This Brussels Sprout Slaw with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish! Ginger is roasted whole and blended with a few additional ingredients, making an intensely flavorful and slightly spicy dressing for this simple and delicious salad.
A Journey With Brussels Sprouts
I’ve never met a Brussels sprout I didn’t like.
That’s a bold face LIE.
As I explain here, there was a time when Brussels sprouts were positively DREADED. They smelled weird, they tasted weird, they looked weird…everything about them. WEIRD.
Of course, we’re talking about a time when the only form of Brussels sprouts that were regularly available to public were of the frozen variety. And most times….they were boiled.
Let me excuse myself while I softly gag in the corner reminiscing about this. AWFUL, YOU GUYS.
But of course, fast forward to today (arguably, 10 years ago, really), when Brussels sprouts started having a MOMENT. Suddenly, they’re available at every grocery store, on every menu, and are being made by all our favorite TV chefs on the Food Network.
Yes. The Brussels sprout’s moment had arrived. And newsflash: it isn’t going anywhere.
Brussels Sprout Slaw With Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette
This Brussels Sprout Slaw with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette highlights the humble brassica in a slightly different way than you’re likely used to. Rather than roasting them, today…we’re eating them RAW.
The Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the REAL star of this salad: the Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette.
Never have I ever had a more addictive salad dressing. It’s spicy, garlicky, smoky, and salty. A quadruple flavor punch, if you will.
Ginger is broiled WHOLE (skin on, please!), until it’s charred yet tender. It’s then blended along with garlic, aminos, and a neutral tasting oil, such as grapeseed.
(Insert loud blender noises here).
And that, my friends, is how you make MAGIC.
This sauce is un-freaking-real as a dressing with simple greens, but would be pure bliss thrown in a marinade for chicken, pork, or shrimp, tossed with roasted veg, stirred in to an Asian-inspired bowl of chicken soup, or tossed with ramen.
Tossed with RAMEN (it can be healthy, I swear)?! MOUTH WATERING, you guys.
This spicy little salad would make an amazing option on your Thanksgiving table (or holiday table- hello, festive colors!). Ginger naturally aids in digestion, making this the perfect pre-dinner light salad.
And by “pre-dinner”, I mean pre-turkey-mashed-potatoes-stuffing-and-pie. Enjoy!
Looking for more inspiration for your Thanksgiving table?
Check out my roundup of 10 New Recipes To Grace Your Thanksgiving Table this year!
Brussels Sprout Slaw with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the roasted ginger dressing:
- 4 oz piece ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Bragg's aminos
- 3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1/2 cup water
For the slaw:
- 5 cups shredded brussels sprouts
- 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
Instructions
For the roasted ginger dressing:
- Heat broiler to medium high. Broil ginger, turning every so often, until skin is darkened and ginger is tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven, allow to slightly cool.
- Add ginger (sliced in to smaller pieces, with skin left on), garlic, aminos, and the grapeseed oil to a blender. Add in 2-3 tablespoons, and pulse to combine. Add additional water in tablespoon increments until desired consistency.
For the slaw:
- Add shredded Brussels sprouts and half of dried cranberries to a large bowl. Add 1-3 heaping teaspoons of dressing (again, my dressing was pretty thick in consistency). Toss to thoroughly combine. Add additional dressing if desired.
- Top salad with remaining dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and salt and pepper.