This easy kale salad with crispy cauliflower gnocchi, avocado, roasted cashews, and feta cheese is my new go-to winter salad! It’s full of good-for-you veggies but tastes so good, you’re likely to forget you’re eating healthy!
Kale and Cauliflower Gnocchi Salad
This salad is super simple to make. It’s just kale, Persian cucumbers, avocado, roasted cashews, and feta cheese tossed in a simple mustard vinaigrette.
The only tricky part is the cauliflower gnocchi. You want to make sure to get it crispy on the outside. Is there anything worse the mushy cauliflower gnocchi? Ugh.
How to Cook Cauliflower Gnocchi
I have to admit, I tried several times to prepare these (I use Trader Joe’s frozen cauliflower gnocchi) before I got it right. But here’s the secret: don’t follow the directions on the package! This is what you do instead.
You can put them (still frozen) in an air fryer if you have one. Just spray the air fryer basket with a little cooking spray and then at 390 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
Or roast them on a sheet pan in the oven like frozen french fries.
But I think the easiest and best way is to make them on the stovetop. Just make sure you defrost them before starting. You can do that by leaving them on the counter for 30 minutes or so or by putting them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes.
After you’ve defrosted them, pat them dry before adding them to a super hot frying pan seasoned with a little olive oil. Let them cook — untouched — for about 3 minutes. They should be a crispy golden brown at this point. You can then use tongs to flip them and cook them on the other side. When they’re done, let them cool for a few moments and then toss them into the salad!
One tip: they’re best served immediately. If you prep them too far in advance and leave them to sit, they’ll lose that crunchiness.
Looking for more great salads? Try my 10-minute chicken and quinoa salad or this grilled corn with avocados!
Print
Kale and Cauliflower Gnocchi Salad
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 2 heads of kale, shredded (you can also buy the pre-prepared bags of shedded kale)
- 1 package Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives, or to taste
- Kosher salt and pepper
For the Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 1/4 cup shallots, very finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To Make the Salad:
- Add the kale, cucumbers and cheese to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and place over high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the defrosted gnocchi to the pan and let it cook, undistrurbed for about 3 minutes. Flip and let them continue cooking until they are golden brown and crisp on the outside (they should still be soft on the inside).
- Remove from the heat and let cool before adding to the salad.
- While the gnocchi is cooking, make the dressing by whisking together the shallot, vinegar, mustard, oilive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Toss the salad in the dressing and top with the gnocchi, avocados, cheese, cashew and chives.
- Serve immediatly.
