Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon and Parmesan

Why You'll Love It

• It's quick to make AND can be made in advance, freeing you up to focus on other preparation tasks.
• It's great as a side but can easily become a main dish if topped with grilled chicken or skirt steak.
• Another thing I love about this salad is that you can serve it with a tart mocktail, like this Cranberry and Rosemary Mocktail.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon and Parmesan is Good for a Group because...

This salad can easily be scaled up if you're having a lot of guests over for dinner. It's also vegan and dairy-free if you serve the parmesan and bacon on the side.

The greens and dressing can be prepared up to 3 days in advance if stored separately. Then, when it comes time to serve, it's just a matter of tossing the ingredients together.

Some fun background information

The type of Brussels sprouts we consume today is different than the type that was commonly sold twenty years ago. The variety that is now widely available in the United States is significantly less bitter than the ones sold previously. As a result, brussels sprouts can now be enjoyed raw.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• Kale - I recommend getting the kale that comes in a bag, which is generally pre-washed. Even if you want to wash it again (as I often do), the bag protects it from being touched by a lot more hands compared to kale, which sits under the misting section in the produce aisle.
• Brussels sprouts - Cutting the bottom stem section off the Brussels sprouts before you thinly slice them will make it easy to separate the thin slices. If you have a
• Bacon crumbles - Homemade bacon crumbles are the best for this salad. But if you don't have time or energy to make your own bacon crumbles, pick up some high-quality bacon bits from the store. Alternatively, you could buy pre-cooked bacon and chop it up.
• Shaved parmesan - Many stores sell shaved parmesan cheese. So if you want to save some time and effort, pick up the pre-shaved Parmesan cheese while you’re getting produce. You’ll likely find it in the refrigerated section near the bakery and produce section of the store. If you can’t find it, be sure to ask the grocery store staff to help you! 

For the dressing

• Lemon - Fresh lemons are a must for this dressing. It's one of the main flavors, and it needs to have a fresh, clean lemon flavor, which is often missing in store-bought lemon juice.
• Fresh Garlic - You only need of clove of fresh garlic. And like the lemons, fresh garlic is a must. Jarred garlic can be used in a lot of recipes, but not this salad dressing recipe.
• Shallot - These have a more mild, sweeter flavor compared to onions. Fun fact - there are several varieties of shallots worldwide, but the one most commonly sold in the US is the French red shallot.
• Kosher salt - It is important to use kosher salt because this recipe measures the salt by volume (one teaspoon), and not by weight. Kosher salt weighs about 3-4 grams per teaspoon, compared to ionized table salt, which weighs about 7-8 grams per teaspoon. Meaning if you use one teaspoon of table salt, you'll DOUBLE the salt in the dressing. If you are in a total pinch and don't have kosher salt, be sure to use only ½ teaspoon of ionized table salt.
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper - Freshly ground pepper is best, but this is one ingredient you can easily use finely pre-ground pepper.
• Mustard - This is optional.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Make the dressing by blending all the ingredients for the dressing together in a small blender.

Chop the Brussels sprouts and kale and toss together.

Toss green and dressing together. Once everything is evenly coated, sprinkle bacon and parmesan on top.

Additions / Substitutions / Variations

• Additions - If you want to turn this side salad into a main salad, I recommend topping it with grilled chicken or beef and drizzling some extra dressing on top.
• Variation - If you want to add a little bit of sweetness to the salad, add some julienned apples. This one-minute YouTube clip is the method that I use -> How to Julienne Apples.

Advance Preparation / Storage

• Advance Preparation - The dressing and greens can be prepared in advance if stored separately. Once you dress the salad, you should serve it within the hour.
• Storage - Store the greens in a zip lock bag. One way to do this is to stuff all your greens into a large zip lock bag and seal it almost all the way. Lay the bag flat on a clean surface and then lay a cutting board on top of the bag. Keeping one hand right next to the open corner of the bag, gently press down on the board, pressing the air out. Once you get as much air out as you can, use the hand that’s on the bag to finish sealing the small opening. 

Equipment

Small blender, such as a magic bullet is needed to blend the shallot into the dressing. If you don't have a small blender, you could use a microplane zester or the smallest gauge on a hand grater to grate down the whole shallot. However, this along could take an extra 5 minutes.

FAQ