This bacon Brussels sprouts salad recipe features sauteéd sprouts, crispy bacon bits, and sharp Parmesan cheese. It’s a warm salad that’s absolutely binge-worthy!
Did you know? Brussels sprouts have actually become less bitter over time due to breeding that has decreased the chemical compounds causing their bitterness.
How To Make Brussels Sprouts Salad With Bacon
This warm salad uses only four ingredients and takes a mere five minutes of prep time. First, choose your preferred salad texture: tender halved Brussels sprouts or crunchy shredded/shaved Brussels sprouts. Then, reach for your favorite skillet and get cooking — you’ll have a delicious salad in a total time of 20 minutes.
- Prepare the ingredients: Wash the Brussels sprouts, then cut or shred them to your preferred shape and size. Chop the bacon into thin strips and measure out the cheese and salt.
- Cook the bacon: Add the bacon slices to the skillet and brown them until they’re crispy.
- Add the sprouts: Add the raw brussels sprouts and season them with garlic parsley salt.
- Continue cooking for five minutes: Cook the salad on medium high heat for about five minutes. Then, stir in the shredded Parmesan cheese and remove from the heat.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately in a large bowl while it is still warm.
Hot tip: If you prefer the taste of roasted sprouts, toss them with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and cheese and roast them on a sheet pan in the oven at 425°F for 15-18 minutes. Once done, toss them with the crispy bacon strips.
Tips for Cooking With Brussels Sprouts
If you haven’t cooked with Brussels sprouts before, they may look a bit intimidating. Rest assured, they are very easy to work with! Here are our top tips to ensure this salad turns out perfect each time.
- Trim the Brussels sprouts: Brussels sprouts often come in a bag or on the stalk. Either way, make sure to trim off the stem end, which is rough and doesn’t cook very well.
- Cut the sprouts into bite-sized pieces: Depending on the size of the sprouts, cut them into quarters if they are large or halves if they are small.
- Clean the sprouts: To clean Brussels sprouts, run them under cool water in a colander. Rinse them well to ensure any residual dirt comes out from under the layers.
- Shred the sprouts (optional): If you prefer the texture of shredded Brussels sprouts over larger halves, feel free to toss the sprouts in a food processor, shred them by hand, or (if you’re comfortable with it), use a mandoline slicer.
Hot tip: If you don’t have Parmesan cheese, feel free to substitute it with blue cheese or feta crumbles.
Optional Salad Additions
Are you looking for ways to level up your salad? Here’s a list of optional, but delicious additions to make the salad more flavorful, textured, and/or colorful!
- Nuts: For a crunch, throw in raw or roasted pecans or almonds.
- Fruits: If you like a bit of fruity taste in your salad, toss in a half cup of dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate arils.
Serving Brussels Sprout Bacon Salad
Brussels sprouts are known as a “winter” vegetable, so naturally, this salad is perfect as a side dish to foods often served in cold weather — but honestly, Brussels sprouts pair well with just about anything. This salad is great with a main meat entreé like lamb shoulder chop or roasted turkey (especially for Thanksgiving!). If you’re serving a hearty rice or potato dish like uzbek plov, air fryer baked potatoes, or oven roasted potatoes, this salad adds a refreshing flavor.
Storing & Reheating the Salad
This Brussels sprout salad with bacon is best enjoyed fresh off the stove while it’s still hot (or warm). However, in case you have leftovers, follow these tips on how to enjoy your salad again later.
- Refrigerator: To store for 2-3 days, place the leftover salad into an airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheating: Since this salad is typically served warm, reheat it in a skillet over medium heat. This also helps to re-crisp the bacon and the sprouts a bit. Or, enjoy the salad cold — it’s equally as tasty!
More Unique Salad Recipes
- Amazing Purple Cabbage Salad — Similar to coleslaw but with olives and tomatoes
- Wedge Salad — A classic with lettuce, bacon, shallots and more
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad — Laden with crisp apples, tangy pomegranate, pine nuts and parmesan
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese — A mixture of greens, nuts, fruit, cheese, and beets with a tangy dressing
- 15 Minutes Broccoli Cauliflower Salad — Colorful, crispy, and crunchy all in one
- Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette — Sweet and salty combo of apples, feta cheese, and cranberries
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts shredded or halved
- 1/2 lb bacon chopped or diced
- 1 tbsp garlic parsley salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients for the salad.
- Brown chopped bacon in a skillet, until crispy.
- Add brussels sprouts to the crispy bacon, season with garlic parsley salt.
- Cook everything on medium high heat for about 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your brussels sprouts. Stir in the shredded parmesan cheese and remove from heat.
- Serve hot or warm.
It's the parm cheese for me! I've never thought to add that in! 🤤😊
Hi Rose, Oh yeah! The Parmesan makes all the difference! SO GOOD! I am thrilled that you love this recipe! Thank you for your feedback! Enjoy!
Made these for our thanksgiving lunch! I ended up roasting the Brussels sprouts the night before and then added the fried bacon before serving. Warmed them up again in the oven and was still so delicious, bacon adds that extra flavor.
Diana, such a great idea. It's like making two different dishes out of one. Thank you for sharing!
We tried this for the first time tonight. HUGE HIT! It's not often that I see seconds on the green veggies. I actually saw this post below another one of your recipes that I was already making. I just happened to be making brussels sprouts, and thought this looked interesting. I think this officially replaces my old recipe. Thank you again for full, happy tummies!
Yay!! I'm so glad to hear you found a staple recipe!! Thank you for sharing your feedback, I love hearing back 🙂