After I was rising up, salads by no means gave the impression to be a consideration for the vacation desk. The greenest factor we had was my aunt’s cream of mushroom inexperienced bean casserole (take a look at my healthfied model!)

Just a few years again once I hosted Thanksgiving I created this lovely butternut squash brussels sprouts caesar salad and my visitors not solely fell in LOVE with the flavors and textures, however in addition they appreciated having one thing recent and inexperienced on the desk.

I had been desirous to make a vegan or vegetarian caesar salad with an Formidable Kitchen inventive twist, and this salad really checks all the packing containers. It’s crunchy, candy, savory, and has probably the most unimaginable vegan caesar dressing with a tahini base. Add it to your weekly meal prep or serve it for the vacations!

Brussels sprouts caesar salad elements

This isn’t your common caesar salad, so don’t anticipate it to be. Slightly, it’s a novel tackle a standard caesar salad jazzed up with recent seasonal produce. As an alternative of primary romaine within the caesar salad, I made a decision to make use of shredded brussels sprouts and likewise add tender roasted butternut squash. However I couldn’t cease myself there. I tossed all of it along with a easy vegan caesar salad dressing that’s actually SO FREAKING GOOD you wouldn’t even comprehend it’s vegan. Right here’s what  you’ll have to make this fabulous recipe:

• For the roasted butternut squash: olive oil, butternut squash, honey or maple syrup and a little bit of salt and pepper.
• For the toasted pecans: you’ll simply want maple syrup, pecans and salt.
• For the salad: we’re skipping the romaine and including shaved brussels sprouts, apple, dates, pomegranate and manchego (or parmesan).
• For the vegan caesar dressing: you’ll want tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, capers, caper brine (from the jar), dijon mustard, a bit heat water to skinny and salt & pepper.

I’M TELLING YOU, THIS SALAD IS DAMN GOOOOOOOOOD.

Customise this brussels sprouts caesar salad

• Add protein. Add a lift of protein with chickpeas or rooster breast.
• Make it vegan. Merely omit the cheese or use a sprinkle of dairy free cheese to maintain the salad vegan and dairy free. Be sure you additionally use maple syrup as a substitute of honey.
• Select your toppings. Combine up your toppings with candied walnuts, sliced pears, dried cranberries, and even bacon crumbles!

Methods to make vegan caesar salad dressing

Making a vegan caesar salad dressing is so much simpler than you’ll assume. You’ll merely combine collectively tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, capers, caper brine (from the jar), dijon mustard, a bit heat water, salt & pepper till it’s clean and creamy. You may as well shake up all the elements in a mason jar!

I prefer to make the bottom of my caesar salad dressings with tahini as a result of I like the nutty taste it provides. Nonetheless, probably the most essential a part of making a caesar salad dressing is utilizing capers, caper brine, recent lemon juice, garlic and a tiny little bit of dijon mustard; these elements create a pleasant conventional salty, strong taste that’s present in caesar salad dressings.

Straightforward methods to shred brussels sprouts

1. Use a meals processor: trim the small stem off of the brussels sprouts and add them to your meals processor a few handful or so at a time. Use the slicing attachment in your meals processor and pulse till they’re good and shredded.
2. Use a field grater: you may shred your brussels sprouts towards a field grater on the facet with the most important holes. I’d counsel spraying the grater with a little bit of cooking spray in order that the sprouts simply glide towards the grater.
3. Shred them with a knife: that is the tactic I usually use, and when you get the hold of it it is going to go fairly rapidly. Utilizing a pointy knife lower the stem off of your brussels sprouts after which lower them in half lengthwise. Then, with every half laying flat facet down, chop your brussels sprouts into effective shreds. No want for them to be excellent!

Ideas for cubing butternut squash

I’ve a full tutorial right here the place you may discover ways to simply (and safely) peel and dice your butternut squash! You possibly can, after all, purchase pre-cubed squash, however this tutorial makes it tremendous simple when utilizing recent butternut squash.

Trying to serve a crowd?

In case you are serving this to a crowd/gathering, I like to recommend layering it on a platter. Begin by tossing your brussels sprouts within the dressing in order that they get good and coated, then unfold them out on a platter. Evenly high with the roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, dates, shaved manchego, after which the toasted pecans.

