Didn’t think you could eat brussels sprouts raw? Well you can, especially when they’re thinly sliced and tossed in a tangy, mustardy vinaigrette. Add a mess of kale, salty cheese, sweet-tart apple, and crunchy seeds, and you get a borderline addictive salad.
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What you’ll need
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Small Rimmed Baking Sheet
$28 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
$17 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Fork
Microplane
$18 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Paper Towels
$13.45 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
¼
1
½
½
1
2
1
6
2
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Toss ¼ cup sunflower seeds and 1 tsp. oil on a small rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until darkened and very fragrant, 7–10 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Meanwhile, start to build vinaigrette in a medium bowl. Finely chop shallot half and transfer to bowl. Using the tines of a fork or a reamer, juice lemon half over bowl. Discard seeds; you should have about 2 Tbsp. juice. Using a microplane, finely rate 1 garlic clove into bowl. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard; season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Wash and dry 1 bunch kale, then pat leaves dry with a clean towel. Strip leaves from thick stems, discarding stems, then thinly slice leaves. Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 4
Trim knobby end of 6 oz. brussels sprouts and pull off any dried or gnarly outer leaves. Cut all brussels in half lengthwise, then arrange halves cut side down on board and very thinly slice. Add to bowl with kale.
Step 5
Grate 2 oz. Parmesan on the small holes of a box grater.
Step 6
Slice 1 apple in half, cut out core and seeds, then thinly slice. Add to bowl with kale. Snack on remaining apple.
Step 7
Whisk remaining ⅓ cup oil into bowl with lemon mixture.
Step 8
Drizzle dressing over kale mixture; season with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat.
Step 9
Add cheese and sunflower seeds and toss lightly to incorporate.
Step 10
Do Ahead: Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted sunflower seeds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover sunflower seeds and store at room temperature.
Leave a Review
Reviews (87)
Back to TopFinely *grate
Johnny S
Kensington, MD
12/31/2023
OMG! I LOVE THIS SALAD!!!! I added more cheese, another apple, and pecans in addition to the sunflower seeds. This was amazing and will be in my rotation from now onwards. Thank you for this!
Sherry
New York City
12/28/2022
This is real winner! I’ve made it twice in a week and can’t get enough. I didn’t have sunflower seeds so I used pistachios and it was great. I used the measurements in the recipe almost exactly (little more garlic and shallots in the dressing) and I had two large salads over a couple of days. Could have easily stretched it further but it was too tasty to save. Also held up really well in the refrigerator overnight. This is going into the regular rotation.
Amanda
Redding, Ca
12/7/2022
This is the best salad. Use a variety of greens and typically do not use brussels sprouts. Also use toasted pecans instead of sunflower seeds. So delish!
Prof Pruett
11/24/2022
Husband and I love this salad. I generally add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the dressing, as per another reviewer’s suggestion, and I put the garlic through a press instead of grating it, but otherwise follow the recipe exactly most of the time (though at various times I have made this without Brussels sprouts, with curly kale, with Fuji and Gala apples. Always delicious). A half recipe is a nice lunch for two; this is filling enough that we don’t feel we need to have bread or soup along with. Highly recommend!
Anonymous
2/1/2022
Unbelievably good! I subbed toasted walnuts for the sunflower seeds (evan more crunch!!)and added the dried cranberries as suggested by another reviewer. and added I made the vinaigrette ahead- so great! I actually weighed the brussel sprouts to try and get the correct proportions. I can't wait to make it again- as soon as I get more brussel sprouts :)
Jhawkm84
Oregon
1/10/2022
My favorite new salad. Made it true to the recipe but have modified it after so many times. No parmesan cheese. Bought roasted sunflower seeds for convenience. More lemon and mustard and less oil. Added dried cranberries. Used a bag of trader Joe's cruciferous blend. Perfect and fast. This salad will keep for a day or 2.
Anonymous
Cherry Hill NJ
12/8/2021