Crispy shredded Brussels sprouts tossed with a jammy fig balsamic dressing, roasted chickpeas, and kale for a sweet-savory fall salad you’ll love.
Why You’ll Love This Jammy Fig Balsamic Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
- A good way to diversify the plants on your plate. This salad packs in about 10 different plants that help to feed and support the health of your gut.
- Packed with fiber. Between the hearty vegetables and beans, this salad becomes an excellent source of fiber per serving.
- Spoonable salad. The best salads are the ones that you can easily scoop up and enjoy with a spoon. All the veggies and beans are minced in a way to get an even spread of flavor and texture in each bite.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chickpeas: If not a fan, consider making some crispy lentils instead! If you are really lazy, feel free to skip the roasting part and just enjoy as is tossed with the salad base.
- Brussels sprouts: Cabbage is a great alternative.
- Kale: I used lacinato kale, but curly kale works just as well.
- Parsley: Feel free to omit or swap with an herb you love. For example, cilantro or chives can be a great alternative.
- Golden raisins: I love fruit in my salad, but this is an ingredient you can absolutely skip if desired. Alternatively, you can also try this with dried cranberries, cherries, or diced apricots.
- Pecans: This is what I had at home, but walnuts or pumpkin seeds are a great option too.
- Seasonings: I used a combination of coriander, fennel seeds, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. You can omit the pepper flakes for less spice and adjust the other seasonings based on your own preference.
- Balsamic vinegar: Do note that balsamic vinegar brands can vary in their sharp flavors, so you may need to adjust the sweetness or oil in the dressing to accommodate. See notes here.
- Fig jam: I thought the flavors here made this more fall-like in flavor. Some great alternatives include apple butter or apricot jam.
- Maple syrup: Any liquid sweetener can work. I often swap between this and agave syrup.
How to Make a Jammy Fig Balsamic Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
Crisp up the chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 425F and line three baking trays with parchment paper. Dry off the chickpeas as well as you can, then transfer to a bowl and mash with a fork. Dump the chickpeas on a baking sheet with the thyme and 1 tbsp of oil. Toss to coat, spread out evenly on the tray, and bake for 15 mins. Sprinkle with garlic powder, a pinch of salt and 1-2 tsp more of oil. Toss together and spread the mixture out, then bake for about 10-15 mins. To avoid burning, give the chickpeas a stir every 5 mins during the second baking window. Allow the chickpeas to fully cool.
Roast the veggies: Add the brussels sprouts to the next tray with thyme, coriander, red pepper, fennel seeds, a pinch of salt, and about 1 tbsp of oil. Toss to coat and spread out into a single layer. Bake on the bottom rack for 12 mins or until the edges start to brown.
Quick roast the kale: To the last tray, add the kale with about 1 tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt, then toss to coat. Spread out in an even layer, then bake on the middle rack for 7-10 mins, until wilted down.
Make the dressing: Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic cloves and stir occasionally until golden, about 3-5 mins. Transfer the garlic, shallot, and oil to a blender cup along with the jam, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 2 tbsp ice water. Blend on high until completely smooth.
Assemble and enjoy: Transfer the kale to the tray of brussels sprouts along with the parsley, golden raisins and pecans. Drizzle with half the dressing then toss everything together to combine. Portion the salad between bowls then top each bowl with a generous portion of the chickpea crispies and extra dressing if desired.
Expert Tips
- Only add the dressing when ready to serve. This will help better maintain the color of the salad if making it in advance.
- Saving time tips. Make the dressing and chickpea crispies ahead of time as they do store well. If not a fan of chopping, opt for using 1-2 bags of a pre-shredded mix of greens like the Cruciferous crunch salad from Trader Joe’s or store branded shredded brussels sprouts or cabbage. You also don’t need to mash the chickpeas if you want to save a step.
- If you struggle making your chickpeas crispy, make sure you are patting your chickpeas dry with a kitchen towel. You want to try and get them as dry as possible before roasting. It also helps to use canned chickpeas that aren’t overly mushy in texture. I feel like store branded chickpeas tend to be firmer in texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
When fully mixed with the dressing, this salad is best served freshly made. If you want to meal prep, I would recommend storing the mixed cooked veggies, dressing, and chickpeas in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To crisp the chickpeas up more after refrigerating, consider placing them back on a baking tray and heating them through at 350F for 3-4 minutes. The salad itself will hold together well in flavor and texture, but the color will not be as vibrant because the acid from the dressing.
