Kale and Salmon Caesar Salad

$8.90 recipe / $2.23 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.82 from 16 votes
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Canned salmon is a great shelf-stable way to get your inexpensive way to work a little more fish into your diet. I love the convenience of canned fish. No cooking necessary, it’s there when you need it, and you don’t have to worry about using it right away after buying. While canned salmon is a little more expensive than tuna, it’s still a nice occasional treat. When paired with kale and pasta, both inexpensive ingredients, this Kale and Salmon Caesar Salad ends up being quite affordable! Overhead view of a white bowl full of kale and salmon caesar salad, a fork stuck in the middle.

About Canned Salmon…

The 14oz. can of salmon I bought was $3.99 and when you consider the fact that wild caught fresh salmon will probably be at least double that per pound, I think it’s a pretty great deal! It wasn’t too pretty when I first opened the can and it wasn’t exactly pink, but once I broke it up into pieces and removed the skin, it was visually on par with canned tuna. Nothing to look at, but still quite delicious. My particular salmon came “with skin and bones”, so I just scraped off the skin (but you can eat it if you want) and removed any large bones. Most of the bones were hair thin and quite soft (probably gelatinized by the canning process) and were therefor quite edible. Full of dietary calcium, even!

Can I Substitute the Kale?

Yes, you can make this salad with Romaine or even spinach, if you’d like, just keep in mind that neither will hold up to refrigeration as well as the kale.

What Kind of Dressing Should I Use?

I used a creamy Caesar dressing for this salad (Girard’s to be exact). You can use a non-creamy caesar dressing, if you prefer, but I find that a creamy version pairs better with this salad.

Can I Use a Different Pasta Shape?

Yes, you can use any small or short-shaped pasta, like orzo, penne, or orecchiette. Or, you can skip the pasta and add homemade croutons in its place. Side view of a white bowl with kale and salmon caesar salad, with eggs and bowtie pasta.
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Kale & Salmon Caesar Salad

4.82 from 16 votes
Kale & Salmon Caesar Salad is a fast, filling, and delicious way to use budget friendly canned salmon. 
Servings 4
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 oz bowtie pasta ($0.75)
  • 6 oz chopped kale* ($1.50)
  • 14 oz can wild caught salmon ($3.99)
  • 2 large hard boiled eggs (optional) ($0.54)
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan ($0.96)
  • 1/2 cup (or to taste) creamy Caesar dressing ($1.16)
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Instructions 

  • Cook the bowtie pasta according to the package directions, then drain in a colander.
  • Meanwhile, roughly chop the kale into small pieces, removing any large pieces of stem. Place the chopped kale in a bowl. Once the pasta is drained, add it to the kale and stir to let the residual heat slightly wilt the kale.
  • Drain the canned salmon and remove the skin and bones (if included), breaking the meat into bite-sized chunks as you go. Peel and dice the hard boiled eggs.
  • Add the salmon chunks, diced hard boiled eggs, and shredded Parmesan to the kale and pasta. Drizzle with Caesar dressing, then toss to coat everything in the dressing. Divide into four portions for meal-sized salads, or six smaller side-salad servings.

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Notes

*I used pre-washed and chopped kale that came in a bag, then chopped it further into smaller pieces.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 609.08kcalCarbohydrates: 49.3gProtein: 36.23gFat: 28.88gSodium: 1034.83mgFiber: 3.5g
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Love kale salads? Try these other awesome kale salads:

