Brussels sprouts are divisive. People who love them, really love them. And people who hate them? I firmly believe they just haven't had them prepared the right way yet. I, myself, dreaded them growing up, when they were served to me as pale green globes in a steaming baking dish with mushy texture and bland, bitter flavor. When the lid came off that dish at the dinner table, the groans would start.
If you know where I am going with this, you can already see the folly of our past ways. Whole pieces meant they had to cook for way too long. Baking them in a crowded, covered dish meant they were essentially just steamed. And these things together meant that the flavor never had a chance to develop.
It wasn't until much later, when I was living in New York and seeing Brussels sprouts on restaurant menus everywhere, that I saw the infinite potential of this once-maligned vegetable. And I took notes to be able to make them at home. Just as we've explored restaurant methods for perfectly crunchy sautéed green beans, flavorful, fresh asparagus, and expertly seared mushrooms, we're following suit to get the most out of these tiny cabbages as well.
Let me start by saying that many restaurants deep fry Brussels sprouts,andthat’scertainly a delicious (albeit sometimes greasy) option, but in my opinion, you can get equally tasty results from the oven.Andit’sa whole lot easier, too.This recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan lays out the method I typically follow. Here are the important details to pay attention to:
Start with trimmed and halved sprouts. It's okay to have some loose leaves in the mix—they get extra crispy.
Toss the prepped veg with olive oil or a neutral oil until evenly coated. Season generously with salt and pepper. You can also use other seasonings—like garlic powder as listed in the recipe—though I often keep it simple. (Pro tip: Swap oil for duck fat like Chef John for off-the-charts flavor.)
Spread the Brussels sprouts out and with space between them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. This allows the heat to reach every surface of the vegetables and makes sure nothing sticks.
Crank up the oven. Here, creatorJuliana Hale calls for 400 degrees F, though I go a little hotter to 425 degrees F.
Flip or shake every so often, but not so often that the sprouts don't have a chance to brown and caramelize.
Go past golden brown but stay shy of burnt! The Brussels sprouts can handle it and the flavor deepens the more they roast.
Finish with flavor. Squeeze lemon over top once they come out of the oven and sprinkle on a quality Parmesan cheese. You'll never go back to boring Brussels ever again.
With those same ideas in mind, we also have a recipe for Air Fryer Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple-Mustard Mayo that sounds like a must-try and would give that same crispy, fried goodness with the ease of an air fryer.
You can't beat lemon, Parmesan, and perhaps a couple shakes of red pepper flakes, but there are many other complementary enhancements to try. Before cooking, use seasoning blends in your chosen flavor profile to amp up the taste. After the sprouts are roasted and caramelized, drizzle honey (or hot honey), soy or balsamic glaze, or go sweet and savory with sweet chili or maple syrup. Sub in other cheeses while you're at it, like Gruyère, feta, or blue, depending on your mood.
A dipping sauce can really take these crispy, earthy veggies up a notch, too. Try the maple mustard dip mentioned above, go with a bright and acidic garlic aioli or romesco, or take a smoky spin with harissa aioli—just to name a few.
What to Serve With Brussels Sprouts
These are good enough to enjoy on their own of course, and restaurants nowadays have Brussels sprouts featured as an appetizer. But more often than not, they're a side to main dishes. I absolutely love them with roasted chicken, pork chops, steak, or holiday ham, but really the possibilities are as endless as the sprouts' layers themselves.
However you serve them, I think we can now agree that Brussels sprouts really shine when they have a crisp, caramelized crunch—elevated with balancing flavors like tart citrus and nutty cheese. The best part is, they're just as easy to make at home as they are to order out.
Before cooking, use seasoning blends in your chosen flavor profile to amp up the taste. After the sprouts are roasted and caramelized, drizzle honey (or hot honey), soy or balsamic glaze, or go sweet and savory with sweet chili or maple syrup.
The bitter taste of Brussels sprouts comes from compounds called glucosinolates and their degradation products, he explains. These bitter tasting compounds are an important part of the plant's defence mechanism against leaf-eating enemies, such as insects, nematodes, slugs, and herbivores, like pigeons and deer.
The soak time tenderizes the sprouts so the middles are softer. Don't worry, they won't be soggy! I would never do that to you. If, like me, you don't mind some chew to your sprouts, you don't need to soak the Brussels sprouts prior to cooking.
Researchers determined that some of the older varieties — hundreds of them, actually — stored in the “gene bank” had lower levels of two glucosinolates called sinigrin and progoitrin, the chemicals that made brussels sprouts so acrid.
Meanwhile, prepare the sprouts by discarding any tough, coarse outer leaves. Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross into the base of each sprout: this will enable the centre to cook without overdoing the outside. Add the sprouts to the pan of boiling water, cover and boil for 4-5 minutes until just tender.
This is all connected to a taste-related gene called TAS2R38, which has a variant called AVI and one called PAV. We all inherit two copies of the gene — one from each of our parents — and those of us who have two AVI variants aren't as sensitive to those bitter tastes.
One technique for mitigating bitterness in Brussels sprouts is to blanch them. (This technique also works for making collard greens less bitter, as well as other greens.) Blanching involves adding your veg to boiling water for a brief period, then plunging it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
[In] the 1990s a Dutch scientist named Hans Van Doorn identified the chemicals that make Brussels sprouts bitter: sinigrin and progoitrin. After discovering this, the scientist worked to identify Brussels sprouts seeds and varieties with lower levels of these bitter chemicals.
Soaking too long can waterlog seeds and Soaking in hot water can "cook" them, so it is follows that if you can get all of your seeds soaked in 12 hours they are much better off. If you are in a pinch for time you can use 90-100° water to cut the soak time down.
Wash sprouts under cold running water and remove any leaves or yellow spots you may see. Place sprouts in a pot and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Sprouts are done when a knife will easily cut through them. Season with butter, salt, and pepper to taste.
In the late 1990s scientists identified specific chemicals, called glucosinolates, that made Brussels sprouts taste bitter. Plant breeders started growing old seeds, previously discarded for producing paltry harvests, to identify tastier versions with lower levels of these compounds.
Brussels sprouts are high in antioxidants, compounds that promote overall health and help prevent damage to cells ( 5 , 6). Eating Brussels sprouts as part of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help supply the antioxidants your body needs to promote good health.
In fact, the tradition of cutting a cross in the base of a sprout might have less to do with culinary technique and more to do with superstition. In Medieval times, it was believed that evil spirits and demons lived between the leaves of the vegetable, and they would enter anyone who ate them, making them ill.
Like most vegetables, Brussels sprouts need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight daily; more is better. They like fertile, well-drained, moist soils with plenty of organic matter. The soil pH should be on the high side of the range for vegetables, about 6.8, for optimum growth and to discourage clubroot disease.
A few of these vegetables actually react to cold conditions and frost by producing sugars, which make these notoriously bitter vegetables taste rather sweet. Brussels sprouts and kale show this characteristic most prominently. (Try roasting frost-cured brussels sprouts with a bit of olive oil. Yum!)
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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