Korean Seasoned Kale and Spinach
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Korean seasoned kale and spinach is a simple healthy side dish bursting with flavor! Tender kale and spinach tossed with the ubiquitous flavors of Korean cuisine, my favorite way to eat greens!
If you love this and want to try more delicious Korean recipes, check out my Saucy Spicy Gochujang Noodles and my Instant Pot Korean Beef.
It is no secret that my love for dark leafy greens runs deep. There is never – and I mean NEVER – a week that goes by where my fridge isn’t loaded to the gills with greens. 15 years of working as a nutritionist will do that to you ;-
Fast track post strategy:
- Scroll down for the Nutrition Nerd Corner of this post to read some of the benefits of adding leafy greens to your diet
- Scroll down to the recipe and get cooking!
Need more convincing? Let’s talk.
As a card-carrying leafy green fan, I will tell you that there reaches a point where you think… Ok, I’ve done everything there is to do with greens;
- Crispy bacon and a dash of maple syrup ✅
- Throw them into every kind of soup ✅
- Salads galore! ✅
- Smoothies? Duh! ✅
I thought I ran out of ideas and I feared (GASP!) that was getting a little sick of eating greens.
The horror!
So… into my spice pantry and bam! Inspiration.
I have made this recipe no less than a dozen times in the last few months. Jordan and I keep a batch in the fridge and steal bites all day long, they are that good. Open the fridge and eat out of the container good.
Tender greens, with a spicy, super flavorful sauce. Delicious warm, room temperature or cold.
The perfect every day, keep them around, you will eat them, then you will thank me, kale and spinach extravaganza.
Let’s get cooking!
INGREDIENTS
- Kale and Baby Spinach – Really any leafy greens will work in this recipe but I love the combination of tender baby spinach and heartier kale.
- Soy Sauce – or Coconut Aminos or Tamari Gluten Free Soy, I’ve tried all 3 and they all work equally well
- Garlic – lot’s of it
- Sesame oil
- Korean Red Pepper Powder – also called Korean Chili Flakes or Gochugaru flakes – Korean red chili peppers that are dried in the sun and chopped to a size between a flake and a powder. This spice is super fragrant with notes of citrus and is certainly spicy. If you can’t find this ingredient you can use a pinch of crushed red pepper but it will not taste the same, I recommend buying Gochugaru, it is an essential spice in my kitchen!
- Rice Vinegar
- Sugar – I used coconut palm sugar but white sugar or brown sugar or honey will work.
- Sesame Seeds
- Scallions
TOOLS
- Large Saute Pan
- Spider Skimmer, or a slotted spoon
- Large bowl
EXPERT NUTRITION INFO🤓
You Should Eat Leafy Greens Every Day – Here is Why:
Cognitive Health – A recent study published in Neurology found that those who ate the most leafy greens each day had slower rates of cognitive decline compared to those who ate the least. In fact, the greens-eaters had the memory equivalent of someone 11 years younger!
Reduced Risk of Type 2 Diabetes – Multiple studies have shown a positive correlation between increased intake of green leafy vegetables and a significantly reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Significant Reduced Incidence of Several Types of Cardiovascular Disease – This meta-analysis of 8 well-designed studies found a 15.8% reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease with a daily intake of green leafy vegetables.
Improved Inflammatory Response – It is my deep belief that following an anti-inflammatory diet is one of the best things we can do for our health. Leafy greens support a healthy inflammatory response which reduces the risk of a multitude of chronic illnesses. Leafy greens contain antioxidants and polyphenols that are key disease-fighting compounds found in plants.
RECIPE TIPS
- I blanch the kale and spinach for this recipe – it will produce a tender green and reduce the cooking time down to approximately 2 minutes.
- I do not find it necessary to shock the greens in cold water after blanching. I just remove from the salted boiling water after 2 minutes.
- I use a kitchen spider to remove the greens or you could use a large slotted spoon. Once removed from the boiling water gently press down on the greens with another spoon to squeeze out some liquid.
- Add to a bowl and toss with your dressing!
WHAT IS BLANCHING?
Blanching is a technique where you briefly immerse food (i.e. greens) in boiling water, typically this is followed by “shocking” the food in an ice-water bath.
Blanching will soften vegetables and intensify the color.
Check out my Korean recipes, anti-inflammatory recipes, Thanksgiving recipes and June recipes roundups for more healthy dishes!
I hope you love this SPICY KOREAN GREENS RECIPE! If you make it be sure to tag me @abrapappa on Instagram so I can share your photo!
Korean Seasoned Kale and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale stripped from stem and leaves chopped, about 6-8 cups
- 32 ounces baby spinach
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp coconut palm sugar
- 1 tbsp Korean chili pepper flakes, Gochugaru
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 3 scallions chopped, white and green part
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, coconut palm sugar, gochugaru, garlic, and scallions.
- Cook the kale. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale and cook for 2–3 minutes, until bright green and tender. Use a slotted spoon or kitchen spider to transfer it to a colander, leaving the water in the pot.
- Cook the spinach. Return the same water to a boil. Add the spinach in batches and cook each batch for 30–60 seconds, just until wilted. Transfer to the colander with the kale.
- Remove excess water. Let the greens cool enough to handle, then gently squeeze out excess water with clean hands. Loosen any clumps so the dressing can coat the leaves evenly.
- Season and serve. Add the drained greens to the dressing and toss thoroughly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm or chilled.
Notes
RECIPE TIPS:
- Drain well: Excess water will dilute the dressing. There’s no need for an ice bath; simply let the greens cool briefly before squeezing.
- Adjust the heat: Use less gochugaru for a milder dish.
- Gluten-free option: Substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meet Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN
Abra is a licensed nutritionist, seasoned home cook, and forever flavor-chaser. She’s spent more than two decades exploring the connection between food and health—and just as long obsessing over what makes something truly delicious. Abra’s Kitchen is where those two loves meet, with recipes that celebrate vegetables, follow the seasons, and make you excited to cook.
This was soooo good! Thank you! We had a lot of kale so we used only that. Greetings from Finland!
Yay!! Hello Finland 🙂 I’m so glad the recipe worked out and I make it with all kale all the time! Especially when kale is taking over my garden (like right now!)
Thank you for kind reply. We are making this again. Actually this is going to be a keeper on our household for sure🤗
I had a lot of kale I wanted to use up before it went bad, so I thought I’d give this a try. I didn’t have spinach so I just used kale. I added about a teaspoon of gochujang to the dressing ingredients and whisked it in. Even though I didn’t squeeze all of the water out of the kale perfectly, it was still great. This is going to be a regular part of my recipe rotation, my go-to kale recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! I love hearing that. This is absolutely a part of my regular rotation too. It’s so fun to find new ways to love veggies 🙂
I love this recipe these brains are delicious and they have changed my life and my loved ones lives because we have improved our health because we enjoyed eating the greens made this way thank you so much
Yay!!! Love hearing that.
Very flavorful! Thanks Abra!