Craving for something fresh and delicious? Today’s grilled brussels sprout salad recipe will give you a refreshing delight.
This salad comprises colorful red leaf lettuce, crunchy grilled brussels sprouts, and honey crisp apples, all tossed together in a sweet-tart dressing, followed by a sprinkling of walnuts, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and bacon bits on top.
Sounds amazing, isn’t it? Come on, let’s dive in.
Is Grilled Brussels Sprout Salad Healthy?
Yes, as healthy as it can be, but what exactly are these cute-looking, strange-sounding green buds?
Also known as mini cabbages, brussels sprouts first became popular in Brussels, Belgium, from where they got the name.
As for their biological features, they are in the same family of cabbages and are closely related to kale, cauliflower, and broccoli.
Just like their cousins, these tiny edible buds are healthy to eat. Brussels sprouts are incredibly rich in vitamin C and K. While vitamin K helps with blood clotting and bone health, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant that helps prevent aging through collagen production.
A serving of this salad also contains an impressive amount of 110% of your daily vitamin C intake.
Moreover, our salad is low in calories, with only 251 kcal per serving, making it a great choice for those opting for a healthy snack or a light meal.
Main Ingredients
1. For the Salad
- Brussels sprout: This salad calls for grilled brussels sprouts that are both crunchy outside and tender inside. For gourmets, their flavor is considered complex and sophisticated.
Note:
When cooked properly, these little cabbages give a natural sweet-and-nutty taste. However, they will taste rather bland if undercooked and bitter if overcooked. So for these delicate sprouts, correct timing is the key to perfection.
- Red leaf lettuce: These colorful red leaves have a refreshingly soggy and watery flavor, perfect as a base for our salad.
- Apple: Crispy slices of delicious red apples add extra freshness and sweetness to the mix.
- Red onion: Red onions add more flavor and aroma to the salad, but you can omit them if you don’t like their strong taste.
2. For the Dressing
- Salt: A pinch of salt to taste.
- Pepper: Pepper adds a pungent flavor to the sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar: The mildly sweet and tangy taste of balsamic vinegar makes it a favorite salad dressing ingredient.
- Honey: Honey adds to the sweetness and consistency of the sauce.
- Dijon mustard: The sharp and complex taste of Dijon mustard gives a nice kick to our dressing.
3. For the Topping
- Walnut: Walnuts add to our salad an earthy and nutty taste with a hint of bitterness.
- Feta cheese: Feta cheese has a distinctive briny and lemony taste that goes extremely well with salads.
- Dried cranberries: These sweet-tart dried cranberries are fun to have in a salad mix.
- Bacon: Tasty bits of bacon on top of the salad make it extra delicious.
4. How to Choose the Brussels Sprouts
You can find brussels sprouts all year round at many grocery stores or farmers’ markets. Here are three useful tips on how to pick them:
- If you can, buy those that are still on their stalk. For convenience, most places usually sell sprouts that are already plucked. However, brussels sprouts attached to the stalk will taste richer and last longer, as the stalk keeps on nourishing the sprouts and helps them retain moisture and flavor.
- Pick those with vivid green colors and tightly compacted leaves. These are the young and fresh ones. Avoid those with yellowed leaves that begin to separate. You can gently squeeze the sprout to check its firmness.
- Don’t aim for the big sprouts, choose the small ones instead. Simply because these are fresher and sweeter in taste.
5. How to Prepare the Brussels Sprouts for This Salad
Get your brussels sprouts prepped and ready for our salad making with these six simple steps:
- Destalk the sprouts. Use a knife to cut them off their stalk.
(Skip this step if you bought the individual sprouts)
- Remove the damaged leaves (if any).
- Trim off the stalk ends.
- Rinse the sprouts.
Put them in a colander and wash them under running water to remove any debris.
- Pat them dry with a towel.
- Cut them in half.
And that’s it. Very easy, right?
What to Serve This Salad with
This salad is incredible on its own or makes a delicious healthy side dish on your dinner menu.
It works well with a variety of main courses. Serve this dish with other proteins such as chicken breast, salmon, or beef steaks for a fulfilling, balanced meal.
How to Store the Leftovers
If you have leftovers, you can keep them in airtight containers in the fridge.
They should stay fresh for up to 2 days with the already dressed salad, and a week if you keep the dressing and the salad separated.
How to Make Grilled Brussels Sprout Salad
Today's grilled brussels sprout salad recipe makes a tasty snack or a wonderful side dish that will go well with a variety of entrees.
- cook TIME 20 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 30 mins
- COURSE Side Dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 251 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz brussels sprouts (halved)
- 2 oz red lettuce
- 3 oz red apples (sliced)
- 2 oz red onions (sliced)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper (divided)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp traditional Dijon mustard
- 0.5 oz bacon (cut into small pieces)
- 1.5 oz walnut
- 0.5 oz crumbled feta cheese
- 0.5 oz dried cranberries
INSTRUCTIONS
In a bowl, toss 16 oz brussels sprouts with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp pepper to coat evenly.
Arrange the brussels sprouts on a flat pan lined with parchment paper, then place them at the topmost rack position in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 17 minutes.
Make the dressing while waiting. Add 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tbsp honey, and 1 tsp traditional Dijon mustard to a small mixing bowl, then stir to combine.
Assemble the grilled brussels sprouts, 2 oz red lettuce, 2 oz red onions, 3 oz red apples, 0.5 oz bacon bits, 1.5 oz walnuts, 0.5 oz feta cheese, and 0.5 oz dried cranberries on a serving plate. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, then serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary ConsultantLuna Regina
Writer, AuthorNatalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer- MathesonThis salad is a delicious and healthy option for lunch.