Brussels Sprouts Salad with thinly sliced brussels sprouts, toasted almonds, real Parmesan cheese shavings and easy lemon garlic dressing.
This shaved brussel sprout salad is so good, you will be craving it in summer!
Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad
This brussels sprouts salad has exceeded all of my expectations. I like but not love roasted brussels sprouts. However, I love sauteed brussels with bacon. But after today, I might just love raw mini cabbages.
Because next best thing to eating shavings of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano might be:
- shaved brussels sprouts combined with
- toasted crunchy slivered almonds,
- popping juicy pomegranate arils,
- big slices of fresh Parmesan cheese and…
- garlick-y lemon extra virgin olive oil salad dressing.
And when you let all this goodness marinate for an hour, you will be blown away what happens to raw shredded brussels sprouts.
They soak up the dressing while softening up and you immediately want to put this salad on your holidays menu.
Mark my words!
How to Make Brussel Sprouts Salad
I think the most intimidating part about making anything with shredded brussels sprouts is the shredding part. Do not fret. It is easy-peasy to do even by hand, with a food processor or a mandoline.
- Prep sprouts: Rinse brussels sprouts. Trim the ends and remove outer leaves – using sharp paring knife, cut off the dark part of the stem and remove bruised or 2-3 outer leaves that fall off.
- Shred them: Thinly slice using a sharp chef’s knife. You can also use a food processor with slicing blade. I find mandoline time consuming as you have to attach each mini cabbage to a guard.
- Prep dressing & other ingredients: Toast almond, shave Parmesan, make dressing and peel pomegranate, if necessary.
- Marinate for about 1 hour: Allow raw brussels sprouts to “cook” in the dressing, soften and soak up the flavors for about 1 hour. In a rush? Give it at least 30 minutes.
Variations and Tips
- Brussels substitute: If you really don’t like brussels sprouts, you can use shredded cabbage or even broccoli slaw.
- Pre-shredded sprouts: Buy if your store carries them or shred your own and refrigerate in a Ziploc bag for up to 5 days.
- Nuts options: Substitute slivered almonds with more affordable chopped whole almonds or pecans. Pistachios work well too.
- Parmesan tip: Use real Parmesan cheese and shave it on a slicing side of a box grater.
- Pomegranate substitute: Replace pomegranate with dried cranberries. If sweetened, please note salad will be sweeter.
- Spinach replacement: Instead of spinach you can use kale, arugula or mixed salad greens.
- Extra protein: Add some chopped cooked chicken or turkey for a well-balanced lunch or dinner.
How to Serve, Store and Make Ahead
Serving: Salad tastes best within 1-5 hours after made. That’s when brussels are soft, almond still crunchy and spinach not soggy.
Storing: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 day. Salad will still taste good 90%.
Make ahead by refrigerating a bowl without almonds and salad dressing tightly covered for up to 48 hours. You can also store toasted almonds on a counter. Whisk salad dressing and combine everything at least 1 hour before serving. Easy-peasy.
Serving During the Holidays
I assume many of you will be looking at this salad in October-November. May I suggest a few pairings for your Thanksgiving, holidays and just a healthy dinner table?
- Boneless turkey breast roast
- Roast turkey breast
- Mashed potatoes with turkey gravy
- Boneless leg of lamb roast
- Mashed sweet potatoes
- Instant Pot turkey breast
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes
- Healthy sweet potato casserole
More Cruciferous Salad Recipes
- Lemon kale salad
- Healthy broccoli salad
- Massaged kale salad with winter fruit
- Beet salad with feta
- Mexican kale salad
- Browse all healthy salads.
Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb brussels sprouts
- 4 cups baby spinach thinly sliced
- 2 small pomegranates 1 cup arils, seeded
- 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 small garlic clove grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim the ends with paring knife and remove outer leaves from brussels sprouts.
- Using sharp chef's knife, slice brussels thinly. Alternatively you can use a food processor with slicing attachment. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
- Toast almonds in a skillet on medium heat, stirring constantly. Transfer to a bowl with brussels.
- Add spinach, pomegranate arils and Parmesan cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk with a fork olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over salad.
- Toss salad gently with tongs and let marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Serve as a side dish or as a main entree.
Store: Refrigerate salad covered for up to 1 day.
Make Ahead: You can make ahead brussels sprouts salad for up to 24 hours with the dressing. Or up to 48 hours without dressing and almonds and combine everything at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Substitute slivered almonds with more affordable chopped whole almonds or pecans. Pistachios work well too.
- Use real Parmesan cheese and shave it on a slicing side of a box grater.
- Replace pomegranate with dried cranberries. If sweetened, please note salad will be sweeter.
- Instead of spinach you can use kale, arugula or mixed salad greens.
- If you really don't like brussels sprouts, you can use shredded cabbage or even broccoli slaw.
Nutrition
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This salad is SO DELICIOUS!!! I used diced apple because I didn’t have pomegranate, but it worked in a pinch! I must say, Olena, I LOVE that you have a recipe for just about every type of food (veggies, etc.) we typically buy, and I KNOW it’s always going to be good. I just started experimenting with Brussel sprouts after nixing them from my shopping list years ago because I couldn’t find a good recipe. But I can always count on you to have something delicious, no-fuss, and it’s something I will look forward to eating when there’s leftovers (which didn’t used to be the case!). Thank you!!!
Awe, thank you so much for you wonderful feedback Cathi!
Wonderful! Everyone loved it ?
I tried this with our Thanksgiving dinner. Each year I try to add something new or different to try so instead of a boring “house” salad, I tried this one. It was a MAJOR hit!! I did substitute dried cranberries for the pom and I had some chopped walnuts left over so I added them with the almonds. Thank You for your helpful suggestions!!
You are so welcome, Christy! We loved-loved this salad too. I tried other version year prior but this year I feel like I found the happy medium haha. Happy Thanksgiving!
Looks delicious, Olena!