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This shredded brussels sprout bacon salad has quickly become one of my favorites. Itโs quick, festive, and so delicious. Shredded brussels sprouts, nutty manchego cheese, toasted hazelnuts, and juicy pomegranates, all tossed with a warm cider vinaigrette thatโs sweet and tangy. Every bite of this salad is bursting with flavor. Great as a light lunch, served alongside your favorite dinner, or at your next holiday gathering!
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Happiest Thursday! Hope youโre all having a great week. Itโs been a busy, cold and snowy week here. With all the snow weโve been getting, the resorts actually opened ahead of schedule yesterday.
Iโve been madly working away on recipe testing, fun holiday content, and staying warm in the kitchen with lots of baking. All good things! And today Iโm SO excited to share this salad, from my Thanksgiving menu, with you all.
No matter what the occasion, no dinner party is complete without a colorful salad, especially Thanksgiving. With all the turkey, gravy, potatoes, and rolls, something light and colorful is a must on every Thanksgiving dinner table.
One of the questions Iโm often asked is what to serve for dinner parties. For me, what I serve always depends on the season. But thereโs one thing thatโs always on my dinner party menu.
Yes, salad.
My go-to salad is normally something full of leafy greens, a mix of vegetables, pomegranates, maybe persimmons, and a simple balsamic dressing. This year however, I knew I wanted to create a shredded brussels sprouts salad to throw everyone a curve ball. Itโs something Iโve never done, but always wanted to do. I wasnโt sure how much Iโd be into it, because roasted brussels sprouts will forever be my favoriteโฆbut you guys? Trust me when I say that this salad is beyond good. Itโs so simple, so beautiful, full of texture, and incredibly delicious.
When I set out to make this, I knew I needed to keep it simple, but flavorful. Thereโs so much going on with the Thanksgiving meal that I wanted the salad to be able to compliment everything.
Enter this shredded brussels sprout salad.
It all starts with a heck of a lot of brussels sprouts. Like a lot. If youโre cutting your brussels sprouts by hand, like me, this will be the hardest part of making this salad. If youโre smart, and live near a Whole Foods or Trader Joeโs, then you might want to pick up a bag of pre-shredded brussels sprouts, and save yourself a good 15 minutes or so of chopping time.
Tip? Be that smart person and buy the pre-shredded brussels sprouts. I know it might be fresher to cut the sprouts yourself, but thinly slicing all those brussels spouts takes time. And well, no one has that kind of time, especially on Thanksgiving.
Ok. Moving along.
Once you have your brussels sprouts shredded and in a bowl, add the manchego cheese, toasted hazelnuts, and a good amount of juicy pomegranate arils. Then crisp up some bacon and youโll have your salad.
Next make the warm cider vinaigrette and pour it over the salad.
The warm vinaigrette takes the bitterness out of the raw brussels sprouts by beginning to cook them just ever so slightly. It adds a sweet, tanginess that compliments the brussels sprouts very nicely.
The pomegranates add a freshness of color, and a burst of juicy flavor with every bite. Plus, theyโre my favorite fruit to put in salads. I love themโฆas if you couldnโt tell from my many, many pomegranate filled recipes.
And the bacon? Well, it adds a saltiness that keeps everyone coming back for seconds.
One of the best parts to this recipe?
You can prep this salad a few hours ahead of time to make things easier. Personally, I love serving the salad just after it has been tossed with the hot vinaigrette so that the salad is a little warm. But thatโs just me, I love warm food. Serve the salad up whichever way youโll enjoy it most.
Iโm already looking forward to enjoying this salad again in just a couple of weeks on Thanksgiving Day. Are you guys getting excited? Donโt forget to check out my 2018 menu!! Iโll be sharing a new dessert tomorrow thatโs my favorite of the month. Very excited.
