I created this Brussels sprout Caesar salad for a Nourish magazine picnic spread and it's a total winner. With an easy Caesar salad dressing from my cookbook - made without anchovies, eggs or nuts - this salad is deeply savoury and deliciously textured. This one will have your non-vegan friends coming back for seconds.
Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients & Substitutions
Brussels Sprouts. Shredded sprouts deliver an earthy, slightly sweet crunch in this salad but you can swap them out for shredded kale or torn Cos lettuce (aka Romaine).
Caesar salad dressing. I only ever use my homemade Caesar salad dressing without anchovies. This dressing is a balanced, lip-smacking drizzle of umami. Plus, you'll have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already. Vegan Worcestershire sauce is available in tonnes of shops these days, I use Spring Gully here in Australia. VegNews has a list of vegan Worcestershire brands.
Beans. Ok, so not at all traditional. Beans are an add in, but I love them for their protein, texture and sheer deliciousness. Cooked chickpeas, borlotti or white beans, like in my white bean salad, all work here. Or leave them out. Up to you.
Stale sourdough for croutons or you can buy croutons or go gluten-free and use roasted chickpeas for crunch.
More add-ins. I like to mix things up and occassionally add finely sliced red onions and call me crazy, but I sometimes throw in dried currents. It's not conventional but those tart pops of flavour are oddly satisfying.
You can also add vegan fried bacon pieces.
Step-by-Step Guide
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
OK, we're going to break this recipe down into a few east steps. Let's do it.
For the Croutons
Tear or cube the bread in to 2cm squares.
Toss the pieces in 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread them over a large, lined baking tray in a single layer and bake in a pre-heated oven until golden, around 15–20 minutes, making sure to turn every now and then to ensure the croutons are evenly browned and crisp on all sides.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the Sprouts
Trim the ends of washed Brussels sprouts and using a mandolin (with the safety guard on) or the grater attachment on a food processor, finely slice them.
You can also do this by hand which, I do most often. When cutting by hand, I like to slice the sprout lengthways and then finely slice from there - this gives a flat surface to work on so the Sprout doesn't roll around. Set the sprouts aside in a large mixing bowl.
For the Dressing
Add the dressing ingredients except the sunflower oil to a metal bowl or immersion blender container. [I've made the dressing in an earthenware bowl for the photos below, so it's easier to see] Blend with an immersion blender until the capers are well chopped and combined. While still blending, add the sunflower oil in a steady stream until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. The dressing can also be made in a blender.
Assembling Your Brussel Sprout Caesar Salad
To make the salad, add the dressing to the sprouts in batches until you have your preferred salad texture. Sprinkle with the croutons, throw in the beans and toss in any add-ins you like such as vegan bacon pieces or parmesan. Just before serving add a good crack of black pepper.
FAQs
As it is, no, but you can swap out the sourdough croutons for crunchy roast chickpeas and you're golden.
OK, full disclosure, this is a salad, but it's a creamy salad. This vegan Caesar is healthier than traditional Caesar but as far as salads go, not super healthy.
Calorie content aside, at least we have sprouts, right?
Oh, the poor old sprout. He's as divisive as tofu. Never mind, this salad works with Cos (Romaine) or shredded kale.
Moore Salads Please
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Make This Recipe
Brussels Sprout Caesar salad
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 immersion blender
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 300 g Brussel sprouts
- 150 g sourdough bread stale
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch sea salt
- 150 g cooked beans borlotti, white beans or chickpeas (around cup) (optional)
For the Caesar salad dressing
- 3 tablespoon aquafaba chickpea brine
- 1 tablespoon miso paste light (Shiro)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce vegan
- ¼ tablespoon kala namak Indian black salt
- 4 tablespoon sunflower oil or any neutral flavoured oil
Instructions
For the sprouts
- Trim the ends of the Brussel sprouts and using a mandolin or the grater attachment on a food processor, very finely slice them. You can also do this by hand. Set the sprouts aside in a large mixing bowl.
For the croutons
- To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 200ºC and tear or cube the bread in to 2cm squares. Toss the bread in 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread them over a large, lined baking tray in a single layer and bake in the oven until golden, around 15–20 minutes making sure to turn every now and then to make sure the croutons are evenly browned and crisp on all sides. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
For the dressing
- Combine all the dressing ingredients except the sunflower oil to a bowl. Blend with an immersion blender until the capers are well chopped and combined. While still blending, add the sunflower oil in a steady stream until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. The dressing can also be made in a small blender.
Pull it together
- To make the salad, add the dressing to the sprouts (and beans if you are adding them) in batches until you have your preferred salad textured. Sprinkle with the croutons just before serving and add black pepper.
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