Storing ideas

Another excuse you’ll love this twist on caesar salad is that the brussels sprouts maintain up fantastically for day! No soggy lettuce right here. Retailer any leftovers in an hermetic container for a couple of days. You possibly can both retailer it with the dressing blended in or save the dressing on the facet so as to add if you’re serving. I’ll say that the dressing marinates the brussels to make them additional scrumptious, so don’t be afraid to decorate it up and serve later!

Extra seasonal salads you’ll love

Get all of my salad recipes right here!

I hope you fall in love with this brussels sprouts ceasar salad, as a result of we’ve! Deliver it to Thanksgiving to impress everybody, or just throw collectively in your weekday meals for one thing a bit completely different and enjoyable. In the event you make it, make sure you depart a remark & a score so I understand how you appreciated it!

Winter Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time 30 minutes minutes

Complete Time 45 minutes minutes

ServesServes 6 servings

Beautiful brussels sprouts caesar salad stuffed with taste because of tender roasted butternut squash, shaved brussels sprouts, apple, pomegranate, dates, candy & salty maple pecans and tossed in a savory vegan caesar dressing. This scrumptious vegetarian caesar salad makes the proper lunch or festive facet dish!

Components

• For the butternut squash:
• 3 cups ½ inch cubed butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup
• Freshly floor salt and pepper
• For the candy and salty toasted pecans:
• ½ cup pecan halves
• 1-2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• sea salt
• For the salad:
• 1 pound (16 ounces) brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow outer leaves eliminated
• ¾ cup seeds from 1 small pomegranate
• 1 giant apple, thinly sliced (honeycrisp or pink girl apples are nice)
• ½ cup chopped Medjool dates
• ⅓ cup shaved manchego (or shaved parmesan)
• For the caesar dressing:
• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice from ½ giant lemon
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon finely diced capers
• 1 teaspoon caper brine (from the jar of capers)
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1-2 tablespoons heat water, to skinny dressing
• Freshly floor salt and black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 levels F. Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper and add butternut squash cubes. Drizzle with olive oil, honey or maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss to coat the butternut squash with the oil. Roast for half-hour, flipping midway via. Butternut squash is completed when fork tender.

• Whereas butternut squash is cooking, you may toast pecans: add the pecans to a pan and place over medium warmth, stirring sometimes for 4-5 minutes till they’re barely golden brown. As soon as golden brown, flip off the warmth and stir in a teaspoon or two of pure maple syrup to coat the pecans, adopted by a sprinkle of sea salt. Take away from warmth and permit to chill.

• Subsequent, shred your brussels sprouts: shave the brussels sprouts through the use of a meals processor with the slicing attachment and pulse till the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced. In the event you don’t have a meals processor, be at liberty to make use of a pointy knife to thinly slice. Add shredded brussels sprouts to a big bowl.

• Subsequent, combine the dressing elements collectively in a small bowl till clean: tahini, olive oil, recent lemon juice, garlic, diced capers, caper brine, dijon mustard, heat water and freshly floor black pepper. Style and add a pinch of salt if needed.

• Pour dressing over shredded brussels sprouts and toss along with tongs to coat the brussels. Earlier than you add anything, I extremely suggest tasting the brussels to see if they’re salty sufficient to your liking. If not, season with a little bit of freshly floor salt and pepper. Subsequent, you may select to serve this on a platter or in a bowl. Platters are fairly for entertaining or serving visitors and bowls are nice for date nights, household dinner and meal prep.

• If making on a platter: add all the brussels sprouts coated with dressing to a big platter. Prime with roasted butternut squash, then pomegranate seeds, apple slices, chopped dates, shaved manchego and eventually, the toasted pecans.

• If making in a bowl: stir within the cubed roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, chopped dates, shaved manchego, and toasted pecans. Gently toss once more in order that every little thing is mixed. Serves 6.

Recipe Notes

To make paleo, vegan & dairy free merely depart off the cheese. Be certain that to additionally use maple syrup as a substitute of honey for the butternut squash.
If you wish to make this a full meal, I counsel including 1 (15 ounce) can of drained chickpeas.

Vitamin

Serving: 1serving (based mostly on 6)Energy: 345calCarbohydrates: 45.9gProtein: 8.5gFats: 17.3gSaturated Fats: 2.9gFiber: 8.9gSugar: 27g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Formidable Kitchen | Pictures by: Eat Love Eats

This submit was initially printed on November 2nd, 2020, and republished on December 4th, 2023.