If you’re in want of a brand new aspect dish for the autumn/winter seasons, this heat Brussels sprouts salad with bacon and apple suits the invoice. A bounty of flavors and textures comes collectively in a single skillet, and it’s dressed with a straightforward do-it-yourself maple citrus French dressing.
As quickly as the primary leaves begin to fall, it’s time for all issues cozy, roasted, and just a little candy. This heat Brussels sprouts salad has the whole lot you would need in a fall aspect dish—crispy sprouts, salty bacon, candy crunchy apples, and a brilliant, citrusy-sweet French dressing that ties all of it collectively.
Suppose: traditional consolation meals… simply in salad kind.
Why You’ll Love This Heat Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Savory-sweet steadiness: Salty, smoky bacon + candy maple syrup + brilliant orange zest = whole taste magic.
- Most texture: Tender Brussels sprouts, crisp bacon, crunchy apples, and toasted pecans make every chunk attention-grabbing.
- Heat & hearty: It’s a salad, however cozy sufficient for cold nights (and completely worthy of your Thanksgiving desk).
- Skillet recipe: Good when your oven’s busy with different dishes.
- Vacation-ready: Elegant sufficient for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or a cocktail party, but easy sufficient for a weeknight meal.

Substances You Want
Brussels sprouts, bacon, shallot, garlic, apple, pecans, and dried cranberries make up the bottom of this heat salad. All the pieces’s tossed in a easy maple-orange French dressing made with olive oil, contemporary orange juice, maple syrup, and a contact of Dijon mustard.
A sprinkle of parmesan cheese on high is non-obligatory, however provides a scrumptious final touch.

Shred Brussels Sprouts
There are just a few simple methods to shred Brussels sprouts, relying on what instruments you might have available. Use the slicing blade of a meals processor, or trim the bottom of the sprout and thinly slice by hand. For a fast shortcut, search for pre-shredded Brussels sprouts within the produce part of the grocery retailer.
It Comes Collectively in 1 Skillet
Begin by pondering forward: would you like the pecans in your salad toasted? In that case, add them to the skillet first and cook dinner for a couple of minutes, stirring usually, till calmly toasted and aromatic. Switch to a plate and put aside when you cook dinner the opposite elements.
Subsequent, cook dinner the bacon till crispy. Switch to a paper towel-lined plate, then drain off many of the bacon fats, leaving about 1 Tablespoon behind. Return the skillet to the warmth and sauté a chopped shallot within the remaining bacon fats till softened.
After that, add the garlic, Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper. Prepare dinner till the sprouts cook dinner down and start to brown, then take away from warmth and stir in a splash of contemporary orange juice.


(In the meantime, you may chop the bacon and slice the apple.)
Now it’s time to construct the salad with the toasted pecans, chopped bacon, apple, dried cranberries, cooked Brussels sprouts, and the dressing.
Maple Citrus Dressing
In a jar or small bowl, whisk collectively olive oil, orange juice, maple syrup, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Shake or whisk till totally emulsified.
When engaged on this recipe, we initially deliberate to make use of lemon juice. Nevertheless, we had run out, so we swapped orange in as a substitute. What a cheerful accident! The flavour turned out superbly balanced and brilliant, including simply the correct amount of sweetness with out overpowering the salad.
Technically, since there isn’t a vinegar and citrus supplies the acidity, this isn’t a real French dressing. But it surely delivers that very same tangy-sweet taste you count on from one.


Shortcut tip: You may make the dressing as much as 5 days forward. Retailer within the fridge and produce to room temp earlier than utilizing.
Positively! Skip the bacon and take a look at roasted candy potato or chickpeas for a hearty, meat-free model. Roast the candy potato within the oven, or cook dinner drained chickpeas in just a little olive oil after toasting the pecans. Simply make sure you add a Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet earlier than sautéing the shallot.
Recent is greatest for this recipe since frozen sprouts are typically fairly mushy after thawing. For those who should use frozen, thaw fully, pat dry, and count on a much less crisp end result.
Whilst you can serve this salad chilly, it tastes greatest heat or at room temperature. Prep the elements prematurely: toast the pecans, cook dinner the bacon and sprouts, and make the dressing. Retailer every individually (refrigerate the whole lot besides the pecans). Earlier than serving, deliver the elements to room temperature and heat the dressing for just a few seconds within the microwave or on the range, then toss to mix.


