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Turn A Healthy Food That You Hate Into A New Love

November 7, 2011   29 Comments

How many of you out there hate Brussels Sprouts? I bet you are really looking forward to them on your Thanksgiving table.

Best Brussels Sprouts recipe

To be honest, I used to hate them too! My family used to boil them and serve these smelly, mushy, ugly blobs onto my plate. yuck.

The problem is that when you boil them they seem to express more of the sulfurous taste associated with the cabbage family. Boiling Brussels Sprouts is a great way to destroy them.

What if you could turn your Brussels Sprouts into candy?

You heard me right! Candy! The sweetness of fresh Brussels Sprouts is best expressed by roasting them in the oven. This technique caramelizes the sugar in the Brussels Sprouts and all of a sudden you have a different food altogether.

Instead of a mushy blob, you have a crunchy side dish that will change your life. Really.

One important tip - do not buy Brussels Sprouts and leave them in your refrigerator for a week. This is an excellent way to ensure that they taste terrible. The fresher the Brussels Sprouts, the sweeter they will taste.

You can serve them cold, room temperature or hot. These would make a great party snack with some toothpicks and some mustard dipping sauce on the side.

Also, you can roast a big batch and then toss them into salads or in your lunchbox for the week. Go buy some Brussels Sprouts! They are in season right now.

(P.S. share this post with all your Brussels Sprout hater pals - 161% of your daily value of Vitamin C, 9 % of Iron - they need to change their minds :)

brusselssproutsb

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

1.6 from 24 reviews

(serves 4)

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Ingredients

1 pound Brussels Sprouts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat your oven to 400 F. Cut off end of sprout and remove any loose leaves and then cut in half. Place Brussels sprouts in a rimmed baking sheet and mix with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix up with your hands and roast until fork tender - about 30-40 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

For one serving: 109 calories, 7.1 g fat, 10.2 g carbohydrates, 3.8 g protein, 4.3 g fiber, 29 mg sodium, 2 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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29 Comments:

3 of 4 of our kids LOVE roasted Brussels sprouts (and the other will at least eat them!) The pediatrician laughs when my kids tell her it is their favorite vegetable!

Definitely agree on the advice about using them fresh. This weekend I bought them on the stalk -- extra yummy, plus they're really interesting to look at!

I made brussels sprouts for my family's Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago, but this year everyone (ADULTS, not kids!) requested something different! Guess it's back to green bean casserole. I like 'em though.

Well, I have tried them being sauteed and they are okay, I wouldn't describe them as "candy". I will give this a try and see how it goes. Could you use Olive Oil Pam and get the same effect or should I just stick with the real stuff?

@Aube - The better the oil - the closer you will get to candy :) Thanks for your question!

One day I realized my kids had never tried Brussel sprouts...not sure why mostly my hubby didn't like them and I wasn't a huge fan. The first time I steamed them and they turned out mushy and my kids hated them. I now make them in a pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper (cut in half). Similar to this recipe. The kids LOVE them and are excited when I get Brussel sprouts at the store. My 3 year old who goes shopping with me always asks to get them and the 7 year old gets excited when I make them. I acctually make most of the fresh veggies this way now. They don't overcook, sometimes I add some garlic and a little water if needed. And if your kids like butter you can replace the olive oil with 2 tsp of butter...all the flavour but the butter is divided among the whole amount of veggies so very little on each serving. I will have to try roasting the brussel sprouts as well, sounds yummy!!

I always make brussel sprouts this way - so delicious! Especially when they start to look like they are burnt yum!

I used to hate brussel sprouts, but my husband sautees them until they are carmelized. Yum! Now I love them!

(and yes, I am one of those lucky people whose husband does the cooking) :)

I use your roasted broccoli recipe with a teaspoon of sugar in addition to EVOO, salt and pepper. Makes them extra tasty! Still can't my hubby on board though. More for me!

My family and I love this recipe. 10 year old included. This has been a staple in my diet during my 100 lb weight loss.

