Where are my Brussels sprouts fans?? You are gonna love this one. AND even if you think you hate them- give this a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.
This recipe is one of those tasty accidents. I knew I wanted to experiment with Brussels sprouts but didn’t know exactly what I was going to do. I liked the idea of the dressing but thought it needed something else. I had dill in the fridge that needed to be used and had bought hazelnuts because they were on sale so I literally thought, well, why not see what it tastes like. I was blown away. SO good.
On the night my photographer husband went to photograph this dish I was making dinner. After he was done (dinner in the oven cooking), we both sat there with forks devouring a pound of Brussels sprouts. Our planned dinner became leftovers the next day!
A little note about Brussels sprouts:
They, along with other cruciferous veggies (list here for easy reference) produce an anticancer component called sulforaphane. When eaten raw we are getting a huge healthy dose of the stuff. BUT here is the important part to understand. When we cook these cruciferous veggies, all that good for us sulforaphane disappears. Bummer right?! Here is what I learned. If you chop these veggies – Brussels sprouts included at least 40 minutes before cooking them, the sulforaphane has had enough type to develop and you can cook it however long you’d like and you will still benefit from this component.
If you don’t have 40 minutes to kill, I suggest buying a bag of pre-chopped Brussels sprouts for this dish so that you can get the maximum health benefits that this will deliver to you.
Enjoy! I would love to hear what you think when you try these!
This honestly looks so good! I’m not the biggest fan of brussel sprouts but I’m always looking for new ways to prepare them to see if I enjoy it. Thanks for sharing!
Let me know if you make them, I would love to know what you think.
Wow! I have a soft spot for Brussel sprouts so this looks really good 🙂
I really like how this recipe is written, it seems like I could make this even with my very limited kitchen skills.
Thanks so much! I try my hardest to make all my recipes easy to make but still taste good! It is my goal to show others how easy it is to cook things like this.
Sounds delicious! I usually bake brussels sprouts with maple syrup, courtesy of one of my daughters. She told me about it and I have loved them ever since. I didn’t know about the cutting, good to know.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading and the comment. Let me know if you end up trying these, I’d love to know what you think. Have a great day!
OK, Leah, you have really piqued my curiosity this time: using water to sauté. What is the logic behind this technique? Why not use olive oil? And why not roast the brussels sprouts in the oven from the get go…which I would normally do with olive oil and seasonings?
Hi Susan, thank you for the great question! The water to saute part is mainly because I am trying to use less oil in my recipes. I have always used olive oil too (and still do from time to time) but am learning that water does a great job and can save some unnecessary fat in recipes. This seemed to work here in this recipe. Olive oil does not have a high heat point and is better for you if using when kept raw and not heated.
Usually, I do roast the sprouts straight in the oven from the beginning but I tend to burn them before they can get cooked all the way through sometimes. I found that if I was able to get them soft enough in the pan with the water first they are fully cooked without burning making a better tasting dish when paired with the dressing.
However, you can skip that step if you want to and stick them straight in the oven and get them nice and crispy. Totally up to you. If you make them, I would love to know what you think. Thank you for the questions!!
This was so yummy! I paired it with fish and quinoa. Hunkie loved it! But I’m not one to normally measure and I think I put a tad bit too much apple vinegar in it. Next time I’m going to measure that. But it was still so delicious and I ate the rest for lunch the next day!
That sounds like a perfect paring with fish and quinoa – very good! I am so glad you guys liked it!! Thank you for sharing the comment!