Toasted nuts, eggs, and tomatoes add a myriad of flavor to this Chopped Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts!
Raw kale and brussels sprouts make the base, with a bright lemon tahini poppyseed dressing to tie it all together. This gluten free chopped salad makes an amazing side dish or base for lunch.
I have high standards for salads, but I've found I love using kale and brussels sprouts as a base. If you love hearty salads too, check out Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Quinoa or Warm Winter Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette!
You can serve this salad as an fresh summer side dish or toss in leftover roast chicken, Easy Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken, or chopped Easy Cast Iron Chicken Breast to make it a meal.
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Quick Look: Chopped Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts
⏲️Ready In: 20 Minutes
🍽Servings: 4
🥗Nutrition: 345 Calories/ 13g Protein
🥘Main Ingredients: Brussels sprouts, Kale, Pecans, Pepitas, Hard-boiled Eggs, Tomatoes, Tahini, Lemon Juice
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Dairy free, Grain free, Vegetarian
⭐Why You'll Love It: A base of shredded brussels sprouts and chopped kale with bright lemon tahini poppyseed dressing and toasted nuts and seeds - it's simple and keeps well!
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Key Ingredients
Kale: Any kale will do for this recipe. Curly kale is my go-to, as lacinato kale can get a bit bitter to me. That said, using purple kale will provide even more color to this salad!
Brussels sprouts: You'll need about 1 pound brussels sprouts to make 2 cups shredded sprouts.
Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs add a little protein and are something of a mainstay for chopped salads! For a vegan or vegetarian salad, you can omit them.
Pecans and pepitas: I adore adding toasted nuts or seeds for crunch and flavor to salads, so this salad uses two! Toasting the pecans and pepitas enhances crunch and flavor, so don't skip it.
Tahini: One of my favorite dressing ingredients; I use tahini for salads like Orange Kale Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing or Wild Rice & Arugula Salad with Maple Tahini Vinaigrette! The lemony version in this salad makes it a summer go-to.
Poppy seeds: Originally I added chia seeds to the dressing, but later decided to try it out with poppy seeds for a lemon tahini poppyseed dressing. Loved it! The poppy seeds fit with the summer vibes, and of course lemon poppyseed is a classic flavor that I use for Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins and Lemon Poppy Seed Chia Pudding!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Chopped Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts
Step 1: Finely chop the kale and brussels sprouts. For consistent results, you can use a food processor or mandoline for this, or practice your knife skills!
Step 2: Whisk lemon juice, tahini, poppy seeds, and olive oil in a bowl until smooth.
Step 3: Toss kale and brussels sprouts together in a large serving bowl. Pour about ¼ of dressing over the kale and brussels sprouts and toss to coat. Top with quartered hard-boiled eggs, pecans, pepitas, parsley, and tomatoes. Drizzle remaining dressing overtop.
Top Tips from Chelsea
- To toast the nuts and seeds: My favorite method for toasting nuts and seeds is to spread them out on a baking sheet and pop in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes! You can also toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for a couple minutes. But the oven method is a little more passive and I can continue prep while waiting.
- Toss the kale/brussels sprouts in dressing before topping: One of my top salad tips! To ensure every bite has dressing and you're not messily stirring the salad while eating, drizzle ¼ of the dressing over the kale and brussels sprouts before topping with the rest of the ingredients. Toss the kale/brussels/dressing to make sure all the base veggies are coated before assembling those pretty toppings.
Chopped Kale Salad FAQs
Yes! Just omit the hard boiled eggs and this salad is vegetarian and vegan.
Sure, although I do like the lemon tahini poppyseed dressing! If you'd still like a tahini dressing, try this Citrus Tahini Dressing or this Maple Tahini Vinaigrette!
Make sure you're finely shredding the brussels sprouts and finely chopping the kale. If slicing the brussels sprouts by hand, you'll likely have to chop them up a bit more to make sure you don't have too many large chunks.
As written, this salad uses raw kale and brussels sprouts. One way you can make the whole salad easier to nosh on is by partially roasting both before tossing with dressing and adding the rest of the ingredients.
More Summertime Gluten Free Salads
- Wild Rice & Arugula Salad with Maple Tahini Vinaigrette
- Wild Rice Salad with Chicken & Kale
- Mediterranean Tomato & Cucumber Salad
- Best Greek Salad with Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette
Did you try this chopped kale and brussels sprout recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Chopped Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This gluten free chopped kale salad makes an amazing side dish or base for lunch. Raw kale and brussels sprouts make the base, with a bright lemon tahini poppyseed dressing to tie it all together.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 pound shredded brussels sprouts, trimmed (about 2 cups shredded)
- 2 tightly packed cups kale leaves (stems removed)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved if desired
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ⅓ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup toasted pepitas
- 3 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- Prepare base. Shred the brussels sprouts using a food processor, mandoline, or by slicing very thinly. Finely chop the kale. Toss the kale and brussels sprouts together in a large serving bowl.
- Prepare dressing. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and poppy seeds in a bowl until smooth.
- Assemble salad. Pour about ¼ of dressing over the kale and brussels sprouts and toss to coat. Top with quartered hard-boiled eggs, pecans, pepitas, parsley, and tomatoes. Drizzle remaining dressing overtop.
Notes
- To toast the nuts and seeds: My preferred method: spread them out on a baking sheet and pop in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes! You can also toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for a couple minutes.
- Toss the kale/brussels sprouts in dressing first: To ensure every bite has dressing and you're not messily stirring the salad while eating, drizzle ¼ of the dressing over the kale and brussels sprouts before topping with the rest of the ingredients.
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