A ton of people have used the recent snowfall as an excuse to decorate for Christmas early, but I’m holding out as long as possible because:
- I don’t want to admit the season that shall not be named is most likely here to stay [sob]
- Thanksgiving should get the attention it deserves!
Ok, I can’t promise a Costco holiday planter won’t somehow find it’s way onto my front porch before Thursday, but that’s it! Besides, we should be focusing our attention and efforts on what will undoubtedly become your new favorite holiday side dish ever:Â Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad.
Watch How to Make It!
Make once and I promise it’ll become an annual tradition!
Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with ALL the Fixins’
File this fall-themed Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad under “better than you can possibly imagine“. It’s like taking a Peloton class from Jess King. Oh wait no, that’s harder than you can possibly imagine. Hurts so (mostly) good.
Anyway, you can pick out and taste every single ingredient in this flavor and texture-packed Thanksgiving-friendly side dish, and the combination of fresh, savory, sweet, creamy, and crunchy is simply divine.
You will remember this salad LONG after taking your last bite!
What’s Inside
Shredded brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, fresh pear, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and crispy shallots (the STAR of the salad!) are drizzled with the easiest Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette to create a flavorful and healthy fall salad that you’ll go back for more and more and more of. It is beyond delicious.
Can You Eat Raw Brussels Sprouts?
Yes, you can eat raw brussels sprouts! Brussels sprouts are in the cruciferous vegetable family with broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, and are completely fine to eat raw. I prefer to thinly slice each sprout with a sharp chef’s knife, vs purchasing a bag of pre-shredded sprouts because the bagged slices are a little too thick to eat raw (they’re great for pan-seared brussels sprouts recipes or roasted brussels sprouts recipes). You can basically shave the brussels sprouts using a knife rendering them super easy to eat raw in this salad.
How to Prepare Ahead of Time
This shredded brussels sprouts salad is great to make for Thanksgiving on account of its warming fall flavors, and it also can be partially made ahead of time which is nice when you’ve got a bunch of different dishes cooking on the stove or baking in the oven on the actual holiday.
Here’s a a breakdown of what you can prepare or make ahead of time, vs what’s best to prepare just before serving:
Make/prepare ahead of time:
- Shred the brussels sprouts up to two days ahead of time then store in a gallon Ziplock bag with all the air pressed out.
- Chop the pecans up to two days ahead of time then store in an airtight container.
- Prepare then refrigerate the vinaigrette 1-3 days ahead of time.
Prepare just before serving:Â
- Chop the pears.
- Pan fry the shallots.
- Add all ingredients into a serving bowl then dress and toss to combine.
How to Make Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
Start by shredding raw brussels sprouts. Peel back the outer leaves of each sprout then hold onto the stem and use a sharp knife to shave them as thinly as possible.
Again, it’s tempting to use a bag of pre-shredded brussels sprouts for this dish, but they’re a touch too thick for a raw salad in my opinion. Hand shredding gets them much thinner!
Add the shredded sprouts to a large bowl with dried cranberries, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, chopped ripe pear, and pecans that have been roughly chopped.
Next, pan fry jumbo shallots sliced into rings – no breading required! Once fried, shallot rings are a FANTASTIC replacement for french fried onions on top of casseroles and in salads. You really can pick out the caramelized onion flavor amongst all the other ingredients in this dish. So, so delicious.
After slicing and separating the rings of the shallots, heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I always test a slice of shallot first to see if the oil is hot enough. If the slice starts sizzling right away, the oil is ready.
Add half the shallots to the hot oil then saute and stir occasionally until light golden brown, NOT dark brown which tastes bitter. Each batch should take 2-3 minutes.
Scoop the fried shallots onto a paper towel lined plate to drain then sprinkle with salt. Repeat the fry >> salt process with the remaining shallots.
Last step is to mix up the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette that ties the whole salad together. It is incredible! To a jar with a tight fitting lid add the following ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Shake to combine then pour over the salad, toss to combine, add the fried shallots, and then toss again.
Fresh, decadent, crunchy, creamy — ALL. THE. THINGS! I know you are going to adore this texture and flavor packed Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad! Enjoy, enjoy!
More Fabulous Fall Salads
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Apple Orchard Salad
- Maple-Bourbon Pecan Salad
- Everyday Kale Salad
- Wild Rice Harvest Bowls
- Apple, Cranberry, Almond Salad
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Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
Description
Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad is a crispy, crunchy, healthy, gluten free salad recipe that's full of fresh fall flavors!
