Before you go running and screaming away because you think you don’t like brussels sprouts (p.s. I don’t understand you), WAIT! Hold on! Please don’t go anywhere because I guaran-freaking-tee you that you just haven’t eaten them the right way. Case in point: my dear husband. And if I can get him to eat those little cabbage-like balls of goodness, then I can get you to eat them too.
While my go-to method of cooking brussels sprouts is to toss them in olive oil , season them with a little s&p, and roast them in the oven until they’re nice and crispy, I’ve taken to liking them pan-seared as well. In this recipe, I simply sauteed them in olive oil, tossed them with cranberries, pecans, and a maple dressing, and finished it all off with some crumbled blue cheese. I loved the combination of all of the very different flavors going on in this salad and while the sweet cranberries and rich and crunchy pecans were great, my favorite part was the creamy, pungent blue cheese. I made sure to get a little bit in every single bite.
This salad would be perfect for your Thanksgiving table. I didn’t make this for our Friendsgiving that we had last weekend, but rather was recipe-testing for Thanksgiving. I actually loved this dish so much that I made it twice in one night, so I could have bring it for lunch the next day. Don’t fret though, I ate it with stuffing (recipe coming!) and leftover sweet potato casserole to make sure it would fit in at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It does.
Ingredients
- 1 lb halved brussels sprouts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
maple dressing:
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake pecans in preheated oven on baking sheet for 8-12 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add brussels sprouts and cook 7-10 minutes, stirring often, until they are bright green.
- Once cooked remove from heat.
- To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in mason jar and shake well to thoroughly. Alternately, you can combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Pour dressing over brussels sprouts, along with cranberries and pecans and stir well to combine.
- Transfer to serving bowl and top with crumbled blue cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!
Welcome to greens & chocolate! I'm Taylor and am so excited that you stopped by! I'm a Minnesota girl in my 20's who's loving life with my husband Marc, our son Lars, and our Golden Retriever Maddie. I love cooking healthy meals, but it's essential that I have my dessert. All after a hot yoga class or a run, though! It's all about moderation here at greens & chocolate. 
I make this exact dish, but instead of the maple flavor, I add about a tablespoon of a gourmet mustard to the dressing. Fantastic flavors. I always get asked for the recipe and am taking it to Grandma’s house for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Linda,
I love the idea of a mustard dressing! Thanks for the idea 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
I saw this recipe yesterday, picked up ingredients when I was at the store last night, and made it for lunch today. It only made it in my lunchbox until about 10:30am because I was anxious to try. Not a brussel sprout fan in general, but BOY is this good! I might pick up more brussel sprouts on my way home! And I did add a bit of dijon to the dressing and left out the vinegar. Great combo of flavors!
So glad you liked it Gina! I had it for lunch yesterday too 🙂
I already have something very similar on my menu this year, great recipe!
I’m with you and do not understand how people don’t like brussel sprouts. Their so good! Especially in this salad, it sounds delicious Taylor. Can’t wait to make it : )
It’s funny- I used to hate brussel sprouts with all of my being because my mom always served them to us boiled. Frozen, then boiled to be exact. It gives me shivers just thinking about it.
But, now that I can cook for myself, I have tried them sauteed with a little brown sugar (nom) and roasted and I love them! This salad looks like all kinds of delicious!
This salad looks wonderful! I eat a huge salad daily for lunch and have a new love for Brussels sprouts, can’t wait to give this one a try!