Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Pecorino

Sharing with you one of my favorite salads that is simple to make, easy to prep in advance, and honestly quite perfect for Thanksgiving Day. It follows my basic method for making a great side salad. Toss a green with lemon juice, olive oil and salt, let that sit aside while you prep the remaining ingredients. Add something crunchy like toasted walnuts and panko breadcrumbs. Top with lots of finely grated Pecorino.

This recipe format works great with Brussels sprout leaves, or shredded sprouts, kale, and radicchio. I actually love this salad for Thanksgiving Day as it is nice and light, as well, everything can be prepped the day in advance and stored separately. I like to have Jake and the kids help separate the leaves, storing in a lidded container. Toast the walnuts and breadcrumbs the day before too. When it’s time for dinner, just toss it all together, and add with more cheese!

I really like this salad with the whole Brussels sprout leaves, but you can easily shred the whole sprout if you prefer!

Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Pecorino
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 small lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup walnuts, toasted, roughly chopped
1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino, plus more to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter

STEPS
Using a small pairing knife, remove the outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts, reserving the inner core for another use. Place the Brussels sprout leaves into a large bowl, add 1/2 lemon juiced, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and set aside. 

Preheat the broiler. Combine the panko bread crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Spread the panko onto a baking sheet and broil until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the bread crumbs into a bowl, season with salt and set aside, you’ll have extra panko bread crumbs to use for another recipe.

Taste the salad, adjusting the flavors by adding the second half of the lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper, if needed. Add the toasted chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup of the toasted panko bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino to the Brussels sprout leaves, and toss together. Serve topped with more breadcrumbs and extra finely grated Pecorino. 

Notes - To toast the walnuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts onto a baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes. Remove the nuts, try one, give them a stir, and roast for another 3 minutes. Taste and roast longer if needed. Once they are ready, remove from the oven and dump them into a bowl or onto a cutting board to cool.