Roasted Brussels sprouts are so tantalizingly crisp at the edges and tender but not at all mushy at the center. They just may forever alter your preconceptions about these little cabbages.
These roasted Brussels sprouts are ridiculously easy to make and endlessly customizable. Just toss in oil and roast at a high temperature and Brussels sprouts turn into intensely flavored and perfectly caramelized delicacies. The technique actually works admirably for any number of vegetables, earning the recipe the title “Righteous Roasted Vegetables” from the author and his family. No argument here.–Angie Zoobkoff
*Why are my Brussels Sprouts bitter?
Some people can’t stand Brussels sprouts (although lots of us adore those charming little cabbage wannabes) but that’s likely due to how they’ve been preparing them. Sprouts contain thiocyanates, an acidic compound released during the cooking process that contributes to an unsavory taste. If you cut your Brussels sprouts in half, you release some of that compound and more will be cooked off, leaving you with a sweeter and more palatable veggie. Ta da!
☞ Contents
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 to 10 oz) Brussels sprouts* trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A splash of balsamic vinegar (optional)
- Crumbled bacon (optional)
- Toasted pine nuts or hazelnuts (optional)
- A drizzle of chimichurri or pesto (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with enough olive oil to coat and then season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the Brussels sprouts in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cook, flipping once, until nicely browned, 20 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables. Don’t forget the flip during roasting as that ensures both sides caramelize. You want the Brussels sprouts to be crisp and brown on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Serve the roasted Brussels sprouts hot off the baking sheet, warm, or, if all the elements of dinner didn’t turn done at the same time, at room temperature. If desired, dress up the roasted Brussels sprouts with a splash of vinegar, some crumbled bacon, a handful of toasted pine nuts or hazelnuts, or a drizzle of chimichurri, pesto, or gremolata. Originally published October 30, 2016.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Roasted Brussels sprouts get a beautiful flavor as they just begin to brown, so with a little effort and patience, this method turns out a nice side dish for two. They were nicely seasoned with just the olive oil and salt and pepper, but a drop or two of balsamic was welcome to just push the flavor a bit more forward.
My second batch was with cauliflower and I ground a bit of a paprika and pepper spice mix (South African Smoke from Trader Joe’s). The 2 cups vegetables serves 2 as a side dish for dinner. Once you get used to popping a tray of vegetables in to roast while you finish the rest of dinner, it’s an easy habit to keep up. Roasting either of these vegetables is a great way to intensify the flavors.
Who doesn’t love roasted vegetables? I know I do, so when this roasted Brussels sprouts recipe showed up, I was eager to try it. It’s super simple to prepare. I roasted the Brussels Sprouts for about 20 minutes but a few had almost charred on the outside.
I doubled the recipe by roasting a second baking sheet of cauliflower for 5 minutes more to ensure it was caramelized on the outside. I then mixed both of the vegetables in a large serving bowl and tossing it all with 2 tablespoons of pesto and a final scattering of toasted pine nuts. The pesto took the veggies to a whole new level and I’m so glad to have tried it this way. I can’t wait to try this with bacon, or fennel, or some of the other suggestions.
Every time I suggest making Brussels sprouts, my partner has a negative reaction as he recalls them as a mushy green bland-tasting vegetable from childhood. Roasted Brussels sprouts is a game changer! Not only is this a versatile recipe for a number of different veggies, it’s also so quick and easy. There’s no excuse for not eating your vegetables. We ate them simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Delish.
I love the simplicity of this recipe. I purchased small organic Brussels sprouts (2 cups after being trimmed) and tossed them with 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. There was no need to stir them. Some of the outer leaves fell off and turned deliciously crisp while the sprouts themselves were perfectly tender with a nice crunch from the caramelization on the cut side.
I added a few grinds of pepper after cooking. The greatest part of this recipe is that my 5-year-old son gobbled the sprouts up as soon as they cooled, and loved the “chips” that were on the baking sheet. I can’t wait to try this with cauliflower steaks. I’d guesstimate this yields 3 to 4 servings as a side, but it was hard to tell since they were eaten so quickly. These are also great to munch on at room temperature.
