Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pear, Cranberry, & Walnuts
A wholesome and delicious salad made with shaved brussels sprouts, pears, dried cranberries, walnuts and a simple homemade dressing.
It's been almost an entire week since Thanksgiving. I'm not really sure how that happened? To be honest, our home is just now starting to look like a tornado of dishes and used tupperware didn't blow through.
Hash tag WHATEVS.
But I hope you and your family had an awesome day! We hosted here at our place, and it was so fun! I spent a lot of my time in the kitchen getting the food ready. There was A LOT of taste testing going on. Like, by the time we sat down for dinner I was... incredibly stuffed. No shame. Every "cook" can relate, I'm sure.
But I love being in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. You usually get waves of different family members stopping by to "chat"/sniff out the goods. Even the pups would pay me an occasional visit (mostly when I opened the oven door).
We finished up dinner around 6 o'clock and spent the rest of the night sipping coffee, eating dessert, watching football, and eventually going back for fourths and fifths.
With all that being said, I dub my Thanksgiving a success.
Okay, so it's December. You're totally over Thanksgiving and preparing for the upcoming holidays. So why am I still rambling about Thanksgiving? Well because I felt the need to give a brief recap, but also because today's recipe was one that I threw together for last weeks big dinner - and it was a hit! Naturally I'm going to post about it for you guys, duh.
Now that we can talk about this salad: This Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pear & Cranberry its absolutely divine. I know that's a strong word to give to a salad, especially one that only includes THREE main ingredients... yes, ONLY THREE MAIN INGREDIENTS.
Honestly, I was pretty blown away with how delicious this super simple salad was.
I wanted to serve a salad on Thanksgiving, but I wanted it to be easy and I wanted to be able to make it ahead of time without it becoming soggy by the time I was ready to serve it. So I decided on brussels sprouts and a few extra toppings I already had on hand: dried cranberries and pear.
The combo is awesome-sauce. Speaking of awesome sauces, this easy peasy homemade salad dressing that you will be tossing the salad with is extremely tasty. It also only requires THREE INGREDIENTS.
You can't say no to this salad, guys. Try it out - I promise you will love it.
I did make this for Thanksgiving (there were no leftovers, by the way) but I will absolutely be making it again for Christmas dinner. And probably for lunch a lot of days between now and then, too.
Some other topping ideas to throw in the mix: walnuts, pecans, dairy-free cheese, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, blackberries... you can definitely get creative here.
What will be your go-to dish for the upcoming holiday dinners? Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo - cort
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pear, Cranberry, & Walnuts
ingredients:
- 16 ounces brussels sprouts, any colored leaves trimmed and stem left intact
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 pear, diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- salt and pepper, to taste
instructions:
How to cook Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pear, Cranberry, & Walnuts
- Holding the brussels sprouts by the stem, thinly slice the brussels sprout. You will want to use a very sharp knife here. Discard the stem end. Add the shredded brussels sprouts to a bowl and toss to separate layers. Add the cranberries, walnuts, and pear to the brussels sprouts.
- Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and salt & pepper to a jar. Shake vigorously until well combined. Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve the remaining dressing on the side for those who wish to add more.
