I just know this fall greens salad is going to be your go-to. Hearty greens like kale, sliced raw brussels sprouts, and radicchio are tossed with a borderline drinkable dressing! The sherry thyme vinaigrette sparkles with flavour from fresh thyme, garlic, shallots, dijon and grainy mustard, and maple syrup. Finely chopped hazelnuts bring some crunch to every bite. This would make an excellent Thanksgiving salad to work into your vegan holiday recipes plan! It comes together in 30 minutes.
All you need is a knife, jar, and a large bowl to bring this gorgeous fall greens salad together. Thin ribbons of kale, brussels sprouts, and radicchio soften after being tossed with the vinaigrette. It’s wonderful as-is, but you can also remix it with thinly sliced apples, roasted squash, or a couple handfuls of crumbled vegan feta. As I was working on this recipe, the guiding concept was “a really nice cold weather green salad.” I think we got there!
I’m not gonna lie, I do have Thanksgiving and holiday get togethers on my mind with this one! Of course it’s early, but this recipe would fit in with so many cool weather mains that you find yourself cooking up in the meantime. I make a double batch of the dressing to keep in the fridge for a week and then fix up some version of this salad daily.
Serve this fall greens salad with:
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
- Cherry Tomato & Butter Bean Skillet with Caramelized Fennel
- Vegan Truffle Mac (skip the crunchy kale topping)
- Lentil Bolognese
- Vegan Barley Risotto with Roasted Carrots
The sherry thyme dressing is deeply inspired by one that they serve at Via Carota! Sherry vinegar is an incredible ingredient that is worth the splurge in my opinion. It’s slightly sweet, nutty, complex, and has a mellow brightness. I especially enjoy it with fall crops like squash, brussels sprouts, and celery root. The vinegar is combined with finely minced shallots, garlic, fresh thyme, maple syrup, Dijon and grainy mustard, and olive oil. Fresh thyme should not be substituted with dried here. Similar to my red wine vinegar dressing, fresh thyme brings that citrusy, woodsy, sweet but savory essence to the vinaigrette.
The crunchy chopped hazelnuts on top bring even more texture to every bite! Hazelnuts just scream fall to me, so I had to include them here. Hope you love this one!
Shredded Fall Greens with Sherry Thyme Vinaigrette & Hazelnuts
Ingredients
Sherry Thyme Vinaigrette
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated with a Microplane
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
- ½ cup olive oil
Salad
- 1 small bunch lacinato or curly kale
- ½ lb (227 grams) brussels sprouts
- 1 head radicchio
- ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped fine
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a sealable jar, combine the shallots, garlic, sherry vinegar, water, salt, and pepper. Let that mixture sit for 5 minutes. Then, add the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, thyme, and olive oil. Secure the lid on top and give it a good shake to combine. Set aside.
- Remove the stems from the lacinato kale and slice into thin ribbons (you should end up with 2-3 cups). Place in a large bowl. Trim the brussels sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. From here, slice into thin ribbons. Place in the large bowl. Cut the radicchio head in half and remove the core. Then, cut the halves into quarters. Slice quarters into thin ribbons and transfer to the large bowl.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the greens and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. At this point, I like to transfer the greens to a large platter and scatter the finely chopped hazelnuts on top. Enjoy!
Ooh, this sounds fabulous! I’m making this salad this week with some farro mixed in (on a kick where I can’t make a kale salad without it!)
Love this wholesome salad…. full of flavour. The Thyme & roasted hazelnuts are the heroes. I served this salad with some roasted chicken
Looks perfect for fall!
We agree!