Caesar Salad with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

You will adore this unique take on Caesar salad - especially if you're a fan of Brussels sprouts! Tender-crisp leaves, gently roasted and tossed in a creamy Caesar dressing. A sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese and this salad is ready to serve (warm or chilled).

I couldn't believe how quickly this salad was devoured in my house. I mean demolished. Seems I don't serve Brussels sprouts enough. Even my son's friend (who was visiting) licked the bowl clean. Truth is, the boys didn't even wait for forks, they sampled the leaves with their hands and then just kept going until the bowl was empty. By the time I came back with forks, there wasn't a leaf to be found. Teenagers...

Here's a confession: I used bottled Caesar dressing for this recipe. I wasn't being lazy, I promise. Caesar salad is, BY FAR, by favorite salad but I rarely make my own dressing because I'm allergic to eggs (one of the main ingredients in the dressing). When I DO make Caesar dressing, I use the recipe I created for my Caesar Salad at the Movies. It's amazing, and egg-free. I've also put that recipe at the end of this one...


Save the Brussel sprouts' core: Since we only use the leaves in this recipe, there's a little bit of the core leftover. It's not bigger than a marble, but I hate wasting food. Save the cores and store them in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. Add them to soups, stews and homemade soup stock - no need to thaw them first.

Caesar Salad with Roasted Brussels Sprouts 

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts (about 30 Brussels sprouts)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons Caesar dressing of choice, or homemade dressing (recipe below*)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Trim the stem end of each Brussel sprout and pull off the leaves. If necessary, trim a little more stem end to get most of the leaves, leaving a marble-sized core (see note above about saving those cores). Rinse the leaves and pat them dry (or use a salad spinner!).
Transfer the leaves to a large bowl, add the olive oil and toss to coat the leaves (using your hands is the best way to make sure every leaf is coated with oil).
Spread the leaves out on the prepared pan. Season with salt and pepper.
They will look like this:

Roast for 6 to 8 minutes, until the edges just start to turn brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let the leaves cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle the dressing over the leaves and toss to coat (again, this is best done with your hands, right on the baking sheet).
Transfer the leaves to a serving bowl and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4

*Homemade Egg-Free Caesar Dressing
Whisk together the following:
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper