Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
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This hearty kale and Brussels sprouts salad, with walnuts, dried cranberries, and Parmigiano Reggiano in a honey-Dijon vinaigrette, is perfect to keep on hand for healthy meals all week long.
I love making big salads that keep well in the fridge for a few days—it means I always have a healthy meal ready to go. This salad combines nutrient-rich kale and Brussels sprouts with walnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, and dried cranberries, all tossed in a bright honey-Dijon vinaigrette. The greens are packed with vitamins, while the walnuts add crunch and healthy fats, and the cranberries bring a touch of tart sweetness. It’s perfect as a light lunch, dinner, or side dish alongside anything from grilled chicken to pan-seared salmon, to steak. Feel free to customize it by swapping out the nuts or dried fruit to suit your taste.
What You’ll Need To Make Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad
Step-by-Step 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 bowl large enough to hold the whole salad, combine the honey, lemon juice, oil, mustard, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Whisk to combine.
Assemble the salad: To the bowl with the dressing, add the Brussels sprouts and kale.
Toss until the greens are evenly coated with the dressing. 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 greens to soften.
Before serving, add the toasted walnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, and cranberries.
Toss until evenly combined.
Serve the salad cold or at room temperature. It will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator but the flavors will mellow over time; before serving, taste and add a little lemon juice and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
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Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
This hearty kale and Brussels sprouts salad, with walnuts, dried cranberries, and Parmigiano Reggiano in a honey-Dijon vinaigrette, is perfect to keep on hand for healthy meals all week long.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 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, chopped (about 5 gently packed cups after chopping)
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
For the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from 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 bowl large enough to hold the whole salad, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, oil, mustard, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble the salad: To the bowl with the dressing, add the Brussels sprouts and kale; toss until the greens are evenly coated with the dressing. 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 greens to soften. Before serving, add the toasted walnuts, cranberries, and Parmigiano Reggiano and toss until evenly combined. Serve at room temperature or cold. (The salad will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator but the flavors will mellow over time; before serving, taste and add a little lemon juice and adjust seasoning, if necessary.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 343
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 14 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 355 mg
- Cholesterol: 9 mg
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 recipe was easy to follow and resulted in a delicious dish that even my fiance, who normally dislikes kale, rates 5 out of 5 on flavor and texture. Although not suggested in the recipe instructions, I further chopped the pre-stemmed kale leaves and shaved brussel sprouts into uniform sized pieces.
I have experimented by replacing the walnuts with fresh, chopped pecans and the Parmigiano Reggiano with fresh, crumbled feta cheese. The salad has gotten rave reviews with and without the nut and cheese substitutions.
I subbed Kale for Spinach and OMG this salad was a HIT at Thanksgiving. Everyone got seconds. Now I do it all year long! great with fish or chicken. Cannot go wrong with this amazing salad for every occasion. Will leave everyone wanting more, So grateful for this recipe.
Any suggestion for a substitute for kale? It is not something I can eat but I love the salad idea.
Hi, If you can find them, collard greens would be the best replacement in terms of texture and flavor. If not, you could go with spinach. If you use spinach, keep in mind that it’s more delicate than kale and wouldn’t need to sit for 30 minutes before serving. You may also need slightly less dressing. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it with either one of these.
Made this tonight exactly as written with some curly purple kale. The more I ate the more I absolutely loved it. This is a delicious keeper! Served with some Trader Joe’s chicken sausage and it was so satisfying!
This was amazing! I replaced the walnuts with pecans, cranberries with raisins and honey with maple syrup as those were what I had on hand. Will absolutely be adding this to my rotation 🙂
Wonderful winter salad that I served with baked salmon. I cut the recipe in half since it is just my husband and myself. I made the full dressing amount but only used half, then used some of the leftover dressing for a green salad the next day!
Amazing! I’ve never eaten raw kale or sprouts before and was leery of the result. I was very happily surprised how delicious this salad is. Not overpowering at all and so very healthy. The dressing is perfect to enhance the mix. thank you for sharing this and your other kale recipes.