Photo of Brussels Sprouts, Watercress & Pear Salad with Parmesan by WW

Brussels Sprouts, Watercress & Pear Salad with Parmesan

2
Points®
Total Time
27 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
7 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Bitter, peppery, sweet, and meaty, this salad is a flavorful epiphany of harmonizing ingredients. Pears work so well here, but apples or crisp Fuyu persimmons would also be lovely. The Parmesan crisps work best with freshly grated Parmesan cheese from a wedge, but you could also substitute Pecorino, Asiago, or Grana Padano cheese for a similar result. This is an impressive salad starter for a dinner party. You can prep all the ingredients in advance and then store them separately, and then combine them with the dressing just before serving.

Ingredients

Grated Parmesan cheese

4 Tbsp

Lemon zest

1 tsp, grated

Fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Table salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp

Brussels sprouts

10 oz, trimmed and thinly sliced

Fresh watercress

2 bunch(es), trimmed and separated into small sprigs (about 8 loosely packed cups)

Pear

2 medium, ripe red variety, halved, cored and thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Drop Parmesan by tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheet, making total of 4 mounds. Bake until golden, 6–7 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet on wire rack. With spatula, remove crisps. Can be stored in airtight container up to 1 day.
  3. To make dressing, whisk together lemon zest and juice, oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add Brussels sprouts, watercress, and pears; toss until coated. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top each salad with Parmesan crisp.
  4. Serving size: 2 cups salad and 1 crisp