Brussels Sprout Kale Salad Recipe

In the last few weeks, with the start of the holiday season, I have been buried in freelance work and neglected this space a little bit. But worry no more, because I am back with the first Thanksgiving recipe of the year.

Allow me to present you this Brussels Sprout Kale Salad recipe, aka the most colorful, festive, and delicious salad that will help you add some color to your holiday menu.

The idea for this shredded brussel sprout salad recipe came last week when I was in Trader Joe’s. Have you ever seen it? They sell brussels sprouts as a whole plant. The whole branch and everything.

I realized that I have no brussels sprout recipes on the blog so I picked up a branch. I had recently ordered a shredded brussels sprouts salad in a restaurant and loved it. So I thought it would be great to create a similar recipe for the blog, especially with the biggest cooking day of the year is around the corner.

How to make Shredded Brussels Sprout Kale Salad Recipe:

The recipe for this Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad is pretty straight forward and has 4 folds.

First, toast pecans with a little bit of maple syrup, cayenne pepper (optional), and flaky salt in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Be sure to give them a stir halfway through the roasting time.

As they are toasting, make your dressing. To do so, whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, and salt and pepper in a bowl. If you don’t have access to shallots you can substitute them with 2-3 stalks of thinly sliced scallions.

Next, shred the brussels sprouts and chop up the kale. I like my brussels sprouts and kale sliced as thinly as possible, but you can chop them up in any way you prefer.

Finally to assemble, drizzle an empty salad bowl with half of the dressing. Add in the kale and shredded brussel sprouts. Using a salad tong, toss until vegetables are coated with the dressing. Top them off with pecans, cheese, pomegranate arils, and avocado. Drizzle everything with the rest of the dressing. Give it a toss and serve.

In my opinion, the sweetness coming from the maple-roasted pecans and pomegranate arils mixed in with the garlicky lemon salad dressing complement the humble flavors of kale and raw brussels sprouts and create a delicious shaved brussel sprout salad making it a next-level Thanksgiving salad.

How to shred Brussel Sprouts for Salad:

When it comes to shredding brussels sprouts you have a few options:

1. Use a sharp pairing knife and slice one by one as thinly as you can. This takes around 10-15 minutes for a pound of raw brussels sprouts.
2. Use a food processor that is fitted with the shredding blade. This method is my favorite as it takes no more than 3 minutes to shave a pound of brussels sprouts.
3. Use a mandolin. This method produces evenly sliced brussels spouts and takes about 8-10 minutes to shred a pound of brussels sprouts. If you need an advise on a good mandoline, I just purchased this one (affiliate link) and I love it.

A Few Variations for The Best Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad

• Don’t like blue cheese? At the last minute, I topped the salad off with crumbled blue cheese. We love blue cheese, but I know a lot of people don’t like it as much. If you feel that way, feel free to swap it with parmesan, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
• Swap up a few ingredients for a new version of this salad: I used pecans and pomegranate arils, but I have also made this salad with sliced almonds and chunky apples or sliced grapes.
• Change up the oil used to create an additional layer of flavor: In the recipe below, I used extra virgin olive oil, but if you can get your hands on pecan or avocado oils they work really well too. I am adding this alternative as nowadays these different kinds of oils are becoming more mainstream and I am a big fan of them.
• Serving a vegan? To turn it into a vegan brussel sprout salad simply omit the cheese.

Other Brussels Sprout Salad Recipes You Might Like

• Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
• Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad

Other Salad Recipes For Your Holiday Table

• Apple Salad Recipe
• White Bean Salad
• Wild Rice Salad
• Baby Spinach Salad
• Roasted Delicata Squash
• Acorn Squash Salad
• Roasted Carrots
• Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
• Need more inspiration? Check out all our Salad Recipes

Brussels Sprout Kale Salad

By Aysegul Sanford

Yields: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

This Brussels Sprout Kale Salad is a vegetarian and gluten-free salad recipe made with shredded brussels sprouts, kale, maple-roasted pecans, and pomegranate arils. With all of its festive colors, it is a great way to add some color to your holiday tables.

5 from 12 votes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the maple candied nuts:

• ▢ 1 cup pecans or walnuts
• ▢ 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon flaky salt or kosher salt
• ▢ Pinch of cayenne pepper – optional

For the dressing:

• ▢ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ 2 small shallots peeled chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves of garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the salad:

• ▢ 1 pound brussel sprouts sliced thinly
• ▢ 1 bunch kale rinsed and roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 ripe avocado cut into small cubes
• ▢ ½ cup pomegranate arils
• ▢ ½ cup blue cheese or parmesan cheese

Instructions

• To make the maple candied pecans: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the pecans, maple syrup and cayenne pepper (if using) in a bowl. Roast for 8-10 min. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, to make the dressing place all dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Put the lid on and shake until fully combined. *You can prepare the dressing a day in advance and keep it in the fridge.
• To assemble the salad: Place brussel sprouts and kale in a bowl. Pour half of the dressing over it and give it a toss. Top it off with now-cooled candied pecans, avocado, pomegranate arils, and blue (or parmesan) cheese. Pour the rest of the dressing over it. Give it a gentle toss. Taste for seasoning and add in, if necessary.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 690mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1663IU | Vitamin C: 84mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 2mg

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

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This recipe was initially posted in November 2017, but updated with additional helpful information with no changes to the original recipe in November 2019.