Vegan Kale Caesar Salad and Polenta Croutons

Here’s how to make a delicious Caesar salad, with all vegan ingredeints. A rich, creamy, and totally crave-worthy dressing, with crushed pistachios, pecans, and crispy polenta croutons on the greens.

Vegan-ized Caesar dressing.

This is big. I mean, Breaking News big – at least in my house. Since I became vegan about 10 years ago, Caesar Salad has probably been my single most-lamented, yearned-for recipe.

But Caesar Salad is back on our menu now… and it’s better than ever!

Traditional romaine gets a colorful makeover with the addition of tender baby kale and crunchy red cabbage shreds. Then, the salad is finished with a rich, creamy, and totally crave-worthy dressing, and topped with crushed pistachios, pecans, and crispy polenta croutons! We cannot get enough.

See Also


Spring Baby Potato Salad

Hope you love this as much as we do!

Click HERE for the dressing recipe.

Print

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Vegan Kale Caesar Salad and Polenta Croutons

Print Recipe

  • Author: Vicki Brett Gach
  • Yield: 0 about 3 servings 1x
  • Category: Salad, Side

Ingredients


Scale

Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

  • 6 cups baby kale (chopped)
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce (chopped)
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage

Vegan Caesar Dressing

  • Click the link above for the recipe.

Garnish

  • Crushed raw pistachios and/or pecans

Polenta Croutons

  • 1 pound of prepared polenta (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
  • sprinkle of Kosher salt
  • sprinkle of black pepper
  • sprinkle of Creole Seasoning

Instructions

  1. Place salad greens in a large bowl, and set aside.
  2. Prepare polenta croutons, and set aside.
  3. While croutons are baking, prepare the dressing. Click the link above for the recipe.
  4. Toss the salad with desired amount of dressing, and refrigerate the remainder.
  5. Garnish salad with crushed pistachios and/or pecans, top with polenta croutons, and serve immediately.

Polenta Croutons

  1. Into a large bowl, toss polenta cubes carefully with salt, pepper, and Creole Seasoning until evenly coated. Bake either in an Air Fryer or traditional oven. (I use a Philips Air Fryer Avance Digital TurboStar, and love it.)

Air Fryer Method…

  1. Place polenta cubes in the basket of an Air Fryer in a single layer. Set temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until nice and crispy. Remove from Air Fryer and set aside. (With my Air Fryer, it takes 2 batches to bake all of the polenta.)

Traditional Oven Method…

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Toss cubes onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until polenta cubes are nice and crispy. Remove from oven, and set aside.

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