This maple roasted pumpkin and Brussels sprouts side dish couldn’t be easier. Winter squash and sprouts are tossed in oil and maple syrup and roasted. Chopped toasted pecans sprinkled on at the end lend crunch.
Ever been tempted by those piles of beautiful autumn pumpkins and squash at the market, only to get home and wonder, “Um, now what?!” Thankfully, we have the perfect use for them that you’re going to want to make again and again and again. Tender baking pumpkin or other winter squash is tossed with maple syrup, roasted along with Brussels sprouts until tender, and sprinkled with pecans. Simple, elegant, and worthy of any occasion.–Angie Zoobkoff
☞ Contents
Maple Roasted Pumpkin and Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts halved lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One (1-pound) baking pumpkin peeled and cut into 1-inch (25-mm) cubes (or substitute any winter squash)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.
- Spread the pecans on 1 baking sheet and roast, stirring once, until lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately dump the pecans on a plate to cool and wipe any broken nubbins of pecans from the baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on 1 baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes.
- In the same bowl, stir together the pumpkin, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and maple syrup. Spread the maple-coated pumpkin on the second baking sheet. After the sprouts have been roasting for 10 minutes, slide the pumpkin into the oven. Roast both sheets of vegetables until tender, stirring once, 20 to 25 minutes more.
- Remove both baking sheets from the oven when the respective vegetables are tender. Gently combine the pumpkin and Brussels sprouts in a serving dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkling with the pecans just before serving.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Because I’m a big fan of both pumpkin and Brussels sprouts, this recipe is a winner for me. The olive oil and maple syrup combination is tasty and lovely for roasting, better than just olive oil when thinking of the holidays.
My pumpkin was tender (and nearly overdone!) at 20 minutes. So I roasted the Brussels sprouts solo and they didn’t get the benefit of the olive oil and maple syrup coating. In hindsight, I could have mixed things a little more so they, too, would be coated prior to roasting. Similar to the pumpkin, my Brussels sprouts were tender (also nearly overdone!) at 20 minutes. Once roasted, I seasoned and sprinkled with the toasted pecans. For me, and again for all but one of my tasters, wonderful! For one of my tasters, the feedback was, “You had me till the Brussels sprouts.”
Note that I sprinkled the pecans right before serving and did not sprinkle and then allow the roasted vegetables to come to room temperature. For me, the crisp little crunch of toasted nuts is crucial and I would advise against sprinkling the nuts and then allowing to come to room temperature. Use the lovely nuts to finish the dish. Note also that I was not able to locate a one pound pumpkin, which would be tiny! I used part of a larger pumpkin instead, and this allowed me also to see how easy it would be to scale up this recipe, and/or to change the pumpkin/Brussels sprouts ratio, in case you also have a diner or two who may not be the biggest fans of the delectable Brussels sprout!
Originally published October 24, 2018
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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.
Irene Seales
This maple roasted pumpkin and Brussels sprouts is a good fall recipe that you can make (or prep) in advance. Roasted brussels sprouts are popular in our house, and I like that this was a vegan friendly recipe, making it especially handy for holidays. I had selected what I thought were pretty small pumpkins, but they were a bit large, so I used my smaller one (a Red Kuri, which behaves most like a sugar pumpkin and resembles a French pumpkin with a pointy top).
I find it easier to peel pumpkins and squash if I cut them in half and remove the seedy part first, making the squash easier and safer to grip. Although some of the varieties have edible skin (this one, for example), I peeled it as directed.
My pumpkin pieces actually were starting to be tender at 10 minutes. The Brussels sprouts had nice browled bits while remaining a nice bright green, not overcooked or khaki-coloured (I followed the recipe). The only comment my chief taster had was that the sweetness of the pumpkin probably would have been fine with a little less maple syrup. I thought it needed something to brighten it besides a generous grind of pepper and sprinkle of salt, so I added a few drops of balsamic over my serving and that was perfect.
Since there were just the 2 of us, I had (planned) leftovers. We nibbled on some as it reached room temp, and that was fine, which is great for holiday entertaining when you’re making some dishes ahead because the oven is busy. The rest of the leftovers were used for an excellent variation on a red flannel hash the next morning. This serves 4 to 6 humans who love brussels sprouts, depending on whether you have other side dishes.