Description
This warm Brussels sprouts salad combines crispy bacon, sweet-tart apples, melty Gruyère and crunchy almonds with a maple mustard vinaigrette dressing. The ultimate holiday side dish!
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Salad
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
- 1-2 tablespoons bacon grease, reserved
- ½ cup Marcona almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 oz Gruyère cheese, shaved, divided (about ½ cup)
- 1 small apple, very thinly sliced
Instructions
- Shake or whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to make the dressing. Set aside.
- Trim and thinly slice the Brussels sprouts. I trim off the stem ends and use the slicing disc on my food processor. You can also use a mandoline or sharp chef’s knife, or buy them pre-shredded.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop into pieces. Alternatively, you can chop and fry up the pieces.
- Add the Brussels sprouts to the reserved bacon grease over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until slightly softened with golden edges. Let them sit briefly between tosses to encourage browning. Don’t overcook! Season with pinches of salt and pepper.
- Pour in the dressing and about half of the shaved Gruyère cheese, stirring until the salad is evenly dressed and the cheese is melty. Remove from heat and stir in the crispy bacon pieces, almonds and apple.
- Serve warm, topped with the remaining shaved cheese and extra cracked black pepper, if desired.TRULY AN ELITE WAY TO EAT BRUSSELS. (Yes, this does deserve all caps y’all; it’s so good)
Notes
Roasted hazelnuts, pecans or pepitas would be great alternatives to Marcona almonds.
Parmesan or pecorino are delicious subs for Gruyère.
Make-ahead instructions: I recommend prepping all of the components (shredded Brussels, cooked bacon pieces, shaved cheese, dressing) ahead of time, then cooking the Brussels and assembling right before serving.
Refer to the above blog post for ingredient information, step-by-step instructions and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
- Calories: 223
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 388 mg
- Fat: 16.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.6 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 9.9 g
- Cholesterol: 20.7 mg