How to Make Kale and Salmon Caesar Salad – Step by Step Photos

Bagged Kale Start by cooking 8oz. bowtie pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the kale. I bought a 12oz. bag of kale today because the whole bunches were a little on the expensive side and this one bag for $2.99 is roughly the same as one and half bunches, plus it’s already chopped and stems removed! :D I used half of this bag, or about 6 ounces. Chopped Kale on a cutting board with a chef's knife. Because I was leaving my kale raw, I wanted even smaller pieces to make it easy to chew and digest. So, I chopped it up a bit more and pulled out any random pieces of stems that got left behind. Pasta and Kale in a large bowl with a wooden pasta fork Once the pasta is drained, add it to a large bowl with the chopped kale. Stir it up and allow the residual heat from the pasta to soften the kale just a touch. Diced hard boiled eggs on a wooden cutting board Peel and dice two hard boiled eggs. Canned Salmon label This is the canned salmon that I used. I was happy to be able to find wild caught canned salmon. Honestly, it wasn’t pretty when I opened the can and you should be thankful I didn’t take a photo of that part… Canned Salmon Pieces in a bowl But once I scraped off the dark skin, removed any large bones, and broke it into chunks, it pretty much just looked like tuna. Not very pink, but it still tasted great! This 14oz. can of salmon actually yielded quite a bit of meat, so next time I might go for the smaller can and use one more egg to make the salad even less expensive. Gotta tweak those ratios sometimes. Bag of Shredded Parmesan I really wanted shredded Parmesan for this salad instead of grated, although grated will work if that’s what you have. I find the shredded to be a bit more potent in flavor and it makes a striking visual presence on the salad. Finding shredded Parm with the bagged cheese was a great because it was about half the price of the shredded Parmesan at the cheese counter. So, be sure to check both places. Kale and pasta in a bowl, topped with chopped egg, shredded parmesan and salmon pieces Now it’s time to build the salad. If you’re doing it all in one large bowl, just add the diced eggs, salmon pieces, and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan to the pasta and kale. Caesar dressing being poured over the bowl of salad Finally, add some creamy Caesar dressing (I used about 1/2 cup for the entire salad) and stir to coat in the dressing. Kale and salmon caesar salad tossed and coated in dressing, in a bowl with two forks Now EAT! And be happy. Close up of kale and salmon caesar salad on a fork with the bowl in the background Kale & Salmon Caesar Salad – FANCY!

Check out these other great salads

Kale & Salmon Caesar Salad is a filling and flavorful way to use budget friendly canned salmon.
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Comments

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  1. Is there any chance anyone knows how to improve the taste of canned fish in general? I’ve tried different kinds and they all have that universal ‘canned’ taste that’s off-putting. I’m trying to cook fish more but canned is what’s mostly available for me atm and I can’t get over the flavor as of rn.

  2. I cannot rate this recipe, as I didn’t make it. I intended to make it but my greens were so tough that I couldn’t imagine we could eat them raw. I threw them in with the pasta for the last three minutes, and then drained the whole mess in a colander. I mixed it with the canned salmon, dressed it with the creamy Caesar dressing and asked my husband to grate cheese over it. It was good! In fact, I wish I hadn’t told my husband about the change of plans, as I am not sure he would have guessed anything went awry. I will make it as a salad in the future, though, as I now have a whole bunch of creamy Caesar dressing.

    1. I finally made this recipe as written, and it was delicious! I dressed the chopped kale with half of the Caesar dressing, then mixed the pasta and salmon with the other half. I added a tablespoon of capers, too. A great weekday lunch.

  3. I made this recipe for dinner and everyone loved it! I did have a few changes that were made. I used fresh salmon because that’s what I had rather than canned salmon (although I do love canned salmon as well) I used my scale to weigh it to the amount listed in the recipe, baked in the oven with lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper as the seasonings. When it was done cooking I just followed the instructions as described to mix the canned salmon.

    Another alteration I made was adding canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – which I drained and added at the end. I also added a few chopped black olives, drained from the can.

    This was delicious. My husband enjoyed it very much, I sent some to my mother-in-law and she also said it was a hit.

    Thanks for this recipe! It will be added to our rotation!

  4. Canned salmon is a staple in my kitchen. I use it for croquets, pasta dishes and will substitute it in my salmon chowder when i cant get wild caught fresh. This recipe is a keeper. It kept well overnight which means its also a great option when I need to bring a dish. The only thing I did different was sprinkle a few capers on top before serving. The pop of flavor from the capers really pulled everything together. Tonight I’m making the sesame glazed salmon and green beans. I cant wait to try it!