So, yes, this is another kale salad recipe, (sorry for all of the kale recipes lately folks) but it has Brussels sprouts in it, so you’re getting 2 amazing veggies in one salad! Bonus! My foodie friend Carolyn passed this recipe onto me and told me I had to try it. I totally trust Carolyn, and when she tells me that I need to try something, I do, no questions asked. I was nervous to have the kids try this because Eli despises Brussels sprouts, like totally gags on them. So the first time I made this up, I didn’t tell him that there were Brussels sprouts in it (I know, I’m a mean and sneaky mama). He ate the salad and really liked it. I then told him after he finished that he just ate some Brussels sprouts, and you know what, he said he liked them raw mixed in with the kale! Sometimes you just have to be a bit sneaky moms!
I love the combination of the kale with the crunchiness of the Brussels sprouts and the toasted almonds. The almonds are toasted in olive oil and then topped with some sea salt, and they totally make the salad. The dressing is a bit creamy from the addition of the Dijon, and reminds me of my miso kale salad. This is a great salad to serve up alongside any Thanksgiving feast. I’m actually planning on bringing it to Thanksgiving dinner. Verdict, John and I loved this salad, Eli really liked it and Zoe tolerated it, but she really prefers some of my other kale salads. I think the raw Brussels were bugging her a bit. This salad, like any kale salad, tastes great day two, so leftovers are a good thing!
kale salad with brussels sprouts and toasted almonds:
recipe from Epicurious
serves 4-6
Note: I’m giving you the full recipe for the dressing. This dressing makes enough for 2 bunches of kale and 12 ounces of Brussels sprouts, but when I cut the dressing in half, my kids didn’t like it as much. They like the salad when I use 3/4 of the full dressing amount. Feel free to cut the dressing portion in half though or just add more kale.
- 1 to 1 1/2 bunches of lacinato kale, de-stemmed and thinly sliced – I usually use 1 1/2 bunches of kale, as the kale really reduces down after you massage it. To see how to de-stem and thinly slice kale click here
- 9-12 Brussels sprouts, washed, woody ends cut off, and sliced into thin slices
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup raw almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese – the amount of cheese you add is to taste
Let’s prep all of the ingredients.
Let’s begin by toasting up the almonds. You can toast up the almonds ahead to time to save a step. Just store them in covered container till you’re ready to use them. Coarsely chop the almonds.
Measure out 1/2 cup of olive oil into a measuring cup. Take out 1 tablespoon of oil from the 1/2 cup and put it into a skillet (you will use the remainder of the olive oil for the dressing). Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped almonds to the skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a paper towel lined plate to get the grease off. Sprinkle the almonds with some fine sea salt. Set them aside to cool.
Now it’s time to prep the rest of the ingredients. Wash, de-stem and thinly slice your kale. If you’re not sure how to de-stem and slice kale then you can check out my post on how to de-stem and thinly slice kale, or you can watch the beginning part of my lacinato kale salad video for instructions as well. This video has really helped my readers easily understand how to de-stem kale quickly over the sink.
Juice up your lemons into a glass measuring cup and mince up your shallot and garlic.
Add to the lemon juice the Dijon mustard, minced shallot, minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, a pinch of pepper and whisk to combine. Set the dressing aside while you prep the Brussels sprouts, so that the flavors can meld. Don’t add the olive oil yet, you will add that in a bit!
Cut the ends off of your Brussels and then pull off any loose leaves.
Rinse the Brussels in a bowl of water to get all of the dirt out, and then dry them.
Slice the Brussels into thin slices with a knife, or you can use the slicing disc of a food processor or a mandoline. I did not have the later two, so I just used a knife. Cut the sprout in half, vertically, cutting right through the core. Place the half face down on the cutting board and cut it crosswise in thin strips. Feel free to slice them into smaller pieces if you want. Excuse the overexposed photos below, these are older photos that I’m using again! 
In a large salad bowl, mix together the thinly sliced kale and the Brussels sprouts.
Now it’s time to finish the dressing. Slowly whisk the remaining olive oil into the lemon-juice mixture. Whisk well to combine the dressing.
