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This shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe is tossed with chopped arugula, sweet apples, crisp red onions, toasted nuts, crumbled soft cheese, and my simple everyday salad dressing.
It has been a grey and dreary week here in Barcelona, so I vote we brighten things up with a vibrant green salad today!
This shredded Brussels sprouts salad has been a favorite in our house lately and is bursting with so many of my favorite fresh, healthy, and colorful ingredients that are in season right now. As you can probably spy in the photos, there are lots of crisp sweet apples loaded in there that I’ve paired with tangy blue cheese. I’ve also mixed the shredded raw Brussels with chopped baby arugula, to add some peppery flavor and some softer greens to the salad. Then add in the toasted nuts of your choice, some thinly-sliced red onions, and my simple everyday salad dressing…and this gorgeous, simple, feel-good salad will be sure to make your day all the more delicious.
It’s one of those salads that would be fun and festive enough to serve for holidays, yet also quick and easy enough to whip up for a healthy weeknight dinner. Feel free, of course, to use whatever type of cheese (blue, goat, feta, cheddar, Parmesan), nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds), or dressing (lemony or balsamic) sounds best to you here. And while this recipe is already naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, you could also easily make it vegan (by using your fave plant-based cheese) if you’d like.
Alright, let’s make some salad together, friends! ♡
Brussels Sprouts Salad Ingredients:
Before we get to the recipe below, here are a few brief notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Brussels salad recipe:
- Brussels sprouts: Most grocery stores sell bags of pre-shredded Brussels sprouts nowadays. Or if you are starting out with whole Brussels sprouts, here is a quick video for how to shred Brussels sprouts, either by hand or with the help of a food processor.
- Greens: I love the taste of peppery baby arugula paired with the Brussels and apples in this salad. But alternately, you could sub in baby spinach, chopped kale, or any other salad greens that you prefer. Or you could just opt to use 100% Brussels sprouts as your greens instead.
- Apples: Feel free to use whatever type of apples you love best for this salad! I just recommend choosing a variety that is nice and crisp, to give the salad some extra crunch.
- Nuts: As you can see, I opted for toasted walnuts for this salad. But pecans, almonds, pistachios or pepitas would all be delicious options here too.
- Red onion: I love the crunch and sweet, sharp taste of thinly-sliced red onions in this salad. But if you are a bit more onion-averse, feel free to give the sliced onions a quick rinse with water before adding them to the salad, to mellow the flavor a bit. Or you can leave the onions out entirely if you prefer.
- Blue cheese: Forever and always my favorite cheese to add to any sort of apple salad. But if blue cheese isn’t your thing, feel free to use crumbled goat cheese, feta cheese, shaved Parmesan, or even an aged sharp cheddar instead.
- Dressing: Finally, I used my all-purpose everyday salad dressing for this recipe, made easily with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper, which was lovely. It would also be delicious if you swapped balsamic or red wine vinegar for the lemon juice, if you prefer more of a vinaigrette!
Possible Variations:
This recipe is quite flexible, so please feel free to tinker around with any of the ingredient swaps mentioned above, or you are welcome to…
- Use different fruit: Fresh pears and/or pomegranate arils would also be a delicious swaps for the fresh apples in this recipe. Or you could also opt to add some dried apples, cranberries, cherries, in the salad too!
- Use candied walnuts: My recipe for candied walnuts (or pecans) would also be an awesome option here, if you have the extra time to prep the walnuts.
- Add bacon: If you feel like adding in a bit of protein, some salty smoky bacon would awesome in this salad too.
More Fall/Winter Salad Recipes:
Looking for more seasonal salad recipes to make this time of year? Here are a few of my faves:
Description
This Brussels Sprouts Salad is made with a delicious blend of sweet and savory seasonal faves. See notes above for possible ingredients swaps and add-ins too!
Scale
Ingredients
Brussels Sprouts Salad Ingredients:
- 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, shredded (with ends trimmed)
- 3 ounces (about 3 cups) baby arugula,* roughly chopped
- 2 crisp apples, cored and diced
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
- 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 5 ounces crumbled blue or goat cheese
Dressing Ingredients:
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl (or shake all ingredients together vigorously in a sealed jar) until completely combined.
- Toss the salad. Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, drizzle evenly with the dressing, and toss until combined.
- Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with an extra twist of black pepper if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Dressing options: This salad dressing would also taste delicious made with balsamic or red wine vinegar, if you prefer to use more of a vinaigrette.
