This shredded brussels sprout and kale salad features roasted butternut squash, sliced pears, toasted pecans and honey goat cheese and is topped with a chopped date and balsamic vinaigrette.
I was challenged to create a healthy holiday recipe by Bon Appetit and ALDI for an Instagram project (head on over to Instagram to check it out!). Since I’m contributing a salad and dessert to Thanksgiving this year, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to test out a new recipe.
I scoured through my Pinterest boards and the Epicurious website in search of inspiration. This salad I created is a mash up of many different recipes that looked like the perfect healthy addition to the holiday spread.
I found all of the ingredients for the salad at my local ALDI. (This blog post is not sponsored but I always love to give ALDI a little love!) I was thrilled to find this gigantic bag of pre-washed, chopped kale.
For Thanksgiving last year I made a kale salad with butternut squash and pomegranate. I wanted to do something a little different this year so I decided to make my base of greens a mix of kale and shredded brussels sprouts. I cut the stem off the brussels sprouts and removed the outer leaves. I then sliced it into thin shreds. For the kale, I removed any stems that were still attached to the kale and then worked in batches to bunch up a big handful of kale and then slice it into thin shreds as well.
I halved, peeled and diced a butternut squash for roasting. All I gotta say is that my arm was burning after all the brussels sprout, kale and squash chopping. I am a huge fan of roasted squash and sweet potatoes in fall and winter salads.
I massaged my shredded greens with olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice and then added in sliced pears and the roasted squash.
I got the idea for the balsamic date vinaigrette as I was wandering the aisles of ALDI. I knew it would be just the thing to bring the salad together. I whisked together chopped dates, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper to make the most delightful dressing that is going to become a staple in my house. The dates gave the dressing such an awesome natural sweetness.
To finish off the salad, I added toasted chopped pecans and honey goat cheese. I tossed all the ingredients together and then poured the vinaigrette over it.
Shredded brussel sprout and kale salad
I took the salad to a party on Sunday evening and everyone raved over it and asked for the recipe. I even had several guys comment that they weren’t “kale salad kind of guys” but “liked this one” and “didn’t even miss the meat.” (Men.)
I ate the leftovers the next day for lunch and they were still really good. This is one of the nice things about greens like kale and brussels sprouts, they can really stand up to dressing and seem to get even better after they sit a while. Although I will note that the pears got a little slimy overnight so if you’re going to make this ahead of time, add the pears and the vinaigrette just before serving.
Enjoy!
Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Pears, Goat Cheese and a Balsamic Date Vinaigrette
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Brussles Sprout and Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Pears, Goat Cheese and a Balsamic Date Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
This shredded brussels sprout and kale salad features roasted butternut squash, sliced pears, toasted pecans and honey goat cheese and is topped with a chopped date and balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 8 cups of shredded kale, stemmed and washed
- 2 1/2 cups shredded brussles sprouts (about 1 lb)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 lemon, seeded and juiced
- Sea salt, to taste
- 3 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 pear, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
- 2 ounces goat cheese (or more!)
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange butternut squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned, stirring a few times throughout cooking.
- While squash is cooking, place shredded kale and brussles sprouts in a large bowl. Drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil, juice from 1/4 lemon and a sprinkle of sea salt. Working with your hands, massage the greens for 2-3 minutes, or until they have softened and reduced in size. (The greens should reduce down by about half.)
- Assemble the dressing by whisking together dates, balsamic, olive oil and dijon in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a little extra olive oil if mixture seems to thick or strong. (I like my balsamic pretty tangy.)
- Once squash has cooked and cooled slightly, toss together greens, squash, pears, pecans and goat cheese. You may want to reserve a few pecans to top the salad with and you can also crumble a little extra cheese on top.
- Pour vinaigrette over salad and serve.
Notes
This salad can be made up to one day ahead of time but I would wait to add the pears and vinaigrette until you are ready to serve.
This salad looks amazing! My fiancé and I are crazy for salads and this looks like a wonderful one to add to our rotation!
Yum!!! Will define try this!
I’m on a Kale kick! The flavors sound amazing together! Will have to try 🙂