Warm Brussels Crunch Salad.

Raise your hand if you’re up for a brussels crunch salad!

This salad is my dream! Give me all the crunchy texture and I am in absolute heaven. In fact, texture is one of the main ways I started to enjoy vegetables after a lifetime of loathing them. Texture is a game changer!

I adore this salad. It comes together pretty quickly too. It’s a great one to make if you have leftover grains, as the base in quinoa. If you don’t, you can make a small batch of quinoa in 15 minutes, so no biggie there.

We also use a lemon vinaigrette here, which is one of my favorite things to meal prep at the beginning of the week. If you can prep the quinoa and vinaigrette ahead of time, this bowl will take about 15 or 20 minutes to come together, tops.

It’s loaded with flavor, we already discussed texture and it’s pretty darn filling too. I love it as a main meal, specifically lunch. But Eddie loves it as a side and it goes a long way there too. My personal preference is to serve it warm, however it’s also wonderful cold. Leftovers are even more flavorful from the lemon vinaigrette, making this the ideal work lunch for life! 

Can you tell I’m hooked?!

I saute the brussels in a skillet, but you could take the prep another step ahead and roast some and throw this together. Anything goes here, as long as you get the flavors and crunch topping right.

For the crunch topping, we’re talking:

Nuts! I like to use marcona almonds. I’d probably use regular almonds or pine nuts too.

Toasty breadcrumbs! One of my go-tos for the last decade has been panko toasted in a bit of butter. It gets golden and crispy crunchy and adds so much to salads. And, well… everything else. 

These two things together make the bowl ridiculously crunchy. It’s fantastic! 

Parmesan cheese is also a major player too. You can finely grate it or even shave it. I toss a bit of it with the brussels and quinoa mix, then I throw the rest on top. It adds a wonderful savory, nutty, salty flavor that only parmesan can. It’s essential. 

This is super versatile, seasonally delish and everything I want to enjoy!

Warm Brussels Crunch Salad

Warm Brussels Crunch Salad

Yield: 4 people

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

This warm brussels crunch salad is loaded with texture and flavor! Toasty breadcrumbs, marcona almonds and parmesan make this delish!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
• 1 pound brussels sprouts, stems removed and sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup marcona almonds, chopped
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

lemon vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions 

• I love using leftover quinoa for this. If you don’t have leftovers, make a batch of quinoa! It will only take 15 minutes. You can also use another favorite grain for this.
• I like to prep by making the lemon vinaigrette first. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge, it will last a few days. You can also make it fresh. Shake it up before using.
• I also like to make the breadcrumbs too, this way everything is ready to go. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat them in the butter. Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are golden in color and crunchy. Turn off the heat.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the brussels sprouts and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the brussels softened slightly and are bright green in color. Stir in the cooked quinoa.
• Transfer the brussels and quinoa to a large bowl. Drizzle with the lemon dressing and toss. Top with the marcona almonds, parmesan cheese and toasted breadcrumbs. Serve immediately while warm. Leftovers are good cold too!

lemon vinaigrette

• In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil. This dressing stays great in the fridge in a sealed container for a week or so, so feel free to make a double batch if desired!

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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I appreciate you so much!

So much crunch.