Miso Creamed Kale
This miso creamed kale recipe is a much more mature and flavour packed take on steakhouse creamed spinach. It’s made with kale - a heartier green and also includes delicious unami packed flavours of miso and the richness of cream, along with the meatiness of the soy flavoured mushrooms. It’s easy to make and also very quick to make and goes great with beef, poultry or pork and even seafood for fancy meals or homestyle comforting favourites.
I came across a creamed spinach recipe I thought was interesting by Chrissy Teigen that sounded so good with great flavour combos and a cool way to add the cream in creamed spinach by using silken tofu. This took me into a deep dive through the internet rabbit hole of searching other creamed spinach recipes and came across this one. This one is from Oregon Live and is the one I wanted to try - because it was made with a heartier green and also because it added Japanese flavours but with a westernized spin on them. It was everything I imagined and more. This will be the star of your dinner table. It’s one of those dishes that you just keeping reaching in for more so I recommend you make a double batch.
The miso adds that unique flavour that is almost pungent but in a good way almost like Parmesan cheese in a cream sauce. My husband actually thought it was a cheese sauce and couldn’t quite place the flavours. This isn’t your average creamed greens. It’s rich in flavours and personality as I like to say. So if you are use to a more plain creamed greens side dish this will definitely wake up your tastebuds. It’s so rich and so satisfying though and worth a try if you want to switch up your creamed greens recipe.
This recipe can be made dairy free using coconut cream or cashew creamer in place of the cream. And this side dish can also be turned into a main dish by stirring through some cooked pasta (approx 8 oz) along with some pasta water making this a creamy unami packed sort of Alfredo. I loved mine with a bit of Parmesan cheese added in and I have also made it with some crispy shallots to top adding extra textures to this dish (quick recipes below for the shallots) Speaking of texture the mushrooms are optional If you aren’t a fan but I strongly recommend adding them - they are fantastic and add delicious salty flavour to the dish along with a meaty texture to it. You won’t be able to get enjoyable of this and I think it puts any regular creamed greens dish to shame. Enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more as needed
- 2 small shallots or 1 large,thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch lacinato kale approx 4-6 cups, stems removed, roughly chopped (you could use any leafy green here)
- 1 cup or shiitake mushroom tops, large ones sliced in half
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, reduce heat to low and cook stirring often for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the kale and continue to cook for a few more minutes until wilted. It seems like a lot but it will all cook down.
- While kale is cooking, in a separate smaller pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add chili flakes and the mushrooms and cook until softened approx 5 minutes, adding extra butter if needed. Then stir in the soy sauce, cook another minute and turn off the heat.
- Once the kale is wilted, increase the heat to medium high, add the wine and cook until it’s just reduced approx 1 minute. Then stir in the cream and the miso paste and reduce heat to medium and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly just another 1-2 min. Season with salt and pepper to taste remembering that the mushrooms will also add some saltiness to the dish. Dish out kale onto serving plate and place mushrooms over top of it and serve right away.
Recipe Notes & Extra add ins:
- For an extra punch of flavour I add a little Parmesan cheese.
- To make this dish even more over the top and to add extra texture too, add some fried shallots. Thinly slice one shallot. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the sliced shallots and cook, stirring frequently until brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes; remove shallots from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate allow to cool and dry fully before serving them over this dish.
- Feel free to make this a pasta dish and stir in your cooked drained pasta to it along with a little pasta water to loosen it up.
- Feel free to make this dairy free by substituting the cream with either coconut milk or a cashew creamer and using some sort of plant based butter.