Add 1/2 of the dressing to the greens. Massage the dressing into the kale. When I say, massage your kale, I literally mean, get your hands in there and massage it, like your giving a massage. When you massage kale, not only does it absorb the dressing, but it also breaks down the kale almost like when it’s cooked, and takes away any bitter flavor. Massage the kale until it’s about half of its original size.
This salad tastes great day two, so don’t fret if you have leftovers.
Here’s a great vegan kale salad that was actually the first salad that I posted on my blog.
- 1 to 1½ bunches of lacinato kale, de-stemmed and thinly sliced - I usually use 1½ bunches of kale, as the kale really reduces down after you massage it. To see how to de-stem and thinly slice kale click here
- 9-12 Brussels sprouts, washed, woody ends cut off, and sliced into thin slices
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ⅓ cup raw almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
- ½ to ¾ cup finely grated Pecorino cheese - the amount of cheese you add is to taste
- Let's begin by toasting up the almonds. You can toast up the almonds ahead to time to save a step. Just store them in covered container till you're ready to use them. Coarsley chop the almonds. Measure out ½ cup of olive oil into a measuring cup. Take out 1 tablespoon of oil from the ½ cup and put it into a skillet (you will use the remainder of the olive oil for the dressing). Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped almonds to the skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the nuts to a paper towel lined plate to get the grease off. Sprinkle the almonds with some fine sea salt. Set them aside to cool.
- Now it’s time to prep the rest of the ingredients. Wash, de-stem and thinly slice your kale. If you’re not sure how to de-stem and slice kale then you can check out my post on how to de-stem and thinly slice kale, or you can watch the beginning part of my lacinato kale salad video for instructions as well. This video has really helped my readers easily understand how to de-stem kale quickly over the sink.
- Juice up your lemons into a glass measuring cup and mince up your shallot and garlic.
- Add to the lemon juice the Dijon mustard, minced shallot, minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, a pinch of pepper and whisk to combine.
- Set the dressing aside while you prep the Brussels sprouts, so that the flavors can meld. Don't add the olive oil yet, you will add that in a bit!
- Cut the ends off of your Brussels and then pull off any loose leaves.
- Rinse the Brussels in a bowl of water to get all of the dirt out, and then dry them.
- Slice the Brussels into thin slices with a knife, or you can use the slicing disc of a food processor or a mandoline. I did not have the later two, so I just used a knife.
- Cut the sprout in half, vertically, cutting right through the core. Place the half face down on the cutting board and cut it crosswise in thin strips. Feel free to slice them into smaller pieces if you want.
- In a large salad bowl, mix together the thinly sliced kale and the Brussels sprouts.
- Now it's time to finish the dressing. Slowly whisk the remaining olive oil into the lemon-juice mixture. Whisk well to combine the dressing.
- Add ½ of the dressing to the greens.
- Massage the dressing into the kale. When I say, massage your kale, I literally mean, get your hands in there and massage it, like your giving a massage. When you massage kale, not only does it absorb the dressing, but it also breaks down the kale almost like when it’s cooked, and takes away any bitter flavor. Massage the kale until it's about half of its original size.
- Keep adding the dressing to taste as you massage it. Taste the salad, and if you want to add more dressing, then add a bit more. The amount of dressing you put in is totally to taste. Some people like their salads with tons of dressing, and others like them lightly dressed.
- The dressing makes enough for a double batch of this salad, so if you find that you've got extra dressing, then you can store it in a sealed container for a few days. Just make sure to stir or shake it before you use it next.
- Add in the toasted almonds and the Pecorino cheese.
- This salad tastes great day two, so don't fret if you have leftovers.
I made mine a little too lemon-y, any way to diffuse the lemon taste?
Hi Katie! Did you measure out 1/4 cup lemon juice? I always use a glass measuring cup and squeeze the lemon juice directly into the measuring cup until it reaches 1/4 cup. If you have too much lemon then you can balance the sour flavor with a bit more fat (olive oil) or even sweet (honey) if you want. Did you add the dressing to the kale already? If not, play around with the dressing by adding a bit more fat until you get the taste you want. Also I always taste the dressing with the kale and greens to get the full flavor, so maybe take a bit of greens and sliced Brussels and massage a bit of dressing into it and see how the greens taste with the dressing. Also add in the cheese to the tasting sample, as the fat from the cheese will balance out the lemony flavor of the dressing as well.
