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Shaved Brussels Sprout Candied Bacon Salad – quick, festive, easy to make ahead, and so delicious. Shredded Brussels sprouts, kale, nutty Manchego cheese, warm candied bacon, buttered walnuts, and sweet pomegranates. All tossed with a delicious cinnamon apple dressing that’s sweet and tangy. Every bite of this salad is bursting with flavor. It’s the candied bacon and walnuts. They’re tossed together with a little sugar and spice, then baked to deliciousness. Completely yummy atop this holiday salad. There never seems to be enough of them. This salad is bright, yummy, festive, and perfect for holiday entertaining!
We’ve officially started sharing holiday recipes!! Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away and I am happier and more excited than ever. The holiday season feels so special this year. I feel inspired and excited to be busy creating new recipes and to share all my love and joy for the season!!
Woohoo! On Tuesday I shared gooey pecan pie brownies for our Thanksgiving dinner. Today I’m balancing the yummy brownies with a bright, make-ahead salad.
I’ve definitely shared Brussels sprout salads in previous years, but I just have to share this version with you all.
The candied bacon and walnuts are what make this salad and set it apart from others. I’m so in love with the crunch, the spice, the saltiness, and the tang. They’re just addictive when sprinkled atop this salad and then topped with this cinnamon cider dressing.
So many wonderful flavors, hoping this will be a new holiday favorite!
The details
Step 1: start with the candied bacon
I’m always of the mind that Thanksgiving recipes should be simple, and this salad is no exception. They should be easy to prepare or able to be made entirely ahead of time.
Thankfully this is a great salad to make ahead!
I always start with the candied bacon since this needs time in the oven. Use a thick-cut, unsweetened bacon. Chop the bacon into pieces and toss with fresh rosemary, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper.
I use 1 teaspoon of cayenne, but if that’s too spicy for you, use the cayenne to your liking.
Bake this mix until the bacon is beginning to crisp and caramelize. Then pull the pan out and add the walnuts. I like to add the walnuts later, they tend to easily burn.
When everything on the pan is “candied”, pull it out of the oven and season with flaky sea salt. You’ll want to eat them all just as is!
Step 2: assemble the salad
For the salad base, you’ll need plenty of shredded Brussels sprouts, kale, pomegranates, and manchego cheese.
You can shave the Brussels sprouts yourself or buy them already shaved at the grocery store, which is of course super convenient!
For the pomegranate, you could use dried cranberries instead. But they usually come sweetened and will be sweeter than the pomegranate.
Lastly, the manchego cheese! This is my personal favorite, but cheddar, Gouda, or parmesan would be great. Oh, and I do love a goat cheese with this salad too!
Step 3: the dressing
This is such a unique dressing, and one of my favorites. Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, thyme, and fresh orange zest with a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
The flavors of an old fashioned. It’s just a little sweetness with some citrus kick to it. The flavors really complement the saltiness of the bacon.
Step 4: toss everything
Now, toss the greens with the dressing and let the flavors penetrate into the salad. Finish with the candied bits of bacon and walnuts.
The color from the pomegranate and bacon will really pop off with the dark greens underneath. It’s so pretty!!
Not only is this so pretty on a dinner table, but it’s totally delicious too. Sweet, tangy, and spicy with so many cozy holiday flavors, plus an awesome CRUNCH. Excited to share this with my family this year, I really think they’ll love it!
Looking for other salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Shredded Brussels Sprout Bacon Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Autumn Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad
Lastly, if you make this Shaved Brussels Sprout Candied Bacon Salad be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Shredded Brussels Sprout Candied Bacon Salad
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 506 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
- 2-3 cups chopped kale
- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils
- 1 cup grated manchego cheese
- 1 cup pepitas (optional)
Cinnamon Cider Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. On the baking sheet, toss together the bacon, rosemary, brown sugar, maple, and cayenne. Arrange in an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes, until the bacon is crisping. Add the walnuts and butter, toss to coat. Bake another 8-10 minutes, watching close.3. In a large salad bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts and kale.4. To make the dressing, whisk/shake together all ingredients in a jar. Pour the dressing over the salad and massage into the greens. Add the pomegranates and cheese – toss. 5. Arrange the warm bacon and walnuts over the salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
To Make Ahead: the salad can be made up to 1 day ahead. Add the candied bacon before serving.
