Team warm salads unite! Roasted veggies make salads feel cozier and make me feel satisfied no matter what the season. In the summer you can gill the vegetables on the barbecue. Here I’ve modified our original kale Caesar salad recipe into a hearty filling Caesar salad with roasted brussels sprouts as the base.
Ingredients
Prep Ahead
- Almond Bacon
- The Parm
Caesar Dressing
- 1 garlic bulb
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 pinches plus 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- ¾ cup water
- 1 pitted medjool date
- 3½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Brussels Sprouts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2½ pounds brussels sprouts, halved (about 10 cups)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 cup Almond Bacon
- ¼ cup The Parm
- Lemon wedges, for serving
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- To prepare the dressing, peel any excess layers of skin from the garlic bulb, leaving some skin intact. Cut the bulb in half crosswise to expose the cloves. Coat each half with 1½ teaspoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place in a small baking pan and bake for 35 minutes until the cloves are browned and very soft to touch.
- Remove the roasted cloves from the bulb and place in a high-powered blender.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Add the cashews and the remaining ingredients to the blender and process on high until very smooth.
- You can make the dressing ahead and refrigerate it. But since this salad is meant to be served warm, allow the dressing to sit at room temperature before serving to take the chill off. If you make it fresh with the roasted garlic, the dressing will be slightly warm already and can be served on the salad immediately.
- To prepare the brussels sprouts, heat a large cast-iron skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil, brussels sprouts, salt, and ground pepper. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, to develop some golden brown color.
- In a bowl, toss the warm brussels sprouts with the capers and ½ cup of the dressing until well combined. Top with the bacon and The Parm and serve with extra dressing and lemon wedges. This salad is nice served with toasted or grilled sourdough topped with vegan butter as well.