Creamed Kale (dairy free, vegan, keto)

Whole30 creamed kale and caramelized onions in a white bowl next to a denim towel on a wooden table

5 from 7 votes

Creamed Kale (dairy free, vegan, keto)

This hearty, luscious side dish features curly kale and caramelized onions in a garlicky coconut milk sauce. Serve it with chicken, pork, beef, fish or as part of a vegetarian or vegan meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 283kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided, plus more if necessary
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional, adjust to your liking
1 (12 oz.) bag pre-washed chopped curly kale
⅛ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 (15 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large pot that has a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
Slice the onion in half and peel. Slice both halves into thin half moons. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and stir occasionally until it begins to brown, 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic cloves. When the onion is golden, add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes, if using. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
Add half the kale and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir, trying to fold the onions up and over the kale. Cover and let the leaves soften for about 3-4 minutes.
Add the second half of the kale, another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg. Stir, again trying to fold the first batch of leaves and onions up and over the new leaves. It should only take another 2-3 minutes for all the leaves to soften (no need to cover this time).
Pour in the coconut milk. It doesn't matter if the water has separated from the cream. Just pour it all in and stir until the water and cream blend together. Scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Serve warm.

Notes

Technically, this serves 4. However, if you're like me who wants to eat more than his share of this because it's so good, it might only feed 2. It's your call.

You can make this up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Warm it up over low heat on the stove.

You can also freeze this for up to 3 months (coconut milk freezes very well). Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat as above.

You can use spinach instead of kale.
You can use collard greens instead of kale. I don't see these pre-bagged very much, so you'll have to buy 2 large bunches, remove the stems and chop, rinse and dry the leaves.
If you're not vegan, you can use ghee or - if you're lucky - bacon fat. It adds a wonderful smokiness.
No onion? Just saute the garlic in the oil for a minute before adding the kale. When you add the coconut milk, add 1 teaspoon onion powder.
No garlic? When you add the coconut milk to the kale, add 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
No garlic or onion? Heat up the oil and add the kale in batches per the recipe. When you add the coconut milk, add 1 teaspoon each onion powder and garlic powder.
If you can eat dairy, you can replace the coconut milk with 1.5 cups heavy cream.

Nutrition