This quick salad packs a punch with just a few ingredients. Raw brussels sprouts come to life when mixed with a vinaigrette of oil, lemons, dijon, apple cider vinegar, and a touch of maple syrup. Accompanied with marcona almonds and manchego cheese, this salad can quickly become a staple. Serve as part of a weeknight dinner, a light lunch salad, paired with a soup, or one of several dishes tapas style.
The inspiration for this recipe comes from one of our favorite Chicago spots, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. There, the brussels sprouts dish is served tapas style. We order this one every time and nestle it alongside burrata, patatas bravas, mushrooms, and other tapas from their vegetarian section. We know the idea of a raw brussels sprout dish being a star player can seem far-fetched. We promise. This salad stands up.
The recipe is constructed with just a few simple ingredients:
- Brussels Sprouts: Shave them in just a few seconds with a food processor, or use a sharp knife to chop them into thin slivers
- Marcona Almonds: Spring for the marconas. They bring a flavor profile that is rich, almost buttery and a bit sweeter from regular almonds. If you want to experiment, you could try this salad with a combination of cashews, pistachios, or pine nuts, though the traditional marcona almonds is our tried-and-true favorite. We found a rosemary toasted version at our local grocery that we loved.
- Shaved Manchego cheese
- A quick homemade dressing: shallots, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and zest, dijon mustard, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.
Brussels Sprout Salad with Marcona Almonds and Manchego
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 shallot minced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 and ½ tsp maple syrup
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 lb brussels sprouts
- 1 cup marcona almonds
- ½ cup manchego cheese
Instructions
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.
- Shred the brussels sprouts in a food processor or dice into thin strips with a sharp knife. If using a food processor, pulse the processor for just a few seconds. Place shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.
- Add the dressing to the salad and thoroughly mix. Top with shredded manchego cheese and coarsely chopped roasted marcona almonds. *If your marcona almonds are not pre-roasted, you can cook them on the stove over medium high heat. Toast them dry, with no oil, until the almonds are fragrant and begin to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.
