Ranch Kale Salad with BBQ Tofu
A salad for BBQ lovers! Homemade ranch dressing tossed with kale, tomatoes, corn, and avocado with chewy BBQ tofu nuggets. A must-try! Gluten-free and vegan.
I’m ready for salad season! That’s true whether we’re talking about this ranch kale salad or my other favorites (looking at you, Italian chopped salad and southwestern quinoa salad).
As a registered dietitian, I advocate for meal-worthy salads. Salads that not only load up the vegetables but also contain plenty of satisfying protein and fat. Salads can be incredibly satisfying and filling as long as they contain these ingredients. Texture matters too, a point I drill home whenever I talk about my house salad.
This ranch kale salad has got it all– major flavor and plenty of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied for hours. If you are a fan of my Delicata Kale Salad or my Kale and Apple Harvest salad, then you’ll love this twist on kale salad that’s perfect for summer. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredient Notes
This one comes together quickly with a few ingredients.
The base of this salad is kale! I like using Tuscan kale as I think it has a more tender texture and flavor than curly kale. It’s my go-to kale in my Tuscan Kale Soup and my Easy Kale Caesar Salad, but you can use curly kale if you’d like here.
For additional texture and creaminess, I like using avocado and ranch dressing. I’ve included a homemade ranch recipe, but you can use bottled.
The BBQ tofu cubes are so great in this salad. If you want to make this salad quickly, you can forgo baking the tofu cubes first if you’d like. It won’t be as chewy as baking and then marinating, but they will still taste great. For additional protein and fiber, then I recommend adding in white beans as well.
How to Make this Ranch Kale Salad
Make the ranch dressing
This is key to the flavor of the salad! Homemade dressing tastes so much better than bottled and is a must in my opinion. It’s also so simple to make! All you need is mayo or unsweetened greek yogurt of choice, milk, and some spices.
Make the tofu
If you haven’t yet made your BBQ tofu, now is the time.
Massage the kale
For tender, perfect kale leaves, add a little dressing to the chopped kale and then rub the dressing in, using your hands to massage as much of the kale as possible until it’s broken down.
Combine together
Toss everything together, season to taste and enjoy!
What Kale works best in this Ranch Kale Salad?
I’m partial to Tuscan kale in this salad as I think it has the best flavor of any kale, but any will work. The key is to massage the kale leaves with the dressing to create a tender salad. If you’ve had kale salad before and don’t think you like it, try this technique!
Tips for Success
For meal prep, you can make the BBQ tofu cubes and ranch dressing ahead of time and then combine everything together before enjoying.
I also like the addition of corn, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. All of these are optional and you can choose any vegetable additions you’d like!
More Kale Recipes:
- Kale Pasta with Butternut Squash
- Creamy Vegan Gnocchi Soup
- Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup
- Kale Pesto
- Kale and Miso Power Bowl
More Salad Recipes:
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Ranch Kale Salad with BBQ Tofu
Ingredients
Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayo of choice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk, or milk of choice
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Kale Salad:
- 8-10 cups finely shredded/chopped kale leaves, stems removed*
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels*
- 1 batch BBQ Tofu
- 1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed1/2 cup sliced cucumber
- 1 large avocado, diced
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Whisk together the mayo, soy milk, parsley, dill, garlic powder and salt/pepper together. Season to taste, then set aside.
- Place the kale into a large bowl. Add 1/2 of the ranch dressing and massage into the kale leaves, using your hands to ensure that all the kale is coated.
- Add in the rest of the salad ingredients: tomatoes, corn, tofu, white beans and avocado. Toss to combine, then drizzle with more dressing. Season with more freshly ground pepper and salt, if needed.
Notes
*For the corn kernels, I really like Trader Joe’s fire-roasted frozen corn kernels, which I quickly warm. Fresh corn kernels will also work, either raw or cooked.