It’s almost Thanksgiving! So this week I thought I’d post on what seems to be the Thanksgiving vegetable of the year. If last week was about bucking trends (or being unable to participate), this week is definitely all about falling in line with them. At this point, I think I may be the last blog on the Internet not to have done a post on these toy cabbages. But just in case you’re not already Brussels’ed out, here’s several more ways to roast them — as chips and as hearts, and in three different flavors. (In other words, if you’re not Brussels’ed out, after this you will definitely be.)
I love these vegetables because it seems like everyone has a story to tell about them. There are those people who, like me, never had them as kids and only know them in their newly vogue form, and there are those who are way too familiar with their pop culture horrors but have come around to them in this recent wave (I love this blogger’s story about her dad).
There’s even people, like Alysa at at Inspired RD, who had the exact same thought process as I did when coming up with this recipe for Brussels sprout chips — thinking wait, the sprouts are delicious and all, but these crispy, flavorful outer leaves of awesome? Can I just have those? Well, I’m a grown-up now, so yes. (I think Alysa described it more eloquently.)
Personally, I’ve found I can eat Brussels sprouts in any form. Plain and raw when I’m supposed to be prepping them to cook, pan-fried with way too much oil (even if it made me feel like a herd of elephants decided to settle down in my stomach afterwards), roasted whole, and finally as chips. I’ve tried several seasonings — my three favorite are plain sea salt and olive oil, garlic and parmesan, and spicy garlic cayenne. I honestly don’t know how I like them best, which is why I do the following:
Slice off the stems of the sprouts, peel off as many layers as I can (sometimes you have to slice off more of the stem a second time), and separate them from the hearts. Then eat some. Then slice the hearts in half. And then eat some. Toss the leaves and hearts in one of the three seasonings below — or separate them into three batches and do all three — and then eat some again. And finally, roast the leaves and the hearts separately, so that the leaves become crispy chips, while the hearts are still flavorful and filling.
And then eat the rest, straight out of the pan. 🙂
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a Million Ways (more like, Three)
By the way, if it’s three flavors and two parts of the sprouts, is that three ways or five? Six? I’m bad at math.
1 lb Brussels sprouts (or any amount you feel like, really — just adjust the seasonings if you use more or less sprouts)
about ½ to 1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
for garlic-parmesan flavor:
½ tsp garlic powder
2-3 tsp parmesan
for spicy garlic cayenne:
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp garlic powder
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the stem off one sprout. Peel off as many outer leaves as you can. If there are still loose leaves but they won’t come off, slice off a bit more of the bottom and peel again. Set the leaves aside in a large bowl; slice the heart in half and place in a separate bowl.
2. Repeat until the sprouts are all done. If the sprouts are a bit damp, pat them until thoroughly dry.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the leaves and toss until each leaf is thinly coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the leaves to your preference. I like mine well-salted. Repeat for the hearts.
4. Decide if you want to add additional flavor — I think my favorite is garlic parmesan, but all of these are fantastic, including just having them plain. Add the additional seasonings (½ tsp garlic powder and 2-3 tsp parmesan for garlic-parmesan, and ¼ tsp cayenne and ½ tsp garlic powder for spicy garlic cayenne) and toss again to coat.
5. For the leaves, spread them evenly across the baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between each leaf, and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are brown. Keep an eye on them, because they can burn quickly. (But they still taste pretty good burnt! I speak from experience, since my oven has hot spots.)
6. For the hearts, do the same, but bake a bit longer — it will take about 15-20 minutes, at least, and 20-25 if you’d like them nice and brown.
Hope you have plans to enjoy some Brussels sprouts at your Thanksgiving this week! If you need more inspiration, here are some other Brussels sprouts recipes that have caught my eye (just the tip of the Brussels sprouts recipes iceberg out there lately!):
- A classic roasted Brussels sprouts recipe with bacon, on Saveur
- And this non-classic, genius recipe for Brussels sprouts with bacon and juniper berries (The Tart Tart, whose blog was also recently featured on Saveur! Congrats!)
