Kale, Bacon & Mushroom
In this simmered kale, bacon & mushroom casserole, the kale was moist, tender and fully infused with bacon deliciousness, while the mushrooms lend a filling & sumptuous touch to the dish. It was so yummy that I can’t help nibbling on the kale while I was taking photos. By the time I was done, I was only left with only half of the entire pot I made :P
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I can think of a million ways of serving this dish. The most straightforward is of course to eat it on its own as a light or low carb meal. It’s also great as a salad base or a side dish (even a Chinese meal with rice). Next time I make this again, I’ll toss it with some pasta to make it a one-dish meal.
I used an assorted mushroom pack with king oyster, yellow oyster and button mushrooms. You can use 1 to 3 types of your favourite mushrooms for this recipe. It also keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just reheat it in the microwave oven for about a minute to warm up.
Kale, Bacon & Mushroom Recipe
Enjoy this dish on its own as a low-carb meal, a side dish for sharing or a salad base. You can also mix in some cooked pasta (such as fusilli or angel hair) to make it a one-dish meal.
As there is a lot of bacon in this dish, be careful not to over-salt the dish at the end.
Ingredients:
- 225 grams coarsely torn kale leaves*
- 1 tsp salt for boiling kale
- 150g streaky bacon cut to small pieces
- 1/2 + 1 tbsp olive oil divided
- 5 garlic cloves sliced thinly
- 5 shallots sliced thinly
- 150g sliced mushrooms (1-3 types)
- 150ml low-sodium chicken stock or water
- sea salt to taste; only if needed
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
*Leaves from approximately 10-15 stalks of curly kale, de-stemmed.
Directions:
- Blanch the kale. Bring a pot of water with 1 tsp sea salt added to boil. When the water is boiling, add kale leaves to cook for 3 minutes. Drain the kale on a strainer and press out the excess liquids.
- Cook the bacon & aromatics. Spread out cut bacon in a wide frying pan. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp olive oil over them. Fry the bacon in medium high heat until the bacon is crisp and most of its fats rendered out. Push the fried bacon to the side of the pan. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add garlic and shallots; fry until the garlic just turned light golden.
- Cook mushrooms. Add mushrooms and stir-fry everything until the mushrooms start to soften.
- Add the blanched kale. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add chicken stock. Simmer until kale is softened to liking, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt (only if required) & black pepper.