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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This is a great way to sneak in power foods to the unsuspecting! I used a mini garlic slicer to get the Brussels sprouts super fine and deveined the kale as well as ‘massaged it’ after chopping very finely. ( would be amazing with fresh homegrown kale )
I doubled the dressing amount to redress it the next day because it gets better and better on days 2&3. Subbed Manchego and almonds for a spin on it!
For a finishing touch we added fresh sliced blueberries for a little fresh sweet zing and it was super!
With that leftovers I made a wrap with Rstd Chicken and a splash of extra dressing, yum!
Fabulous salad. You may substitute a good balsamic vinegar for lemon juice . Or you could use a citrus flavored vinegar.
Love, love, love this salad! I followed the recipe exactly. The only thing I add on occassion is some red quinoa. The red quinoa looks beautiful mixed with all the green and it makes the salad a little more hearty – ideal for a work lunch.
This is the best winter salad; the right amount of crisp and tender! And the dressing is excellent. We’ve been eating it at least once a week all winter and feel like we are getting tons of good for us food!
This salad was good but you really do need to let it sit and have the flavors blend. It was better as each day went by!
Do you cook the brussels sprouts?
Hi Diane, No the brussels sprouts are delicious raw in this salad.
So GOOD! I have been wanting to eat more kale and have not been inspired until now. As the salad marinated it got tastier and tastier – although I liked it as soon as I had completed making it as well.
Time to make a new batch – this will be a favorite for sure – thanks Jen.
This salad is amaaaazing as is!! We grilled some shrimp to top it off. I think it would also be really good if you threw in some pears.
Hi Jennifer, This was fantastic -I find myself tiring of Kale in more traditional salads and this has brought Kale back for me! I made a double batch 3 days ago and it is gone. My 16 year old son has requested more so I’m just getting ready to prepare another batch. As another reviewer suggested, I also devein the kale and coarsely shred it in the food processor. The brussel sprouts, however, we’re great quartered by hand for crunchy little nuggets of goodness! Thanks for another fantastic recipe! Colleen
Made this last night and it was outstanding!
Didn’t know how my husband would react since he barely eats brussel sprouts or kale cooked! He didn’t say anything, but had about two salad plates full so I got my answer!! Another winning recipe – thanks Jen!