- Brussels sprouts in mac & cheese! Whattttt. Fontina & white cheddar skillet Brussels bacon mac, by How Sweet It Is
- And this combination sounds to-die for — Brussels sprouts in brown butter with shiitake mushrooms, in a balsamic and port syrup, by Daisy at Daisy’s World
- Finally, this warm and savory Brussels sprouts salad by Feed the Piglet, filled with bacon, mackerel, Cox’s Apple, persimmon, and pumpkin seeds
- And many lovely recipes for Brussels sprouts chips, here, here, and here
You may also like these other Thanksgiving-themed recipes:
Johnny Hepburn
Thanks so much for the link! Really appreciate it. That’s made a rather miserable weekend (nursing a really lousy cold) where I didn’t get to do another post – like last weekend, too. In the meantime, and just in case I can’t do it, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
tworedbowls
Oh no! So sorry to hear that you’re feeling junk (I just woke up with a cold this morning too, so I sympathize..) Hope we’re both on the mend soon 🙂 helped along by these tasty sprouts?!
Johnny Hepburn
Hope so! And chicken soup. I’m feeling so much better today. Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery from yours 🙂 There’s still time for you to recover in time for the big day – as long as there’s no stress!
tinywhitecottage
Love these! We are on the same thought pattern. I have made two batches of these in the past week and a half. The latter batch was like this…very crispy. It was one of those evenings when I didn’t have a plan for dinner so all I made was a huge tray of these… the two of us we ended up eating the whole lot in one sitting! I did pay a little the next day…needless to say I think I’ll skip them on Thanksgiving!
tworedbowls
Hahaha!! They are so easy to binge on! And then suddenly you’re immobilized and calling for help…. Bowl #2 isn’t a huge fan of Brussels sprouts and he still noshes down on these face-first. I love these as a backup dinner plan. Definitely fail-safe. As for Thanksgiving — you and me both! 😉 Thanks for your comment!!
chef mimi
Great idea! Just on Saturday I added a little bit of pomegranate molasses to the brussels sprouts before roasting, and the sugar really added to the browning. They were fabulous, although I really didn’t taste the pomegranate molasses.
Love your photos!
tworedbowls
Ooh, I love the idea of that! Fantastic suggestion. I’ve tried balsamic vinaigrette in the sprouts before as well and enjoyed that — a sweet note does wonders for the sprouts, especially caramelized. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Mimi 🙂
Katiefresca
You’re not late on the Brussels trend, they never get old! I’ve been debating my thanksgiving side dish, thanks for clearing that up. Sold by your beautiful photos.
tworedbowls
Whew, I’m so glad you think so!! It’s one of my favorite vegetables, so I figured I couldn’t not post it even if I was the last one ever. 🙂 And you’ve just made my day — I was exactly hoping that this might spark some inspiration for anyone who was still undecided!! It’s the perfect last-minute dish, no extra ingredients necessary and delicious with just a little seasoning. I hope you enjoy it if you end up making it!
And, SO flattered you like my photos after just hopping to yours and seeing your stunning photography! I’m so happy to have found your blog through your comment. Excited to keep following you. 🙂
Diana
I love brussel sprouts and your recipe seems delicious. Nice blog. <3
tworedbowls
Thank you so much, Diana! I just took a look at your lovely blog and am so excited to keep reading — it’s beautiful!
Mary @ Fit and Fed
I like them the classic way roasted with olive oil and salt, even more so with maple syrup and balsamic vinegar added to the mix. Gotta try the cayenne and garlic version, it sounds very tempting!
tworedbowls
Mm, I’ve had it with balsamic vinegar and honey, but not maple syrup! That sounds like a fantastic pairing. I think that may be what I try next… Thanks for your comment, Mary!
debbe
Mmmm, I love brussel sprouts!! I can’t get enough of them! My favourite is with slightly rendered bacon (of course) and just a sprinkle of brown sugar. Yum!
tworedbowls
Ooh, I am so on board with that. Usually I’m too lazy to cook the bacon, too (especially since preparing them this way requires quite a bit of peeling) but agreed — bacon and Brussels sprouts is always a home run.
debbe
My lazy way of doing it is just chopping the bacon into large sized pieces, tossing it in a hot pan for a couple of minutes and then putting it in the oven. 🙂
Kelly Hubbard
Thank you for this post. I’ve always believed that chicken had to be cooked to 180 using an instant read thermometer to be safe. Always dry. I do more grilling outdoors, but I’ll definitely have to look for one of those pans. Should be good for any type of meat.