I love oven roasted Brussels sprouts. Similar to the way roasting glorifies its humble cruciferous cousin, the cauliflower, oven roasting transforms Brussels sprouts as well, but even better! Brussels sprouts have these thin leaves that, when roasted, crisp up into these addictive crunchy morsels, not unlike the kale “chips” I made recently. And I just can’t stop eating them. Seriously, I was making these at night after dinner and then I ended up gobbling up like 1/3 of the tray before I forced myself to stop. By the way, they do taste the best straight out of the oven!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Make sure to cut off the hard bottom and any leaves that look wilted. I also like cutting up the sprouts in half (or big ones in quarters) to speed up the cooking time. Plus, cutting ensures that all the pieces are relatively the same size, which ensures even cooking.
Blanching is optional, but it allows you to roast at a higher temperature to crisp up the edges. I blanched my Brussels sprouts for just a few minutes before shocking them with cold water.
Toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper until well coated. The key, actually, is to add quite a bit of salt. Add a bit more than you would normally add for other vegetables. For some reason, salt really makes this dish stand out.
I peeled off some leaves because I wanted more crunchy bits. 🙂 Roast for about 20 minutes, but check periodically to see how they are doing. Once they are a nicely brown and tender (with crispy edges!) you can take them out. If you did not blanch then earlier, check one to make sure it’s tender all the way through. At that point, if it’s also nicely brown and tender, you’re done!
Note: I used a convection microwave oven to make this. I basically set the oven to cook for 30 minutes (this includes preheat time) at 400 degrees. The Brussels Sprouts came out perfectly after the 30 minutes was up.
That’s it! So easy! And honesty – so incredibly delicious! Brussels sprouts pair amazingly well with smoked meats, such as bacon, guianciale, etc. Experiment! This recipe is super flexible. I might try pulling off all the leaves next time and try making Brussels sprouts “chips”!
Enjoy!
All Rights Reserved
Great photos. I did a blog post a while back about these… definitely delish!
🙂
ButterYum
Ooh, I love roasted brussel sprouts too! It’s too bad these never show up in my Boston Organics delivery. I’ve never tried blanching first, but I’ll definitely try that step next time!
We do this all the time, but without the blanching. I like 425 for about 12 minutes myself, but I agree on the lots of salt.
major yum! me too! they go down like candy — i ended up growing my own this summer cuz i loved ’em so much last summer…
just picked some up yesterday for unbelievable 0.50/lb! Will def roast them and try your technique.
One of my new favorites, roasted brussels sprouts. Your pictures look so beautiful.
Love it, in its simplicity. You make brussel sprouts look absolutely gorgeous!
My favorite way to roast them is by tossing them in a mix of balsamic vinegar, gochujang (korean red pepper paste), maple syrup!
This is how I do my brussels sprouts too–I think blanching really makes a difference. Yours look fabulous!
Oh, I love those crunchy roasted Brussels sprout “petals”! My favorite part! And I totally agree with your point about the salt. You do need quite a bit to bring out the flavor.
I often toss in a sliced onion and some chopped up bacon, can eat the WHOLE pan,
This looks delicious…and I have some in my oven right now! Thanks for sharing your recipe and lovely pictures. YUM!
I’m so happy to find out about roasting brussel sprouts in a convection oven. It’s Christmas night and my regular oven is filled to the brim! I received the convection oven LAST Christmas and this will be the first time I’m using it!! Thank you
I love to bake a pan of bacon, and then, after the bacon is done and on a plate, I throw the brussels in the drippings and let them bake until nice and crispy! Trying the extra salt, and blanching this time! Thanks!