Never like brussel sprouts growing up. Love them now and so simple to make. Thanks for sharing.

all 3 of my kids(2,6,7) and my Hubby love roasted brussel sprouts! I add a pinch of brown sugar to them and they are always first thing gone from the table. Fresh is best, but sometimes its hard to tell how long they have been at the store and they get a little strong flavored.

Just curious about the points for the oil, we were told that each teaspoon is 1 point plus, you have two tablespoons for 2 points, why is this?

I'm not a weight watchers person but two tablespoons is six teaspoons--with 4 servings, it would be a teaspoon and a half per serving, but you have to factor in how much of the oil is left in the pan you're roasting it in. I like to roast my brussels sprouts whole instead of halved--I microwave them a few minutes and then coat them in salt, pepper, oil and balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar's sweetness helps with caramelization.

This was wonderful!

Snack Girl, you've helped me enjoy brussel sprouts! Definitely going to keep this recipe to share on my new blog one of these days. :)

I've always loved Brussel sprouts, even boiled, but this recipe is amazing. I tried it with some farmer's market bounty and this is my new healthy 'go to' snack. Thanks for another great recipe idea, Snack Girl.

I love brussel sprouts. I grow them in my garden. I found the most incredible recipe from Gina on skinnytaste. You can add pancetta or ground up toasted almonds to the shredded brussels. just thought I would share

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/11/sauteed-brussels-sprouts…

I had to laugh when I saw this post. I had JUST placed a bag of frozen brussels sprouts in my steamer for dinner this evening and was looking forward to them. Fresh are definitely better, but the frozen ones are pretty good steamed. YUM, I'm getting HUNGRY

i am an avowed veggie-hater (i LOVE fruit, and i often tell people my favorite vegetable, the tomato, is actually a fruit!) but i find that any time you caramelize a vegetable, it is almost always delicious.

my favorite way to "hide" veggies is to grate them, sautee, then mix 3/4 vegetables with 1/4 couscous. almost any vegetable will do, and the texture of couscous is oddly suited to things like grated onion, squash, carrot, etc. if your kids won't eat their vegetables (like my parents, lol, for whom i am responsible for feeding) you MUST try this! any spices (personal favorite is curry, in both powdered and paste form), any oil or butter, and pretty much any grate-able veggie will do.

I like brussel sprouts frozen. I cook them with spray oil or butter, balsamic vinegar and either turkey or regular bacon cut into pieces w/ a scissor. I saute them until they are carmelized and slightly brown. To die for, but my husband groans as he won't eat them. So, I don't make it too often, but it is a great dish for Turkey day.

@Ann - the recipe is 4 servings - which means that you are eating 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil. I rounded up to 2 PointsPlus - thanks for your question!

I always roast brussels sprouts, but like Sue, sprinkle them with balsamic vinegar. I also add chopped shallots. I'm trying to lose 40 more pounds (down 65 now), so I put EVOO in a spray bottle, which allows me to use half the amount with the same taste.

Can someone please tell me what you do about the SMELL?? After roasting the brussel sprouts in the oven, my house smells HORRIBLE for days. Even just opening the refrigerator with them in a plastic container smells. My family doesn't stop complaining. Burning a candle doesn't help! Any ideas? HELP!!

@Helene - did you try running your fan when you cook them? I am not sure why they are stinking up your house.

I just ate boiled brussel sprouts for a snack and then I saw this! Ha! Will definitely try them roasted next time.

Love them roasted. I use a cast iron skillet and they are amazing!!

Kelly Ripa had a roasted Brussels sprouts with butternut squash recipe on the show a year or two ago. We tried it and have LOVED it since! It's similar to this but you add cubed butternut squash and pecans!!! So good!

Roasting brussel sprouts with cut up yams is such a perfect taste combination, just make sure to start the yams first and add the sprouts later so thet finish at the same time

Does this work with frozen brussels sprouts? And do you need to thaw them first? I've only ever tried the steamer bags (my friend made me, I hated them!).

@SamIAm90 - I would go with fresh Brussels Sprouts so you can be sure to get that CRUNCH that makes these so tasty. Great question!


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