Let me know if you have any other questions! xoxo, Jacquelyn
Lucky me, Its winter in Florida and i grow my own Kale. I use those wooden Pallets you find behind stores and fill them with dirt,, message me and I will send a picture. Great for people with small spaces or who don’t want to pull weeds. I also have Broccoli, Beans, Lettuce, Tomatoes and Peppers. Happy to share.
Hi Arturo! Awesome! I would love to be able to grow my own kale and veggies, but unfortunately, I don’t have a green thumb! Luckily there’s tons of kale in the stores right now, which is awesome! I love your space saving garden technique. You can email me at jackie@marinmamacooks.com and send me a pic! Thanks Arturo! Have a great week! xoxo, Jacquelyn
I love how you use Kale in this – we use it with Citrus fruits, Gorgonzola and Walnuts:
Hey there! It seems like you are as crazy about kale as I am about avocados, haha! I have actually never eaten kale raw (except in a smoothie). I figured it would be too tough raw, so I always cook it. All these kale recipes you post are inspiring me though, you have a lot of good info up for kale newbies 🙂 I imagine massaging the kale is an important step I’m missing.
I made this tonight and loved it! Another winning recipe. You are lucky to live in California, here in the midwest our kale is a little more tough lately (perhaps just in winter) – I remember your video about kale that is soft vs feels like paper. Well, my paper-like tough kale still made a wonderful salad. Hope you are having a great weekend marinmama!
Awesome Sara! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this salad. 🙂 Bummer that the kale is tough right now. I remember when I was in MN this summer, the kale was perfect, but that was summer, right? I’m glad that even though it was a bit on the “tougher” side that it still tasted great! xoxo, Jackie
This looks healthy and delicious with a crunch too, perfect. Have never tried kale with brussel sprouts though, a really double whammy for the children!
I love kale almost as much as i love brussels, this is my ideal salad
You are the kale salad champion! Love it!
Don’t apologize for the kale recipes! I love them, keep ’em comin’. 🙂
I’ve tried a salad similar to this before (completely different dressing) so I know brussel sprouts are a great combo with kale. This version looks really good and I’m pretty sure you are the master of slicing kale. It looks so perfect, every time!
Thanks sweetie. I really never tried Brussels before with kale, but they’re a great combination together, and the bonus is that you get 2 amazing veggies in one salad. I’m going to add them to some of my other kale salads as well. 🙂 xoxo, Jackie
Girl, I am admitting you to kale anonymous – you have a problem. But lucky for us because this salad sounds amazing! And I love raw brussels sprouts salad …. so darn good Zoe!
Ha Ha! Being addicted to kale isn’t the worst thing in the world right? 😉 xoxo, Jackie
What is it with kale? It really seems to be a hype, but don’t get me wrong, I’m into it too!It’s just such an attractive vegetable 😉 Love the recipe and will try it for sure! Made a kale-salad from the Green Kitchen Stories last week, was absolutely good too!
Good Job! Jackie, same here- we had to trick our kids for years just to get them to eat veggies. That’s what it’s all about being a mom! Now Kale is on my mind all day! I have to get on this Kale bandwagon this week! Your salad looks delicious!! I too have a recipe for a salad that is similar, but you know- we just need time to get it posted,….
Warmly, Anna
Another beautiful salad! I think I’d really like this one. I love brussels! I agree, sometimes you just have to trick them! I had to do that with David this week when I made his hummus. I totally forgot to add the feta cheese, so Monday night after I knew he ate it, I asked him “How did you like your hummus today?” and he responded “oh, I LOVED it”, so then got to tell him he loved it even without the feta. 🙂 haha.
Ha Ha! I love it! Sometimes you have to trick the big boys as well as the little boys 😉 xoxo, Jackie