This warm Brussels sprouts salad with Asian Citrus dressing is a crowd-pleaser because you can make it ahead and everyone loves it! It’s Part 2 of my Nomtastic Thanksgiving series! (If you missed Part 1, it’s over here!)
Growing up in a Chinese-American household, I never had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner: no turkey with stuffing, no cranberry sauce, no mashed potatoes with gravy, no sweet potato pie with marshmallows. But don’t cry for me, Argentina: the truth is, I never missed out on anything. After all, every Turkey Day, our family still gathered together at our house, and my mother would whip up a special East-Meets-West feast. We always had a Very Special Fusion Thanksgiving. (The menu changed every year, though my personal favorite involved Chinese sticky-rice-stuffed Cornish hens.)
Today’s recipe takes a page from my mom’s handbook: a traditional Turkey Day vegetable side with Asian flair! *Insert jazz hands here.*
My favorite Brussels Sprouts Dish!
A tangy orange-ginger dressing gives this warm Brussels sprouts slaw a zesty zing that’ll liven up your Thanksgiving table. Besides, this is a super-easy side dish: it takes just 30 minutes to throw together. You can even shred the sprouts a day in advance, and cook ‘em in your already-hot oven after your turkey is done and resting.
How to Make-Ahead this Brussels Sprouts Salad
If you want to make it up to 4 days ahead, check out the note at the end of this post. And if you have leftovers (and you probably won’t!), this slaw keeps really well, and can be eaten cold, hot, or at any temperature in-between. This just might be my favorite Brussels sprouts recipe—and that’s saying a lot because I love these mini cabbage impostors.
Time to make Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Asian Citrus Dressing!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
The Slaw
- 2¼ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons melted ghee or fat of choice (e.g. coconut oil, duck fat, lard, tallow, olive oil, avocado oil, bacon drippings, etc.)
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
The Dressing
- 1 tablespoon ghee or fat of choice (e.g. coconut oil, duck fat, lard, tallow, bacon drippings, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 1 small shallot, minced (1 tablespoon)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
The Garnish
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- 1½ tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Here’s how to make it:
If your oven’s already hot from roasting a turkey at 450°F (using my recipe for Butterflied Big Bird, of course!), just leave it on. Otherwise, preheat it to 450°F with the rack in the middle position.
Grab your sprouts and trim away the stems.
Remove the outer leaves that easily come off…
…and save ’em to make Brussels Sprouts Chips!
Once they’re trimmed, you can practice your knife skills by slicing them thinly…
…or just pass ’em through slicing blade in a food processor.
The food processor makes short work of this, but it won’t be as pretty. But you know what I say: WHO CARES? WE’RE HUNGRY!
In a large bowl, toss the shredded sprouts, melted fat, and salt.
Mix well with your hands.
Spread the shredded sprouts evenly on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for ~15-20 minutes, flipping and tossing every 5 minutes until nicely browned and tender.
In the meantime, prepare the dressing. (Wanna cheat? Just measure out 1/2 cup of All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce and skip these next few steps!)
Melt the ghee over medium heat in a saucepan. When it’s shimmering, add the ginger, shallot, and garlic and sauté until fragrant (about a minute).
Measure out the orange juice, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and fish sauce…
…and pour them into the saucepan.
Bring the sauce to a boil…
…and then lower the heat and simmer the dressing for 5 to 8 minutes or until it’s slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the sesame oil.
If you haven’t already, grab a knife and prepare the garnishes.
Once the sprouts are ready, take them out of the oven, and pour the sauce over the roasted sprouts. (Stop at this step if you’re making this dish ahead of time. See the Make Ahead Tip at the end of this post for more details.)
Sprinkle on the scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
Toss well and chow down!
Make Ahead Tip: If you’re serving this dish later, toss the roasted sprouts with the dressing before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you are ready to serve the slaw, reheat it in the microwave or on a rimmed baking tray in a 450°F oven until hot (approximately 5 minutes). Then, toss in the chopped fresh herbs and toasted sesame seeds.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Warm Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Asian Citrus Dressing
Ingredients
The Slaw
- 2¼ pounds Brussels sprouts trimmed
- 3 tablespoons melted ghee or fat of choice e.g. coconut oil, duck fat, lard, tallow, olive oil, avocado oil, bacon drippings, etc.
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
The Dressing
- 1 tablespoon ghee or fat of choice e.g. coconut oil, duck fat, lard, tallow, bacon drippings, etc.
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 1 small shallot minced (1 tablespoon)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Garnishes
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- 1½ tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- If your oven’s already hot from roasting a turkey at 450°F (using my recipe for Butterflied Big Bird, of course!), just leave it on. Otherwise, preheat it to 450°F with the rack in the middle position.
- Grab your sprouts and trim away the stems. Remove the outer leaves that easily come off and save ’em to make Brussels Sprouts Chips!
- Once they’re trimmed, you can practice your knife skills by slicing them thinly or just pass ’em through slicing blade in a food processor.
- In a large bowl, toss the shredded sprouts, melted fat, and salt. Mix well with your hands.
- Spread the shredded sprouts evenly on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for ~15-20 minutes, flipping and tossing every 5 minutes until nicely browned and tender.
- In the meantime, prepare the dressing. (Or if you wanna cheat, just measure out ½ cup All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce for the dressing!) Melt the ghee over medium heat in a saucepan. When it’s shimmering, add the ginger, shallot, and garlic and sauté until fragrant (about a minute).
- Measure out the orange juice, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and pour them into the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer the dressing for 5 to 8 minutes or until it’s slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the sesame oil.
- If you haven’t already, grab a knife and prepare the garnishes.
- Once the sprouts are ready, take them out of the oven, and pour the sauce over the roasted sprouts. (Stop at this step if you’re making this dish ahead of time. See the Make Ahead Tip in the notes for more details.) Sprinkle on the scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Toss well and chow down!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this recipe countless times for large and small gatherings and it gets rave reviews every time WITHOUT FAIL. People who tell me they’ve hated Brussels sprouts their whole lives cannot stop eating it. No one can believe it’s paleo. This stuff is magic. Pro tip: use a food processor to slice your sprouts or buy them pre-sliced, otherwise it’s fairly work-intensive (but still worth it!).
Any family gathering, my mother-in-law requests I bring this dish. Sooooo good!
You rock. I have been looking for a new way to eat brussel sprouts and FOUND IT! I shared this at a dinner the other night and it got RAVE reviews! I didn’t have fish sauce and wanted to avoid the sugar so I simply added anchovies and it was fabulous. Thank you!
This recipe is incredible! So so tasty! I love how easy it is when you use the food processor. I doubled the sauce to save for a second batch later this week. I think I’ve eaten this recipe 4x in the last week. I’ve been following AIP for a couple months ago and I love this switch up in veggies. Everyone should try this recipe. You won’t be disappointed!