You can enjoy it warm or cold based on your preference. I’m happy to eat this straight from the fridge, but will also give this a quick reheat in the microwave and enjoy it warm when I want to. If planning to reheat, I would make sure to keep the dressing and veggies separate then add the dressing after the veggies have been heated through.
It has everything to do with moisture. Here are some ways to reduce moisture before roasting. First, opt for brands of chickpeas that are firmer in texture. I feel like some brands are mushier in texture, for example I wouldn’t recommend Goya branded chickpeas as they are mushier out of the can. Next, after draining well, place in a kitchen towel and pat them dry as well as possible. As you pat them dry, you may notice some of the chickpea skins rubbing off. I recommend picking off those skins and discarding as they can often trap moisture around the chickpea. Lastly, make sure to spread them out in a single layer on your baking tray. Avoid having the chickpeas sitting on top of each other because this will cause them to steam instead of crisp up.
Make It Balanced
The salad itself provides a lovely balance of vegetables from the salad base along with some protein and complex carbs from the chickpeas. For some extra nutrition:
- More protein: consider serving with some tofu on the side or shred some tempeh along with the chickpeas when roasting
- More energy: this works well served with a side of rice, quinoa, or a piece of sourdough bread
Nutrition Tip
If you are a white rice lover, consider meal prepping it in advance then chilling in the fridge overnight. This will help the rice develop resistant starch. Resistant starches are molecules that resist digestion, in a sense similar to how fiber works. One of many benefits for consuming include better blood sugar control. (source)
More Cozy Plant-Based Salads to Try
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Description
Crispy shredded Brussels sprouts tossed with a jammy fig balsamic dressing, roasted chickpeas, and kale for a sweet-savory fall salad you’ll love.
Chickpea Crispies
Salad Base
Fig Balsamic Dressing
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line three baking trays with parchment paper.
- Place the chickpeas in a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Transfer to a bowl and mash lightly with a fork. Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet then top with the thyme and 1 tablespoon oil. Toss to evenly coat, spread out evenly on the tray, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, then top with the garlic powder, a generous pinch of salt and 1-2 teaspoons more oil. Stir well to coat using a spoon, spread out again, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden and crisp (to make sure nothing burns, give the chickpeas a stir every 5 minutes during the second baking time). Allow the chickpeas to cool completely.
- Add the brussels sprouts to the second tray and top with thyme, coriander, red pepper, fennel seeds, and a generous pinch of salt. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of oil and toss to evenly coat. Spread into a single layer and bake on the bottom rack for 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.
- On the last tray, add the kale. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt, then toss to coat. Spread the kale out evenly and bake on the middle rack for 7-10 minutes, until softened and slightly wilted.
- To make the dressing, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic cloves, stirring occasionally until golden, about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the garlic, shallot, and oil to a blender cup. Add the fig jam, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 tablespoons ice water. Blend on high until completely smooth (see additional notes for adjusting your dressing).
- To assemble, transfer the kale to the tray of brussels sprouts along with the parsley, golden raisins and pecans. Drizzle with half the dressing then toss everything together to combine.
- Divide the salad between bowls and top each with a generous portion of the chickpea crispies. Drizzle with extra dressing if desired, then enjoy.
Notes
Only add the dressing when ready to serve. This will help better maintain the color of the salad if making it in advance.
Saving time tips. Make the dressing and chickpea crispies ahead of time as they do store well. If not a fan of chopping, opt for using 1-2 bags of a pre-shredded mix of greens like the Cruciferous crunch salad from Trader Joe’s or store branded shredded brussels sprouts or cabbage. You also don’t need to mash the chickpeas if you want to save a step.
If you struggle making your chickpeas crispy, make sure you are patting your chickpeas dry with a kitchen towel. You want to try and get them as dry as possible before roasting. It also helps to use canned chickpeas that aren’t overly mushy in texture. I feel like store branded chickpeas tend to be firmer in texture.
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