Ingredients
- 12oz brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves pulled away
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup Fisher Naturals Pecan Halves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
- 1 pear, chopped
- 2 jumbo shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- For the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Using a very sharp knife, thinly shred brussels sprouts while holding onto the core end then discard cores and add shredded sprouts to a large bowl with dried cranberries, chopped pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and chopped pears. Set aside.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shallots then fry until light golden brown (NOT dark brown) 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scoop onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain then repeat with remaining shallots. Sprinkle with salt then let cool slightly.
- Add ingredients for Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette together in a jar then shake to combine. Pour over salad then toss to coat. Add fried shallots then toss to combine, and then serve.
Notes
- I recommend shredding your own brussels sprouts vs buying pre-shredded to make sure you can shave them very, very thin!
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Made this for Thanksgiving and WOW! YUM!! Added some bacon, because, well, bacon. Def a keeper!
I’ve been making this salad for years and it’s my go to for fall and winter potlucks. I usually sub the pear for apple and gorgonzola for feta. I’ve made it with nuts and without depending on if I’m serving it to someone with an allergy. Such a good recipe!
This looks so yummy! PLEASE put a food processor on your Christmas list ;-)
I have one. :) I still prefer hand shredding since my processor’s slicer disc slices as thick as the bagged version I mentioned!
The other blog that I enjoy is Carolina Charm. She mentioned today that her kindergartner is coming home a mess. One of her readers posted this article – I found it to be useful, https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/school-age/after-school-restraint-collapse-is-a-real-thing-heres-how-to-deal-with-it/.
this sounds so good I can hardly wait to make it. I’m making it for lunch today.
[…] We are expecting our first cold front this week dropping the highs into the 80’s! I am anxiously awaiting the cooler weather and adding fall flavors into my cooking. For the shredded brussel sprouts, you may want to shred them the night before or purchase ones that are pre-shredded Link to salad recipe here. […]
[…] Make sure to use pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. If you want to make this ahead of time I suggest keeping the fried shallots stored separately and heating them in a toaster over prior to dressing and serving the salad. 21 Day Fix container equivalents for a 1.5 cup serving: 1 green, 0.25 purple, 1 blue, 1 spoon Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats […]
I found this recipe in People Mag. and elected to roast the thinly sliced sprouts, tossed in EVOO and garlic and onion powder for 20 min. -then cooled for the salad. The balsamic, maple syrup, evoo dressing is sooo good. All other ingredients the same/ but substituted Feta as is what I had. NEW FAV!!
No way, that is too cool – I had no idea it was in the magazine! Do you remember what issue? I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
This was so good. The fried shallots are everything. Perfect way to switch up the typical side dishes!
Can this set dressed in the fridge overnight or does it get soggy?
Sooo delicious! Love the brussel sprout base. Like a slaw, but without fattening mayo. Although I did add 3 fattening strips of bacon because I had left overs from a Thanksgiving recipe. They went well!
Excellent salad, just as all the reviews raved. Everyone at the Thanksgiving table enjoyed the salad. Traded feta for the gorgonzola and pepitas for the pecans. Also added a sweet (balsamic) glaze from Trader Joe’s and reduced maple syrup. Liked the suggestion to add TJ cruciferous mix to the salad- did that, also a great idea for some more tender greens in the mix.
I have been meaning to try this recipe for a while, and now in light of the current romaine lettuce crisis, I have an even better excuse! We love so many of your recipes, I have followed you since before you even liked mushrooms :) Thanks!! Happy Thanksgiving
[…] Fall Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad […]
Can I make this “fall shredded Brussels spout salad the day before?<[
Excited to try this recipe this Thanksgiving, Kristin!!! Always love seeing your recipes at the top of my search results b/c I know without a doubt EVERYONE will LOVE it!!!
Oh my gosh, you are too kind, Robin!! I hope you and your sweet family have a great Thanksgiving! Hope to see you again soon!
[…] Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Fresh Walnuts and Pecorino or this Fall Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad would make a lovely, light side dish for Thanksgiving, or any fall […]
Any tips for making this ahead of time? I would think the pear would brown and the shallot could get mushy. Thanks!
Hi Julie! You could measure out all the ingredients except the pear ahead of time then toss together before serving. As you mentioned, I’d wait to fry the shallots fresh right before eating.
I made this for lunch today and paired it with salmon. This was amazing. I added an apple for more crunch. Really loved all the contrasts in flavor.
Ooo, love the apple addition. So glad you enjoyed the dish, Amy!
Need to know total carb, etc. I am diabetic.