With the recent Romaine lettuce recall over in our part of the world, we’ve been on a no-lettuce salad kick. It wasn’t that difficult really. I mean, my family can eat balela (chickpea salad) everyday. And when all else fails, this super simple tomato salad does the trick. But since I had a couple pounds of brussel sprouts begging to be used, so…brussels sprouts salad it is!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
This brussels sprouts salad begins with the very simple but important step of roasting the brussels sprouts. I’m not opposed to salads that use raw brussels sprouts, but I much prefer, and often crave, salted brussels sprouts that have been roasted to caramelized perfection. The draw with this brussels sprouts salad is in the variety of textures and flavors. I treat them just like my roasted carrots with sumac: tender on the inside and perfectly charred on the outside with a little Mediterranean-style twist. To add a bit more interest, and maybe even a slightly festive twist, we throw in toasted almonds (or walnuts) and dried cranberries.
The honey lemon vinaigrette–with just a hint of zingy Dijon mustard–pulls the salad together and gives it a bright Mediterranean twist. I like to finish with a generous sprinkle of creamy feta, which pairs so well with the charred brussels sprouts. If you don’t like feta, you can use a bit of goat cheese. You can also omit cheese all together in favor of a vegan brussels sprouts salad.
How to Roast Brussels Sprouts Perfectly
There are a few simple steps I follow to get perfectly roasted brussels sprouts. After all, they’re the star of this salad, so it’s important to get them right. Here are my tips:
Be sure to coat brussels sprouts are coated well with extra virgin olive oil and salt. To do that, don’t just throw them on the baking sheet and drizzle the oil etc. Instead, place the brussels sprouts in a large mixing bowl first, toss with excellent EVOO and a generous pinch of salt (I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO and kosher salt.) Give them a good toss to make sure the brussels are well coated, then pour and spread them well on a large baking sheet.
When you arrange the brussles sprouts on your pan, try to laying them cut-side down to give as much of the surface a chance to caramelize.
Once they’re in the oven, do not disturb the brussels sprouts too much. Check them half-way through roasting, and if the one side looks good, then give them a quick stir so the other side a chance to get some color.
More Recipes to Try:
Best Roasted Greek Potatoes Olive Oil Fried Brussels Sprouts with Polenta Mediterranean Blackened Salmon with Pomegranate Salsa One-Pot Gree Chicken Orzo How to Make Baklava 4.9 from 17 reviews
2 lb/907 g brussels sprouts, well-cleaned, trimmed, and halved Salt Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil 6 oz/170 g baby spinach 4 oz/113 g baby arugula 2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced Big handful dried cranberries 1/2 cup/69 g blanched almonds or walnut halves, toasted Crumbled feta cheese, to your liking
For Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup/ 59 ml Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup/ 59 ml fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp quality honey 1 tsp Dijon Mustard Salt and pepper
