Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Jump to Recipe

When I was growing up, I remember turning up my nose at the mention of Brussels sprouts. In every cartoon on TV, this vegetable seemed to be villainized as the pungent side dish that parents would force their kids to eat as a punishment.

It wasn’t until my post graduate years that I truly gained an appreciation for roasted Brussels sprouts. As I ate my way through New York City, I had the chance to try such a wide variety of gourmet sprouts, and it totally transformed my opinion of this misunderstood vegetable (MUST TRY: San Marzano Fuji Apple & Pancetta Brussels! SO GOOD). Needless to say, the experience turned me into a Brussels believer.

The cool part about roasted Brussels sprouts is that they are – shockingly – very easy to prepare at home. The key is having the patience to roast them to the ideal level of crisp. It took some time, but I think I have finally perfected the preparation of the roasted Brussels sprout.

Check out my tips below to add another delicious side dish to your recipe arsenal!

Properly Season your Sprouts 

While Brussels sprouts are packed with inherent flavors (that develop naturally through roasting), it is very important to properly season the sprouts before cooking.

For my roasted Brussels sprouts, I use a combination of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. If you dislike garlic, simply add salt and pepper. After you toss the sprouts in olive oil, season them to add some depth to the flavors of your dish.

Pre-Cooking Hacks that Lead Easy Clean Up

Before cooking, you will want to toss your Brussels sprouts with olive oil. Most people add olive oil AFTER they’ve put the Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet, but this will make it difficult to distribute it evenly; some sprouts end up soggy and drenched in oil, while others end up dried out.

To prevent this from happening, BEFORE placing the sprouts on the sheet, I throw them into a Ziploc bag with olive oil and shake vigorously. This will distribute the olive oil evenly – no sprout left behind ;D

The next step is where the second hack comes in. After the olive oil shaking, cover your baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil.

(I don’t know about you, but I find cleaning baking sheets nearly impossible. The little roasted bits and oil drippings require a bit more effort than I’m willing to give after a long day of work.)

By using the aluminum foil, you can simply remove it once the Brussels sprouts are done cooking and voila! Your baking sheet is still as good as new – no wash needed.  

Prep Brussels sprouts in advance, bake the day of.

Getting Brussels sprouts prepped for cooking in advance is a piece of cake. When I prep Brussels sprouts, I chop them in advance and store them  in a Ziploc bag with olive oil, shaken as mentioned above. They hold well in the fridge until I am ready to cook.

I choose not to actually cook in advance because leftover roasted sprouts have a strong smell and are not particularly appetizing. But by chopping and adding olive oil in advance, you simply have to preheat the oven, dump the Brussels sprouts on the tray, and wait for them to cook. This is more the level of effort I am looking for at the end of a long day.

SLICING TRICKS TO MAKE SURE YOUR SPROUTS ROAST FAST AND EVEN

There are two types of sprouts in this world: normal size Brussels sprouts and Brussels sprouts that look like a head of cabbage.

As you can guess, due to the dramatic size difference, these sprouts will not cook evenly if you simply cut them all in half. I recommend halving the smaller sprouts and cutting the large sprouts into slices (see photo below).

To further ensure even cooking, be sure to spread out the sliced sprouts into one layer (as opposed to piling on top of each other). Roast them at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes and they should come out looking mighty crisp 😉 and extra-delicious

If you like this oven roasted vegetable, check out my Roasted Sweet Potatoes recipe!