Stunning Winter Layered Salad with Beets and Brussels Sprouts

Tired of the same heavy, beige foods all winter long? What if you could enjoy a salad that’s not only incredibly healthy and delicious but also a stunning, colorful work of art that will brighten up any table? This gorgeous Winter Layered Salad with Beets and Brussels Sprouts is the vibrant, flavorful solution you need in your life.

This isn’t just a salad; it’s a showstopper. We layer a rainbow of healthy and delicious winter ingredients—earthy beets, shaved Brussels sprouts, chewy barley, and juicy grapefruit—in a beautiful glass bowl or individual jars. Finished with a tangy vinaigrette, crunchy walnuts, and jewel-like pomegranate seeds, this is a salad that truly eats like a satisfying meal.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: A Healthy Work of Art

What makes this Winter Layered Salad so special is its beautiful presentation and its incredible combination of flavors and textures. Every bite is a delightful mix of sweet, tart, earthy, and nutty. It’s a perfect dish for a healthy lunch, an elegant dinner party, or as a fantastic meal-prep option for the week ahead when made in individual jars.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	40 minutes
Active Prep Time	25 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	1 large salad or 4 individual salads

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The Essential Ingredients for This Vibrant Salad

This recipe uses the best of winter produce to create a salad that is as nourishing as it is beautiful.

• The Winter Stars (Beets & Brussels Sprouts): This powerhouse duo forms the hearty vegetable base. Earthy, sweet, pre-cooked beets provide a deep crimson color and tender bite, while finely shaved, pleasantly bitter Brussels sprouts add a wonderful, crisp texture and fresh flavor.
• Pearled Barley: Our hearty grain of choice for this salad. Pearled barley has had its tough outer hull removed, allowing it to cook faster. It has a wonderfully satisfying, chewy texture and a nutty flavor that makes this salad a truly substantial and filling meal.
• Grapefruit & Pomegranate Seeds: This bright, juicy duo provides a burst of sweet, tart, and vibrant flavor that cuts through the earthy notes of the beets and barley. When layered, their colors look like beautiful jewels scattered throughout the salad.
• Toasted Walnuts: Toasting the walnuts is a simple, non-negotiable step that makes a huge difference! It deepens their nutty flavor, makes them extra crunchy, and releases their fragrant oils.
• The Red Wine Vinaigrette: A simple, classic vinaigrette is all this salad needs. We whisk together red wine vinegar, finely chopped shallots, Dijon mustard, and a touch of honey. It’s tangy, savory, and slightly sweet—the perfect dressing to tie all these wonderful and diverse ingredients together.
• Mesclun Greens: A tender mix of young salad greens that provides a delicate, fresh base for our hearty layers.

Step-by-Step to a Stunning Layered Salad

This recipe is all about prepping the individual components before the fun of assembling the final, beautiful layers.

Step 1: Toast the Walnuts First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the walnut halves out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are a lovely golden-brown color and smell fragrant and toasted. Keep a close eye on them as nuts can burn quickly. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet, then give them a rough chop.

Step 2: Cook the Pearled Barley While the walnuts are toasting, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the pearled barley, reduce the heat, and let it simmer until the grains are plumped and tender, which should take about 20 to 25 minutes.

Once cooked, strain the barley in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cold water. This stops the cooking process and washes away excess starch. Set it aside to drain well.

Pro Tip: The barley can be cooked and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days, making this a great meal-prep recipe.

Step 3: Prepare the Grapefruit and Vinaigrette Using a sharp knife, carefully slice off the top and bottom of the grapefruits. Stand them on a cutting board and slice downwards, following the curve of the fruit, to remove all the peel and the bitter white pith.

Once peeled, you can either chop the grapefruit into bite-sized pieces or segment it by cutting between the membranes. Be sure to remove any seeds.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk the red wine vinegar, finely chopped shallots, Dijon mustard, honey, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil. Continue to whisk until the dressing has emulsified and blended together.

Step 4: Assemble Your Stunning Layered Salad This is the artistic part! You will need either a 3-quart straight-sided tall glass bowl (a trifle bowl works perfectly) for one large salad, or four 16-ounce wide-mouth glass jars for individual salads.

The layering order is key to keeping the ingredients fresh, especially for the jarred version. Start by placing half of the mesclun greens in the bottom of your container(s). Then, add the following ingredients in beautiful, distinct layers:

• The grapefruit pieces
• The thinly sliced Brussels sprouts
• The cooked and cooled barley
• The beet wedges
• The remaining half of the mesclun greens

Finish by sprinkling the toasted, chopped walnuts and the pomegranate seeds over the very top layer.

Step 5: Dress, Toss, and Serve If you made one large salad in a bowl, just before you are ready to serve, transfer the entire layered salad to an even larger serving bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the top, season with a little more salt and pepper, and toss everything together until it is well combined.

If you made four individual salads in jars, simply pour some of the vinaigrette into each jar. Season with a little salt and pepper, cover the jar with its lid, and give it a good shake to coat all the layers in the dressing. You can eat it directly from the jar or pour it out into a bowl.

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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

This salad is a meal-prepper’s dream, especially when made in individual jars.

• Make-Ahead: You can prep all the components—toast the nuts, cook the barley, make the vinaigrette, and chop the vegetables—up to 2 days in advance. Store them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator.
• Jar Storage: The assembled, layered salads in jars (with the dressing kept separate) will stay fresh and crisp in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The key is the layering order, which keeps the delicate greens away from the wetter ingredients. It’s the perfect grab-and-go healthy lunch.

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Creative Recipe Variations

This versatile salad is a fantastic template for using other delicious ingredients.

1. Add Some Creamy Cheese: For a savory, salty, and creamy element, add a layer of crumbled feta or goat cheese. A good place for this layer would be right on top of the beets, before the final layer of greens.
2. Change Up the Grain: If you don’t have barley, this salad is also wonderful with other hearty cooked and cooled grains. Try using farro, quinoa, wild rice, or even a whole-wheat couscous.
3. Boost the Protein: To make this salad an even more substantial meal, you can add a layer of protein. A layer of shredded rotisserie chicken, a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, or some cooked lentils would all be fantastic additions.

Enjoy Your Beautiful Winter Salad!

You’ve just created a salad that is a true feast for the eyes and the palate. This Winter Layered Salad with Beets and Brussels Sprouts is a wonderful way to enjoy bright, beautiful, and nourishing food, even on the darkest days of winter. It’s a delicious reminder that healthy eating can be exciting and full of flavor.

We hope this vibrant dish brightens your day!

If you loved this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who is looking for a beautiful and healthy salad idea!

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