For a weeknight steakhouse meal at home, make creamed kale with earthy kale and creamy béchamel sauce. Kale is more fibrous than spinach, but blanching it helps tenderize it. Flavor the creamed kale with plenty of cheese, spicy red pepper flakes, and warm nutmeg.

Creamed Kale Recipe with Béchamel Sauce

Creamed kale is a creamy, earthy side dish consisting of a cream sauce, aromatics, and cooked kale. [Kale](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-kale-varieties-and-how-to-cook-with-them) is a dark, fibrous leafy green, more similar to [chard](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-swiss-chard-learn-how-to-cook-with-swiss-chard-and-sauteed-swiss-chard-recipe) than spinach. Creamed spinach is a common accompaniment at steakhouses, and creamed kale is similar in taste and texture. Serve creamed kale alongside grilled or seared [steak](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/steak-dinner-ideas), pork or chicken, or use it as a baked pasta sauce.
Most varieties of kale are tough and fibrous, with a rib running down the center of the leaf. Learn how to blanch kale before turning it into creamed kale:

1. __Fill a large pot with salted water__. Use a stockpot, [Dutch oven](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-dutch-oven), or any other large pot big enough to fill with water and submerge kale. Add salt to the water. It doesn’t need to be as salty as pasta water. 
2. __Chop the kale__. Stack the kale leaves, then cut them in half along the center rib. Stack the kale again, then chop it into smaller pieces. 
3. __Fill a large bowl with ice water__. The second part of blanching is submerging the cooked kale in ice water to stop the cooking. The cold water helps retain the green color and prevents the kale from getting mushy.
4. __Boil the kale, then plunge it into the cold water__. Once the water is at a boil, carefully place the chopped kale in the water. Boil the kale for about one minute, remove it with a slotted spoon, and immediately plunge it into the ice water. 
5. __Squeeze the kale dry__. Leave the kale in the ice water for about one minute, then take it out by the handful, squeezing the excess water out of the kale before spreading it out on a clean, dry kitchen towel.
Use the tips below to make earthy and creamy creamed kale.

1. __Add cream cheese for a tangy flavor__. A classic cream sauce consists of fat, flour, and milk, but adding cream cheese adds additional thickness to the sauce and a tangy flavor. The earthiness of the kale pairs well with the [cream cheese](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-cream-cheese-recipe), and both ingredients mellow each other.
2. __Blanch the kale first__. Kale is less tender than spinach, and [blanching](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-blanching-guide-to-blanching-vegetables) (the process of quickly cooking and cooling food) helps the kale tenderize in the creamed kale and make it more palatable. This step is extra and not always necessary, but it is helpful.
3. __Make a classic béchamel sauce__. It is possible to make creamed kale with just kale, half-and-half or [heavy cream](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whipping-cream-vs-heavy-cream), and cheese, but for the creamiest creamed kale, make a [béchamel](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-wolfgang-pucks-bechamel-sauce-recipe) sauce. Sauté the aromatics in butter (or olive oil), sprinkle an equal amount of flour over the aromatics, then add the milk and blanched kale.
For a weeknight steakhouse meal at home, make creamed kale with earthy kale and creamy béchamel sauce. Kale is more fibrous than spinach, but blanching it helps tenderize it. Flavor the creamed kale with plenty of cheese, spicy red pepper flakes, and warm nutmeg.

Creamed kale is a creamy, earthy side dish consisting of a cream sauce, aromatics, and cooked kale. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-kale-varieties-and-how-to-cook-with-them' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-kale-varieties-and-how-to-cook-with-them","linkCopy":"Kale","category":null}'>Kale</a> is a dark, fibrous leafy green, more similar to <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-swiss-chard-learn-how-to-cook-with-swiss-chard-and-sauteed-swiss-chard-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-swiss-chard-learn-how-to-cook-with-swiss-chard-and-sauteed-swiss-chard-recipe","linkCopy":"chard","category":null}'>chard</a> than spinach. Creamed spinach is a common accompaniment at steakhouses, and creamed kale is similar in taste and texture. Serve creamed kale alongside grilled or seared <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/steak-dinner-ideas' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/steak-dinner-ideas","linkCopy":"steak","category":null}'>steak</a>, pork or chicken, or use it as a baked pasta sauce.

What Is Creamed Kale?

Most varieties of kale are tough and fibrous, with a rib running down the center of the leaf. Learn how to blanch kale before turning it into creamed kale:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Fill a large pot with salted water. Use a stockpot, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-dutch-oven' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-dutch-oven","linkCopy":"Dutch oven","category":null}'>Dutch oven</a>, or any other large pot big enough to fill with water and submerge kale. Add salt to the water. It doesn’t need to be as salty as pasta water. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Chop the kale. Stack the kale leaves, then cut them in half along the center rib. Stack the kale again, then chop it into smaller pieces. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Fill a large bowl with ice water. The second part of blanching is submerging the cooked kale in ice water to stop the cooking. The cold water helps retain the green color and prevents the kale from getting mushy. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Boil the kale, then plunge it into the cold water. Once the water is at a boil, carefully place the chopped kale in the water. Boil the kale for about one minute, remove it with a slotted spoon, and immediately plunge it into the ice water. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Squeeze the kale dry. Leave the kale in the ice water for about one minute, then take it out by the handful, squeezing the excess water out of the kale before spreading it out on a clean, dry kitchen towel. </li></ol>

How to Blanch Kale

Use the tips below to make earthy and creamy creamed kale.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Add cream cheese for a tangy flavor. A classic cream sauce consists of fat, flour, and milk, but adding cream cheese adds additional thickness to the sauce and a tangy flavor. The earthiness of the kale pairs well with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-cream-cheese-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-cream-cheese-recipe","linkCopy":"cream cheese","category":null}'>cream cheese</a>, and both ingredients mellow each other. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Blanch the kale first. Kale is less tender than spinach, and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-blanching-guide-to-blanching-vegetables' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-blanching-guide-to-blanching-vegetables","linkCopy":"blanching","category":null}'>blanching</a> (the process of quickly cooking and cooling food) helps the kale tenderize in the creamed kale and make it more palatable. This step is extra and not always necessary, but it is helpful. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Make a classic béchamel sauce. It is possible to make creamed kale with just kale, half-and-half or <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whipping-cream-vs-heavy-cream' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whipping-cream-vs-heavy-cream","linkCopy":"heavy cream","category":null}'>heavy cream</a>, and cheese, but for the creamiest creamed kale, make a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-wolfgang-pucks-bechamel-sauce-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-wolfgang-pucks-bechamel-sauce-recipe","linkCopy":"béchamel","category":null}'>béchamel</a> sauce. Sauté the aromatics in butter (or olive oil), sprinkle an equal amount of flour over the aromatics, then add the milk and blanched kale. </li></ol>

3 Tips for Making Creamed Kale

Easy Creamed Kale Recipe

For a weeknight steakhouse meal at home, make creamed kale with earthy kale and creamy béchamel sauce. Kale is more fibrous than spinach, but blanching it helps tenderize it. Flavor the creamed kale with plenty of cheese, spicy red pepper flakes, and warm nutmeg.

For a weeknight steakhouse meal at home, make creamed kale with earthy kale and creamy béchamel sauce. Kale is more fibrous than spinach, but blanching it helps tenderize it. Flavor the creamed kale with plenty of cheese, spicy red pepper flakes, and warm nutmeg.


Kale in a pot of boiling water, being blanched in preparation for making creamed kale.