Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

It’s safe to say we are big fans of brussels sprouts. We don’t have any stories about growing up being forced to eat them and despising the taste and then encountering them in our adulthood and falling in love (we will save that tale for asparagus or zucchini). Truth is, we never really had brussels sprouts growing up. 

Living on the central coast of California, our familiarity with brussels sprouts began when we saw them being sold on the side of the road. Farmers set up stalls selling fresh produce and during the fall and winter they often sold the large stalks of brussels sprouts with little green sprouts scattered up and down the stalks. As kids, we thought they were so strange looking and could not imagine what people did with them let alone eat them. 

Our introduction to Brussels Sprouts

Although brussels sprouts were plentiful across the central coast where we grew up, they were not something we grew up eating until our dad fell in love with shaved brussels sprouts salad. This was our first real encounter with the little green vegetable. Dad would buy the pre-shaved brussels sprouts (he wasn’t a fan of trimming and cleaning them himself–he was all about being efficient in the kitchen) and make a brussels sprouts salad. He would put spiced pecans, dried apricots, and a vinaigrette and stir it all together. Even as kids, we thought it was delicious. 

From our dad’s mastery of the brussels sprouts salad to today, we have always enjoyed brussels sprouts. They are hearty, filling, and just as good raw as roasted. We love throwing them in salads or roasting them off for the perfect side dish. 

Roasting Brussels Sprouts:

When it comes to roasting brussels sprouts, there are a couple qualities we are looking for in the sprouts. The outside must be crispy and golden, and the inside should be tender but not mushy. Cooking the perfect brussels sprout is truly an art. We have tried all kinds of methods over the years from pre-heating the cookie sheet to making them in a cast iron to everything in between and find that a hot oven and cookie sheet does the trick. 

Although you can just have a hot oven and a cookie sheet, there are a few tricks to ensuring the brussels sprouts are nice and crispy. What we have found is that the key is to put them cut side down and don’t touch them for at least 15 minutes. You want the sprouts to have the maximum surface area touching the hot cookie sheet. If you place them cutside down, it allows for more of the sprout to brown. Additionally, the oven should remain as hot as possible. If the oven is not opened it allows for a better crisp on the outer leaves.

How to make the brussels sprouts:

To make the brussels sprouts, start with cleaned brussels sprouts. Trim the ends by the stem, remove any dirty outer leaves, and wash and dry the sprouts. You can also buy sprouts that are pre-cleaned and trimmed. This makes life a lot easier plus there are no sprouts with bad insides!

Once the brussels sprouts are trimmed and cleaned, cut them in half longwise. Place them on a foil lined baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil, balsamic vinegar reduction, salt, and pepper. Toss them together until they are evenly coated. 

When the sprouts are evenly coated, spread them out in one even layer. If they do not fit on the pan in one even layer with some space between each one, get a second tray. If they are crowded they will not get crispy. Spread the brussels spouts out in a layer and flip them cut side down. The maximum surface area should be touching the cookie sheet. This allows the brussels sprouts to achieve the maximum crispiness (no mushy brussels sprouts here!). 

After all the sprouts are cut side down, bake them at 425 for 20 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. When they are cooked, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and stir to coat. Top with pomegranate seeds. 

Notes:

1. Brussels Sprouts: We cheat a little here and often buy the pre-trimmed ones. This makes the prep portion of this dish so simple! If you can’t find pre-trimmed brussels be very careful when halving them to check for bugs or dirt inside the sprout or in the outer leaves.  
2. Balsamic Vinegar Reduction: We like to use a reduction to make these extra crispy. If you don’t have a reduction, drizzle 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a little honey AFTER they bake. If you put the vinegar on while they bake, they won’t get as crispy. 
3. Parmesan: The parmesan adds a delicious salty, nutty, complex flavor to the dish. Do not skip this step as it adds so much flavor! We grate it with a microplane for a really fine shred, but any finely shredded parmesan will work.

Print

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 24 oz of brussels sprouts halved longwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar reduction
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese + more for dusting on top

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 425
• Trim and halve the brussels sprouts long wise and place onto a foil lined baking tray. The brussels sprouts should form an even layer. If needed, get a second baking tray to ensure the pan is not over crowded
• Coat the brussels sprouts with olive oil, balsamic reduction, salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Place the brussels sprouts face down on the baking tray
• Roast on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes until bottoms are golden brown
• Optional: To further brown the top, turn the oven on broil and place the tray on the top shelf of the oven for 1 minute until nice and crispy. Be sure to keep a close eye on the brussels sprouts because they will burn quickly on broil!
• Top with parmesan cheese and stir. Remove brussels sprouts from baking dish and top with pomegranate seeds and more parmesan

Entertainer’s Note:

If you have leftovers, toss these into a salad and enjoy them! They are just as good when they are cold in a fall salad with some pomegranate seeds, little gems, and a little extra grated parmesan.