If you make this salad please 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, donโt forget to also tag me onย Instagram!ย Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
Shredded Brussels Sprout Bacon Salad and Warm Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredientsย
- 6 cups shredded brussels sprouts, (about one 12 ounce bag)
- 1 1/2 cups grated manchego or parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils
- 6 thick cut slices bacon, chopped
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon apple butter or fig preserves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- kosher salt and black pepper
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Instructionsย
- 1. In a large salad bowl, combine the shredded brussels sprouts, cheese, hazelnuts, and pomegranate arils.2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain onto a paper towel. Wipe the skillet clean.3. To make the vinaigrette. Heat the olive oil in the same skillet used to cook the bacon over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots, cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly. Add the apple cider vinegar, apple butter, thyme, and orange zest. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. 4. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, tossing to combine. Top the salad with bacon. Serve warm or at room temperature.ย
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This may be my favorite recipe from you! I love this salad so much, the flavors are perfect. It takes time but itโs so worth it! Iโve made this now ten or so times. I love it more each time. I donโt know how but the orange and cinnamon really add to it.
Thanks so much, Emily:) Love to hear this recipe always turns out well for you, I appreciate you making it so often!
Have a great weekend!
I make this every single year for thanksgiving. Iโm not allowed to come to my in-laws house without it! Soooo good
Hey Natalie,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment!
Happy Sunday!
Tasty recipie with a few tweaks. Subbed black raspberry jam for the apple butter and black walnuts and black walnut oil for the pecans and and extra virgin olive oil. Will be making this again!
Hi Ariel,
Wonderful!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it and your feedback! Happy Holidays! XxT
I’ve made this twice and plan to make it for Thanksgiving. First time, I poured in all the pan drippings and butter into the salad, and it was great, but leftovers had a bad mouth feel. I would plan on microwaving any leftovers in the future. Second time, I tried it first without the drippings, realizing that maybe that’s the correct approach, but I just didn’t like it as much so I poured in the bacon drippings and melted butter. I also didn’t have orange zest for the second batch, and I like the dressing even better without it.
Thanks so much, Heidi! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish and appreciate you making it! Have the best day! xx
This is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I prep all the ingredients (including the dressing) ahead of time. I only need to microwave the dressing and pour it over the sprouts then toss h the rest of the ingredients. A great way to serve Brussels sprouts without using oven space. Itโs always a big hit!
The only change is to use dried cranberries instead of pomegranates.
Hi Mary,
Love this!! Thanks for making this recipe so often and sharing what works best for you! Have a great day! xx
Have you ever tried using the bacon grease instead of olive oil for the dressing? I know there are warm bacon and vinegar dressings so thought I would try using the bacon grease in the pan after removing the cooked bacon instead of discarding it, wiping pan and using olive oil. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Hi Jennifer! Yes, I definitely think you could use bacon grease instead of olive oil! xT
This looks delicious! I plan on making this and bringing to Thanksgiving dinner. Can I make the dressing a head of time then heat in microwave before adding to the salad?
Hi Jessica,
Totally, that would be just fine for you to do! Let me know how this recipe turns out for you, I hope you love it! xT
Looks amazing! I want to use a food processor to shred the Brussels sprouts. Could I roast or blanch the sprouts first to soften them up, or they’re fine raw? Thanks for clarifying!
Hi Jessica,
I like these raw in my salad, but if you prefer to have them slightly cooked that will be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe! xx
I’m about to make this for the third time. And it has been a hit with my friends and family.
I use pomegranate vinegar and fig preserves, and I blanched the Brussels sprouts. The whole thing is just phenomenal. Who doesn’t want bacon and Brussel sprouts together? Great recipe!
Hey Anne,
Love to hear that this recipe was delish! Thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great weekend!๐๐
This one was ok but not my favorite. The vinaigrette was a little oily to me โ I think next time Iโd add less olive oil, or just cook the sprouts to make it a side dish instead of salad.
Hey Laura,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it you didn’t love it! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This recipe is so good Iโve made it again and again throughout the years during cooler weather. Everyone loves it!
Hey Alicia,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! xT
I made this salad and three others (2 other HBH) for my Hocus Pocus 2 party. I used dried cranberries since one of the other salads had pomegranate. It was delish! Had chicken, prawns and salmon on the side for those wanting protein with salad. Also had the Black Widow Smash. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Kathy,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! xT๐
Any alternates to the apple butter? Looking forward to making this for Christmas.
Hey Anna,
Fig preserves is another option tat will work well for you:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Any alternatives for hazelnut for a nut allergy?
Hi Kathryn,
Sure pumpkin seeds would be a great option! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT