Holiday Brussels Sprouts Salad is loaded with sweet apple and pomegranate, toasty walnuts, and blue cheese for a fresh, gorgeous salad perfect for any meal!
1.5ounces(about 6 tablespoons) crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
To prepare the vinaigrette, measure the oil, vinegar, juice, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a mason jar. Tightly screw on the lid and shake vigorously until everything is thoroughly combine. Alternatively, you may briskly whisk the ingredients together in a medium bowl, or blend them in a blender or mini food processor.
Place the diced apple in a large plastic baggie and drizzle lemon juice over them. Close the bag and shake to coat. In a large salad bowl, layer the sliced Brussels sprouts, diced apple, pomegranate arils, walnuts, and blue cheese. Dress with your desired amount of vinaigrette and toss until the salad ingredients and well-combined and evenly coated. Serve immediately for a crunchy salad, or chill in the fridge for an hour or two for a softer, marinated salad.
Notes
One fresh pomegranate will produce enough seeds (arils) for this salad.
If you prefer, you can swap dried cranberries or cherries for the pomegranate arils, but you may want to use slightly less since the flavor of dried fruit is more concentrated.
I love honeycrisp apples for their sweet flavor, appealing color, and perfectly crisp texture. I also appreciate that, once cut, they don’t brown as quickly as certain other varieties. Pink Ladies or Granny Smiths (for a more tart option) would also be nice in this salad. But whatever type of apple you use, you should still toss your diced apples in lemon juice to keep them bright.
To toast your walnut pieces, preheat the oven to 350°. Spread walnuts on a sheet pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Allow to cool.
If you don't have pomegranate juice for the vinaigrette, you could use cranberry juice or apple juice or, really, just about any type of juice you have on hand.
This recipe will probably make more dressing than you need...but I'd rather you have too much than not enough, depending on how much you prefer to add to your salad. Refrigerate leftover vinaigrette to enjoy on other salads.