Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad, served with Bacon & Pecans

This shaved Brussels sprouts salad is tossed with bacon, chopped pecans and Parmesan cheese, then dressed with a lemon-maple vinaigrette. Reliable for a Thanksgiving side dish, or for keeping in the fridge for lighter lunches throughout the week!

This Brussels sprouts salad was a last-minute addition to the Thanksgiving menu last year, when we realized that we didn’t have any green veggies in the mix. We didn’t want another casserole, but we also wasn’t feeling green beans, so we did some searching and found a Brussels sprouts salad from Pinch of Yum that sounded crazy good. It was made with bacon, nuts, and cheese, which meant that our family would probably give it a chance. We changed it up to suit our tastes, and was totally smitten with the results.

This salad ended up being the hit of Thanksgiving last year. Everyone raved, everyone took some leftovers home with them, and at least four people asked us to email them the recipe. A house standby testament to how good a recipe truly is!

How to Make Brussels Sprouts Salad

Great news – it’s incredibly straightforward! Which means that it’s a reliable option not only for a make-ahead holiday side dish, but also for batch prepping to keep in the fridge for a lighter lunch throughout the week. (Pro tip – store the salad and dressing separately! The salad will stay fresh much longer!)

Here’s what we’re going to do…

• First, shred the Brussels sprouts. You can do this one of two ways – do it by hand using a mandoline (this is the one we use), or use a slicing blade on a food processor (this is the food processor we own and love). We have used both, depending on our mood… we love how fast it goes with a food processor, but we don’t like having to wash it when we're done, and we can pop the mandoline in the dishwasher. Decisions, decisions…
• Next, throw all of those beautiful shredded Brussels sprouts into a huge bowl and toss with the bacon, pecans, and Parmesan cheese. (For A straightforward, no-mess prep, cook the bacon in the microwave or in the oven while you are prepping the Brussels sprouts!)
• Time to make the salad dressing! We throw everything into a glass jar and shake, shake, shake! You can whisk by hand if you’d like, or use a dressing cruet if you have one.
• Finally, toss the salad and dressing together. If you are planning to serve the salad immediately or within four hours, you can toss the salad, then refrigerate. If you are making it a day ahead or want to keep it to eat throughout the week, then store the salad in an airtight container separate from the dressing and toss together the day you are serving, or as needed if you are eating it throughout the week.

Baker notes

• You can slice/shave the Brussels sprouts by hand with a mandoline, or by using the slicing blade of a food processor.
• You can substitute the bagged shredded Brussels sprouts if you’re in a serious pinch, but the texture is definitely different. They’re a little thicker/heartier and not nearly as light and airy as the texture you get from buying them whole and then slicing/shredding them.
• We weighed the Brussels sprouts and four dozen comes out to approximately 2 pounds 10 ounces.
• Feel free to use more bacon, or omit entirely for a vegetarian dish.
• You can substitute other nuts and cheeses, as you’d like.
• This is a great make-ahead recipe and will stay fresh made in advance. You can keep the salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. We recommend storing the salad and dressing separately and only dressing it a few hours before serving so it doesn’t get too soft and wilted.

We were utterly amazed at how much we loved this season. We will eat Brussels sprouts, but we certainly don’t love them. This Brussels sprout salad totally converted us. We're sure the bacon didn’t hurt, either *wink*.

QUESTION: What’s your favorite way to prepare Brussels sprouts?

• Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Cranberries & Pine Nuts
• Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin
• Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad with From-scratch Poppy Seed Dressing
• Brussels Sprout Slaw with Mustard Dressing and Maple-Glazed Pecans

One year ago: Ask Me Anything [2017]
Four years ago: Traditional Bread Stuffing
Five years ago: Dark Chocolate Chunk Eggnog Cookies
Six years ago: Bacon and Mushroom Potato Gratin
Nine years ago: Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti

Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon & Pecans

Yield: 10 to 12 servings Shaved Brussels sprouts salad tossed with bacon, chopped pecans and Parmesan cheese. Tossed with a lemon-maple vinaigrette. Reliable for Thanksgiving!

For the Salad

• 4 dozen brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced thin
• 8 ounces (226.8 g) bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (99 g) pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (100 g) grated Parmesan cheese
• Shaved Parmesan cheese, to garnish

For the Dressing

• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup (54 ml) maple syrup
• ½ cup (108 ml) olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

• In a large bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts, bacon, pecans and grated Parmesan cheese.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. You can also place the ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to combine.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly moistened.
• The salad can be served immediately, or refrigerated for up to 4 hours before serving (if making further in advance, see notes below). Top with shaved Parmesan before serving.

Notes

• You can slice/shave the Brussels sprouts by hand with a mandoline, or by using the slicing blade of a food processor.
• You can substitute the bagged shredded Brussels sprouts if you're in a serious pinch, but the texture is definitely different. They're a little thicker/heartier and not nearly as light and airy as the texture you get from buying them whole and then slicing/shredding them.
• We weighed the Brussels sprouts and four dozen comes out to approximately 2 pounds 10 ounces.
• Feel free to use more bacon, or omit entirely for a vegetarian dish.
• You can substitute other nuts and cheeses, as you'd like.
• This is a great make-ahead recipe and will stay fresh made in advance. You can keep the salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. We recommend storing the salad and dressing separately and only dressing it a few hours before serving so it doesn't get too soft and wilted.

Nutritional values are based on one serving

• Yield: 10 to 12 servings
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 4 dozen brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced thin
• 8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup ( 99 g ) pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup ( 100 g ) grated Parmesan cheese
• Shaved Parmesan cheese, to garnish

For the Dressing

• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup ( 54 ml ) maple syrup
• ½ cup ( 108 ml ) olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a large bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts, bacon, pecans and grated Parmesan cheese.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. You can also place the ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to combine.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly moistened.
4. The salad can be served immediately, or refrigerated for up to 4 hours before serving (if making further in advance, see notes below). Top with shaved Parmesan before serving.

Notes

You can slice/shave the Brussels sprouts by hand with a mandoline, or by using the slicing blade of a food processor.

You can substitute the bagged shredded Brussels sprouts if you're in a serious pinch, but the texture is definitely different. They're a little thicker/heartier and not nearly as light and airy as the texture you get from buying them whole and then slicing/shredding them.

We weighed the Brussels sprouts and four dozen comes out to approximately 2 pounds 10 ounces.

Feel free to use more bacon, or omit entirely for a vegetarian dish.

You can substitute other nuts and cheeses, as you'd like.

This is a great make-ahead recipe and will stay fresh made in advance. You can keep the salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. We recommend storing the salad and dressing separately and only dressing it a few hours before serving so it doesn't get too soft and wilted.