Sides & Vegetables · American · European

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Name: Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved through the root); 2 tbsp olive oil; ¾ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper (ground)

4 ingredients · 35 minutes · 4 servings

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109kcal3.9g protein7.1g fat10.3g carbs~$0.88/ serving*

Vegetarian · without oneVegan · without onePescatarian · without oneNo pork · without oneNo alcohol

Ingredients

Servings:

1 lb	brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved through the root)
2 tbsp	olive oil
¾ tsp	salt
¼ tsp	black pepper (ground)
3 oz	bacon (chopped, rendered with them)optional
2 tsp	lemon (juice, at the end)optional
1 tsp	honeyoptional
3 tbsp	cheese (parmesan, grated)optional
4 clove	garlic (whole cloves, skin on)optional

Method

slice8 min
through the root, dry hands and dry sprouts
sprouts halved lengthways, ragged outer leaves pulled off and kept. Halving through the root holds each one together and gives you the flat face the whole method depends on. Dry them properly if they were washed — surface water has to boil off before anything can brown, and while it does the tray temperature drops
season3 min
in a bowl, oil first then salt, tossed to coat every face
+ olive oil + salt + pepper. Oil is not for flavour here; it is a heat-transfer medium that fills the microscopic gaps between the sprout and the metal, so far more of the surface actually reaches browning temperature
roast22 min
220°C, preheated heavy tray, cut-side down in a single layer, not stirred
sprouts (+ bacon, + garlic cloves) until the flat faces are deeply browned — almost black at the edges — and a knife slides into the core without resistance. Put them on a tray that is already hot: on a cold tray they release water before the surface can sear. Leave a finger's gap between them; touching sprouts trap steam between themselves and steam is the opposite of a crust
season2 min
off the tray, while still hot
+ loose leaves returned for the last three minutes to crisp, then (+ lemon juice, + honey, + parmesan) tossed through. Acid goes on at the end: added before roasting it draws moisture to the surface and, more to the point, the aroma is volatile and would be gone. The bitterness people remember from boiled sprouts is mostly sulphur compounds released by slow wet cooking — hot dry heat converts sugars faster than it releases those, which is why the same vegetable tastes sweet here