Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with Walnuts, Parmesan & Lemon-Mustard Dressing
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Be prepared to love this salad of crisp greens, walnuts and lemony Dijon dressing. It tastes like a healthful, crunchy Caesar.
Made with crisp power greens, toasted walnuts, chunks of Parmesan and a lemony Dijon dressing—this kale Brussels sprouts salad tastes like a healthful, crunchy Caesar. Trust me, you’ll love it—even if you’re not a “greens” person. My husband, who usually avoids Brussels sprouts, devoured it without even realizing they were in there (until my 10-year-old daughter spilled the beans, giggling with every bite he took). It’s perfect for weekday lunches or as a side to cedar planked salmon, grilled flank steak, or grilled chicken. Bonus: it keeps well and can be made ahead of time!
What You’ll Need To Make Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by toasting the walnuts in a 350°F oven for 5-8 minutes, or until fragrant.
Meanwhile, slice the Brussels sprouts. You can do this by hand or using the slicing blade of the food processor.
Remove the kale leaves from the tough center ribs, then thinly slice.
Make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the greens and toss.
Add the toasted walnuts and Parmgiano-Reggiano.
Toss to combine, then let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours to allow the flavors to meld and the vegetables to soften. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more walnuts and cheese.
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Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with Walnuts, Parmesan & Lemon-Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped, plus more for serving
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded (about 5 gently packed cups after shredding)
- 1 large bunch (about 12 oz/340 g) Tuscan or curly kale, thick center ribs removed, thinly sliced (about 5 gently packed cups after slicing)
- 1 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese plus more for serving
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 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
- Toast the nuts: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) 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 small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, mustard, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble the salad: Combine the Brussels sprouts and kale in a large bowl, and pour the dressing over top. Toss to combine. Add the most of the walnuts and cheese and toss again. 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 vegetables to soften. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle more walnuts and cheese over top, if you like. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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 is one of my favourite salads and I make it often. Everybody loves it but admittedly I find slicing the brussel sprouts quite time consuming. A friend told me she uses her food processor and I was dubious but…it turned out great! I used the medium slicer blade and it was very quick. I still did the kale by hand.
I really love this recipe. One fun addition is dried cranberries. Adds a little color and sweetness. Also just good on its own. Super healthy!!
This is a seriously WONDERFUL salad! Thanks so much for the recipe. The combination of crunchy texture, zingy dressing, toasty walnuts, salty cheese, and delightful shades of green (I need colour on my plate!) are just sublime. My husband only wants salads for lunch every day, and I get so bored of the usual salads, so always looking for something new and satisfying, and that can be packed in a lunch bag and travels well. This definitely fits the bill! I’m lazy, so I bought the pre-washed and cut kale, but ran it through the food processor (regular blade) to make it super-fine, and ran the brussel sprouts through the food processor with the 2mm slicing blade. Toasted the walnuts in a dry skillet rather than roasting. Otherwise, followed the recipe exactly. Definitely a keeper recipe! We couldn’t stop eating it! And the dressing is so good, you could drink it with a spoon.
Is a pound of kale a 16 oz bag? This is what I thought the recipe was saying but the recipe came out extremely dry and there was so much greenery that I didn’t have a container or a bowl big enough to stir it in. It seems like I should have cut the kale amount in half.
Hi Jenn, Yes, a pound is correct. Sorry that you found this to be dry. Often if you let kale sit for a bit it will be come more tender. Perhaps, if you try it again, you could reduce the amount of kale more to taste.
Hi Jennifer!
How far ahead can I make this??
Thanks and love your recipes!
Jen
Hi Jen, So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I wouldn’t make this more than 3 hours ahead of time. You could, however, prepare it without the dressing, cover and refrigerate up to a day ahead — then toss with the dressing before serving (be sure to allow at least 30 minutes for the greens to sit in the dressing).
I think this looks awesome…however, my husband has a silly aversion to mustard. Any thoughts on a different kind of dressing?
Hi, You could just omit the mustard or replace it with a bit of mayo with a tiny bit of Worcestershire mixed in. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve made this salad many times and have always gotten rave reviews…This last time I did not have enough time to slice the brussell sprouts so I bought broccoli slaw from the market…worked out great!! I see that one reader used their food processor to slice the brussels sprouts…that is another good option…
One of farmers at our farmer’s market had a major surplus of kale, so told me I could take as much as I wanted this past weekend. Booyah! It was perfect timing to make this salad.
The first time I made it mostly as described. I sautéed the shallots a bit because raw onions disagree with me, and gave the whole dressing a quick whir with my blender, but otherwise did as described. The salad was really tasty, but very RAW even after letting it sit for a day. (And I really like kale.) Still very good.
A few days later, I did it again with minor modifications. Besides sautéing the shallots, I also did a quick sauté of the kale and the brussels sprouts. It wasn’t so much to completely cook them, but enough to take the raw edge off.
For me, this was a good compromise, and the results were still yummy and salad-like.
I’ve been working through Jenn’s recipes on the website, and this is another winer!
Thanks for your review Lisa! I was thinking I might like to cook it as well to take the edge off. Your review was helpful!
This is my family’s very favorite salad. I believe I reviewed it way back when. Because I make it so much I have made some shortcuts to help speed up my time in the kitchen. I use my food processor slicing disc for the Brussel sprouts and the chopping blade for the kale and walnuts. Just pulse when doing those 2 ingredients separately. Also I massage the dressing into the greens and it can be eaten immediately. This recipe is the BEST!
Great salad! My 95-year-old mother who likes what she likes and my meat-and-potatoes husband loved it! I served it with your Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Herbs. I recommend this low carb meal. Next time, I think I will add a dollop of tzatziki sauce to the chicken. I look forward to your emails with your always awesome recipes. Thank you!