Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with Walnuts, Parmesan & Lemon-Mustard Dressing
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Be prepared to love this salad of crisp greens, walnuts and lemony Dijon dressing. It tastes like a healthful, crunchy Caesar.
Made with crisp power greens, toasted walnuts, chunks of Parmesan and a lemony Dijon dressing—this kale Brussels sprouts salad tastes like a healthful, crunchy Caesar. Trust me, you’ll love it—even if you’re not a “greens” person. My husband, who usually avoids Brussels sprouts, devoured it without even realizing they were in there (until my 10-year-old daughter spilled the beans, giggling with every bite he took). It’s perfect for weekday lunches or as a side to cedar planked salmon, grilled flank steak, or grilled chicken. Bonus: it keeps well and can be made ahead of time!
What You’ll Need To Make Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by toasting the walnuts in a 350°F oven for 5-8 minutes, or until fragrant.
Meanwhile, slice the Brussels sprouts. You can do this by hand or using the slicing blade of the food processor.
Remove the kale leaves from the tough center ribs.
Then thinly slice.
Make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the greens and toss.
Add the toasted walnuts and Parmgiano-Reggiano.
Toss to combine, then let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours to allow the flavors to meld and the vegetables to soften. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more walnuts and cheese.
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Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with Walnuts, Parmesan & Lemon-Mustard Dressing
Be prepared to love this salad of crisp greens, walnuts and lemony Dijon dressing. It tastes like a healthful, crunchy Caesar.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped, plus more for serving
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded (about 5 gently packed cups after shredding)
- 1 large bunch (about 12 oz) Tuscan or curly kale, thick center ribs removed, thinly sliced (about 5 gently packed cups after slicing)
- 1 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, from one large shallot
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up. Bake the walnuts for 5 to 8 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Keep a close eye on them; they burn quickly.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, mustard, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble the salad: Combine the Brussels sprouts and kale in a large bowl, and pour the dressing over top. Toss to combine. Add the most of the walnuts and cheese and toss again. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or up to a few hours in the fridge) to allow the flavors to meld and the vegetables to soften. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle more walnuts and cheese over top, if you like. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 256
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 10g
- Sodium: 432mg
- Cholesterol: 10mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Good morning Jen
Do you have a good green apple dressing ?
I was at a restaurant in Wellesley Maand ordered a kale salad and it had a green apple dressing which was delicious. I have researched but have come up short!
Love going through your repertoire of recipes and deciding what to make next! My family Thank you! I was in a cooking rut until I stumbled across your website. You have inspired me
Hi Antoinette, So glad you are enjoying the recipes! Unfortunately, I don’t have a green apple dressing but I will keep an eye out and report back if I find one 🙂
Here is one that I have used in the past and really like. You can also add some lemon juice and adjust ginger/garlic to your taste.
1 medium green apple
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
sea salt to taste
Directions
1.Place the apple, water, oil, garlic, ginger and a healthy pinch of salt into a blender and puree the mixture until smooth. Serve immediately.
Delicious! I’ve forwarded the recipe to family and friends.
Halved this recipe but when I looked at the volume of greens, I decided to make the dressing at full recipe volume which was a good move since it was almost under dressed doing this. Perhaps I didn’t slice kale small enough ? That said, the wife and I loved it. Toasting the walnuts is a must. I will say it needed a bit of sweetness to counteract the bitter greens and the salty parmesan so I tossed in a handful of craisins which complemented it well.
This is the most delicious kale salad I’ve made…Perfect combination of ingredients! We are trying to eat healthier and I’ve made this twice in one week. Thank you, Jenn!
This was so much better than we expected. We couldn’t get enough…
Wow such a healthy tasty salad!! The toasted walnuts really give it a great crunch. The fresh lemon and dijon give a delicious punch to the dressing I did not even add the parmesan but it was still delicious. (Although I will for my family.) Rather then cutting the kale, which can be very timely, I devein it and put it into my food processor in pieces and then pulse it to desired salad size. It always comes out great this way for any kale salad.
Great tip, Karen. Thx!
This was FABULOUS! Took forever to slice up the sprouts, but absolutely worth it. So light and fresh, and it makes a bunch too (currently having round two for lunch).
I made the kale salad with Brussel sprouts and was delicious! My husband doesn’t care to eat kale but truly enjoyed this recipe. Made grilled chicken to accompany salad! Thank you !
As a mom I look for inspirational recipes that are fairly easy and healthy. This does both.
Where are the list of ingredients to tell you how much of each?
Hi Lois, Click on the recipe tab at the top or scroll down beneath the last photo.
This looks delicious. Could you make it with lacinato kale instead of the curly kale? Not sure how their flavors compare.
Yes, absolutely. I only use curly kale because it’s the most readily available.