This is a good go-to recipe for roasted veggies. For Brussels sprouts, I like to not only cut off the stem end, but also peel off the outer dark green leaves/leaves with any black spots, before cutting them in half (leaving whole very small sprouts). This results in a smaller volume of vegetables but a better tasting final result in my humble opinion.
Because caramelized veggies are difficult to clean off a baking sheet, I highly recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment or foil for easy clean up. I ate the roasted sprouts as is, without any sauces or nuts. The photo shows some sprouts that are almost black while others are still bright green; my sprouts were more evenly colored with a light char.
I love vegetables and I’m always looking for new ways to try them. These roasted Brussels sprouts were absolutely righteous.
I roasted cauliflower instead of the Brussels sprouts. It took me 5 minutes to cut the cauliflower into tiny florets and then I threw them into a bowl. I started with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and this seemed adequate, stirred it with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Once spread onto the baking sheet—you want to ensure you get all those little baby pieces of cauliflower that are stuck to the bowl onto the pan because they turn into tiny crunchy goodness—the cauliflower took 26 minutes to roast. It was stirred once during cooking. This was really good—perfectly caramelized, seasoned, soft-centered, and crisped in spots. Delicious. It seemed to cook down quite a lot. A medium-size head of cauliflower that spread across the entire baking sheet served just 3 of us.
I did try this again, following the same directions as above, only this time, after 20 minutes, I threw the cauliflower back into the original bowl. A few splashes of an Italian vinaigrette was added along with a small amount of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and then it was put back onto the baking sheet and back into the 425°F oven for 5 more minutes. This way was even more exceptional as it had a bit more flavor and more crunchiness. I’d serve this dish both ways because they were both delicious. My family loved it and that’s what matters the most.
The Brussels sprouts roasted to a nice al dente stage after 12 minutes, but further cooking to 20 minutes yielded soft sprouts which were quite brown. I was surprised the recipe worked as well as it did as I would have tended to blanch the sprouts first by boiling briefly.
I served the sprouts just roasted as stated, but I’ll definitely be trying the bacon, pine nuts, and pesto versions, which also might be nice as a salad on cold sprouts. I would definitely do the recipe again.
I’ve never roasted Brussels sprouts before and,wow, they’re fantastic. Mine were large so I went the full 30 minutes with 2 heads of garlic alongside them. I served this on a little buffet for 5 people and they disappeared.
I found tiny Brussels sprouts at the farmers market today and will roast them whole for 20 minutes and add a splash of balsamic vinegar with the oil and add slices of red bell pepper to the baking sheet. These would be great roasted with slices of eggplant, carrots, or mini potatoes. I found this served 4 but your guests will demand more.
Well, here it is. A simple recipe for roasted vegetables that doesn’t require you to feed a crowd. If you’re anything like our family of 3, you can’t possibly get through a usual giant batch of roasted anything. For me, 2 cups of smallish Brussels sprouts came to a shade over 8 ounces, which I will admit I ate by myself.
When you’re making this recipe, you might think that 2 tablespoons of oil seems excessive, but they won’t stick to your baking sheet and those Brussels sprouts will form the loveliest deep bronze color. They were perfectly tender with the right amount of color—which is to say a lot. I didn’t season them with too much salt and pepper because I’m a dipper. These went right into my favorite honey mustard barbecue sauce concoction. Not too shabby.
This is a simple recipe and it’s good to have these in your repertoire for when you don’t want the veggies to overpower other dinner selections. It’s a team player not the star.
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I love the taste of roasted vegetables but my husband is not a fan and he hates the smell that comes from cooking them. How do you manage to cook these without the nasty aroma permeating the house?
Lilly, what vegetables do you usually roast? I know that bell peppers give off a very different aroma, if you can call it that, than, say, onions. Rest assured, roasting Brussels sprouts creates a much different smell from boiling Brussels sprouts. Boiling them turns them into stinky little cabbage-y smelling things. But roasting has a less intense aroma.