Leftovers: leftovers will keep well for 2-3 days. This salad is delicious warmed or chilled.
I loved this salad! I did tweak a bit, but the basic ingredients are yum! and Beautiful! I threw the halved brussels into boiling water for 4-5 minutes, and immediately drained & chopped them a bit w/ a tiny drizzles of butter and salt. Left out those pesky pepitas and you are right, that manchego was so good on it.
Hi Barb! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! 🙂 xT
Soooooo good!! Made this for a dinner party and it was a huge hit. Best salad
Hi! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing Christmas! xT
Hi! Do we keep the brussel sprouts raw?
Hi Jess! Yes, they are raw but the dressing will help soften them! 🙂 xT
Hi, I am planning on making this recipe this week:-). If I wanted to make this a meal by adding chicken, can you please recommend a marinade to use for the chicken?
Can you use cranberries instead of pomegranate arils?
Yes, absolutely! xT
I was very skeptical for some reason of this salad and it was fantastic! The dressing was so tasty with the flavors in the salad and I even burned the bacon a little and it was still great! I used pecorino romano because that’s what I had on hand and it was great!! Looking forward to making it again! The guests I had for dinner even asked for the recipe! So tasty! I did have a question about the butter, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it? I melted it and mixed it in with the walnut before adding to the pan. Is that what we were supposed to do?
Fantastic flavor profile! The acv in the dressing balances on a bit overpowering so will adjust in the future. The candied bacon is to die for!
Hey Tawny,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Have a great week! xT
Not good. A waste of time and money. The dressing was bitter, the sprouts were bitter, the bacon and walnuts never crisped up, the manchego added nothing and it couldn’t really be assembled in advance making it a terrible choice for Thanksgiving. I like other HBH recipes but this was a huge fail.
Hi Kendra,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for trying it and sharing your feedback! xx
This was a fabulous dish, however the “assembling” could have been stated much better. An unseasoned cook would have lost their mind! I am rewriting this as to facilitate myself in the future.
Hi Ellen,
Awesome!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it:) xT
The BEST Thanksgiving salad! Shredded Brussels and made dressing and bacon (hid in the refrig!) day before. Followed exactly (did not use pepitas) and was perfect!
Hey Alyssa,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your feedback! So glad it turned out well for you:) xT
This salad is incredible ❤️❤️❤️ made it first time last week and whipping up another batch now for tomorrow’s dinner!
Hey Adaire,
Happy Saturday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:)
I made this delish salad one day prior to Thanksgiving. I was skeptical about leaving the bacon and nuts out overnight, so refrigerated them and then quickly broiled to crisp up prior to serving. The flavor profile is so interesting and complex – crunchy, slightly spicey (I used 1/4 tsp cayenne) Really an excellent recipe! Even 74 yr old Nana can learn fresh new ideas from a talented 30 yr old! Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Cindy,
Happy Saturday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:)
Such a yummy salad. Made for thanksgiving. I used 8 pieces of bacon & 4-6 would have been plenty. I’ll make it again!
Hi Julie,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I didn’t love it. But I didn’t hate it. The dressing, in my opinion, was very apple cider vinegar heavy. I even tried to ‘sweeten’ it up a bit by adding a bit of fresh squeezed juice from the orange. I have A LOT leftover so I may try baking the rest and crisping it up a bit and serving it warm. Who knows!
Hey Dani,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
Can you make the candied nuts and bacon ahead and then quickly reheat in the oven about five minutes prior to serving?
I did mine a few days early and then reheated them . They were fine.
Hi Jacqueline,
You can just fully make them ahead and then top the salad with them at room temp. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT