Brussels Sprout Salad (with a Roasted Garlic Caesar Dressing)

Now this is a salad you are going to want to eat everyday.

It is about time we start eating Brussels sprouts that aren’t roasted. This Brussels sprout salad is earthy and hearty, topped with a heaping mountain of nutty Parmesan cheese, crispy chicken, rustic croutons, and tossed in a homemade roasted garlic caesar dressing. If you are looking for a more traditional Caesar salad, I’ve got you covered. While my Kale Caesar with an easy to make Caesar dressing isn’t your typical romaine version, it is definitely worth a try.

So why should you try this salad? Well for starters it is delicious. Heathy? Not so much, but will eating this cheesy, crispy salad make you happy? Absolutely. This is a great salad to make for yourself or for a crowd. While I give recommended quantities for the salad components, at the end of the day it is up to you. Making it just for yourself, don’t chop as much Brussels sprouts. Need to scale it up, just chop up more. I highly recommend sticking to the measurements in the dressing recipe, as it will yield approximately 3/4 of a cup, which is enough to generously cover this salad and more.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD

BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD

• Brussels Sprouts – Tis the season. If you are reading this in Fall to early Winter you are in luck, we are in peak Brussels season. With that said now a days Brussels sprouts can be bought year round, but I swear they taste the best in Fall. Why else do you think they make an appearance at so many Thanksgiving dinners. When purchasing sprouts look for tightly packed firm sprouts with a bright green color. They should be about 1″ in diameter, especially for this recipe.
• Parmesan Cheese – Fresh only!
• Crispy Chicken – This recipe goes hand and hand with my Sesame Crusted Cornflake Chicken Cutlets, which is the chicken that is in the picture. While I know it is wildly annoying to make your own pan fried chicken cutlets for a salad recipe it is worth it, trust me. However I am all about ease and convenience where it makes sense. You can absolutely use frozen breaded chicken for this , I always have a stash in my freezer for recipes like this where I am on a time crunch.
• Sourdough Bread – Sourdough is preferred, however any country loaf works. Either cut them into cubes or do what I did and tear large pieces off for the croutons.

ROASTED GARLIC CAESAR DRESSING

This is a version of my homemade easy to make Caesar dressing. This means, no eggs, and no heavy whisking.

• Garlic – Fresh only, because we have to roast them. You need 2 medium-large garlic bulbs, don’t worry this dressing isn’t overly garlicky.
• Mayo
• Lemon – Fresh only!
• Anchovies – You can’t skip the anchovies, sorry. You only need 2 for this recipe, however those 2 are all the dressing needs to give it a true Caesar flavor.
• Parmesan Cheese – Fresh only, not the light fluffy powdered kind.
• Dijon Mustard – Must be dijon, not yellow, not spicy brown. Dijon has a great acidic note that cuts into the roasted garlic and mayo that another mustard can not.

TOOLS NEEDED

• Mandoline – Not required, but it sure makes slicing the Brussels sprouts a lot easier. If you are one who wants ultra thin slices then this is a great tool to use. If you don’t mind it being a little rustic then a sharp knife works just as well.

HOW TO MAKE BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD

Make the Dressing – Preheat your oven to 400 F. Slice the tops off the garlic and wrap each bulb of garlic in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the foil and allow it to cool for 5-7 minutes. In a blender or small food processor add mayo, lemon juice, anchovies, parm, and mustard. Squeeze the garlic bulbs into the processor to extract the sweet roasted garlic. Process until smooth. If the dressing is too thick add cold water 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency.

Roast the Croutons– These can be made at the same time as the roasted garlic. Roughly tear or cut the bread into manageable pieces. On a sheet pan toss the bread with a heavy drizzle of olive oil, dried basil, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt. Roast in a 400 F degree oven for 10-13 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Make the Chicken – See my Sesame Crusted Cornflake Chicken Cutlets for the recipe with instructions or make from frozen.

Prep + Assemble – Whether you are opting to use a mandoline or not, thinly slice the Brussels sprouts, discarding the roots. Place in a bowl and grate fresh Parmesan cheese. Now I am not going to tell you when to stop grating, that is up to you. However if you still see a good amount of Brussels then you haven’t grated enough. Add the chopped chicken, a handful of croutons and toss in the roasted garlic Caesar dressing.

STORING/REHEATING

Unfortunately, once it is dressed there is no saving this salad. However the components can be prepped ahead of time and stored until ready to assemble. See below for details on each component.

• Brussels Sprouts – Chop 1 day in advance and store in a zip lock bag in the fridge.
• Croutons – Herb croutons can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in a ziplock back on the counter. After 3 days they do get a little stale, you can freshen them up by throwing them back in the oven at 400 F for a few minutes.
• Crispy Chicken – If opting for my sesame crusted chicken cutlet recipe, those can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Crisp up in a 400 F oven or toaster oven for a few minutes until warm throughout and crispy.
• Roasted Garlic Caesar Dressing – Store in a maison jar or any airtight container for 3-4 days.

Need more salads? Check out the below!

Pickled Red Cabbage Salad
Crunchy Kale + Parm Salad
Beet Salad with Greens