kernels, I really like Trader Joe’s fire-roasted frozen corn kernels, which I quickly warm. Fresh corn kernels will also work, either raw or cooked.
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