Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
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Not only is this vibrant salad packed with flavor and nutrients, but it also keeps well for days, so you’ll always have a healthy meal ready to go!
I love making big salads that can keep in the fridge for a few days because it means I always have a healthy meal ready to go. This particular salad combines nutrient-rich greens, nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, and dried cranberries, all tossed together in a bright honey-dijon vinaigrette. Kale and Brussels sprouts provide a good dose of vitamins and minerals, while dried cranberries add antioxidants and a touch of tart sweetness. Walnuts add crunch and healthy fats, and Parmigiano Reggiano adds salty, savory flavor. The salad is perfect for a light lunch or dinner, or as a side dish to go with any protein, from chicken to salmon to steak. It’s easy to customize as well, so you can swap out the walnuts and cranberries for other nuts and dried fruit you enjoy.
What You’ll Need
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
Not only is this vibrant salad packed with flavor and nutrients, but it also keeps well for days, so you’ll always have a healthy meal ready to go!
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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Comments
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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.
Very good! I think it was actually better on the second day, highly unexpected from a salad. The cranberries added the perfect touch of sweetness.
Absolutely delicious!!! Lasts for days, too. I can eat this everyday.
This salad is among the best I’ve ever tasted. My family loved it have asked me to keep it in the fridge for healthy grazing! I now make it every couple of weeks and the flavors never disappoint. Thank you for continuing to share delicious recipes that I use in my menu rotation.
Who knew that kale and Brussel sprouts could taste so good! I made it twice in two weeks. A great way to get healthy greens in your diet. Loved the flavor of the cranberries, nuts and cheese mixed in.
Super easy and delicious! I used less oil and substituted goat cheese for the parmigiana because that’s what i had on hand. My teenage daughter and I ate it for days. 😋
Oops. I forgot to say that I used pecans instead of walnuts.
This salad is perfect in every way! I’ve made it twice this week already.
This salad is delicious! I used pecans as a personal preference and everyone loved it. It also tasted better the next day so another bonus. Thank you!
Delicious! Added grilled chicken to make it a light dinner. Combination of flavors is excellent. Didn’t have shallots and still came out great! Another wonderful recipe!
Hello, sounds wonderful. Question-best way to shred the Brussels sprouts?
Hi Lisa, I use my food processor with the slicing blade to make quick work of it but if you don’t have a food processor, you can slice them by hand.
Can’t wait to try this
Looks amazing,my favourite ingredients
Delicious salad! Made for people who don’t like kale, including my husband, and he ate seconds the next day!