What to Serve With This Salad
This salad is tremendous versatile! Serve it with:
- Roasted hen, turkey, or pork tenderloin
- A bowl of creamy soup
- Your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving feast
- As a fundamental dish alongside cornbread or candy potato rolls
Description
It is a heat Brussels sprouts salad stuffed with crispy bacon, candy apple, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries, all tossed in a brilliant maple-orange dressing. It is a flavorful, hearty aspect dish for fall or winter meals. You may make it vegetarian, if desired. See recipe Be aware for particulars.
Salad
- 1/2 cup (60g) roughly chopped pecans
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced (or 1/4 cup (35g) finely chopped yellow onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 ounces (1 lb./454g) Brussels sprouts, shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons contemporary lemon juice or orange juice
- 1/3 cup (50g) dried cranberriesÂ
- 1 apple, thinly sliced and halved for bite-size items (I like to recommend Honeycrisp)
- non-obligatory, for garnish: 2 Tablespoons freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Citrus Maple Dressing
- 1/4 cup (57g/60ml) additional virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons (30g/ml) contemporary orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon (21g/15ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Toast the pecans: Prepare dinner the pecans in a big (ungreased) skillet over medium warmth for 3–5 minutes, stirring usually, till calmly browned and aromatic. Switch to a plate or bowl and put aside.
- Prepare dinner the bacon: Add the bacon to the skillet and cook dinner till crisp. Switch cooked bacon to paper-towel-lined plate, after which take away all however 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease from the skillet.
- Prepare dinner the greens: Add the sliced shallot and sauté, stirring usually, till softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, shredded Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper. Prepare dinner, stirring often, till the sprouts cook dinner down and start to brown, about 8–10 minutes.
- Take away from warmth and stir within the contemporary lemon or orange juice. Switch to a serving dish or bowl.Â
- Chop the bacon into bite-size items. Add to the Brussels sprouts, together with the dried cranberries, apple, and toasted pecans. Toss to mix.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk collectively olive oil, contemporary orange juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to mix.
- If desired, high with non-obligatory parmesan cheese earlier than serving. Serve salad heat.
- Retailer leftover salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
- Make-Forward Directions: You may make the dressing prematurely and retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 1 week. For the salad, prep the elements a day or 2 prematurely: toast the pecans, and cook dinner the bacon and sprouts. Retailer every individually (refrigerate the whole lot besides the pecans). Earlier than serving, deliver the elements to room temperature and heat the dressing for just a few seconds within the microwave or on the range, then toss to mix.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula | Whisk
- Can I Serve This Salad Chilly? Whilst you can serve this salad chilly, it tastes greatest heat or at room temperature. See Be aware above about making it forward.
- Can I Make This Vegetarian? Sure. Skip the bacon and take a look at roasted candy potatoes or chickpeas for a hearty, meat-free model. Roast the candy potato within the oven, or cook dinner drained chickpeas in just a little olive oil after toasting the pecans. Simply make sure you add a Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet earlier than sautéing the shallot.
- Can I Double the Recipe? Sure, merely double all the elements and use an extra-large skillet (or cook dinner in batches). The bigger quantity of Brussels sprouts would require an additional couple of minutes to cook dinner down and brown.
- Shred Brussels Sprouts: There are just a few simple methods to shred Brussels sprouts, relying on what instruments you might have available. Use the slicing blade of a meals processor, or trim the bottom of the sprout and thinly slice by hand. For a fast shortcut, search for a bag or container of pre-shredded Brussels sprouts within the produce part of the grocery retailer.
- Can I Use Frozen Brussels Sprouts? Recent is greatest for this recipe since frozen sprouts are typically fairly mushy after thawing. For those who should use frozen, thaw fully, pat dry, and count on a much less crisp end result.
- Greatest Apple to Use: Crisp, sweet-tart apples like Honeycrisp, Pink Girl, or Fuji are greatest on this salad.