We have a theory about brussels sprouts. We know that some people are avid haters of the green, weird-looking veggie – have you ever seen them on the stalk?? – but we’re pretty sure that’s only because these haters have never had them prepared in a way that’s actually good. We’d hate ’em too if the only brussels we ate were par-boiled and flavorless. In reality, you can make brussels sprouts taste seriously amazing, shockingly good, if you will, and we’ve got four of our favorite sprouts recipes ranging from cheesy casseroles to flavorful slow cooker options to hearty salads to roasted goodness. Trust us, you’re about to be brussels sprout lover, you’ll see!
Cheesy Bacon Brussels Sprout Gratin
Here, we took some lightly roasted brussels (gotta get a little color on them) and then made a creamy, cheesy, flavorful gratin to showcase them and make everyone fall in love with them…you need to try this! The key here is roasting your sprouts ahead of time. Not only does this ensure that your veggies will be perfectly tender by the time they’re cooked in the gratin and come out of the oven, but roasting them gives amazing flavor that takes everything up a notch. Add to that the crumbled bacon, cheese and rosemary, and you’ve got yourself a side dish that’ll steal the show. At least that’s what happened at our dinner – get the recipe here!
Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts
To keep the dish exciting, we like to use a variety of seasonings to keep everyone interested, and this soy glaze reduction sauce is just the ticket! Roasting not only softens the Brussels sprouts, but also caramelizes, and those crispy leaves are downright irresistible. A simple toss in olive oil, salt and pepper is great by itself, but whipping up a savory glaze is another way to add extra flavor. Glazes or dressings are a way to enhance the natural sweetness that occurs during the roasting process. It’s also a way to introduce or disguise a new and unpopular food item to the table. Our dinner time crowd loves to see these pop out of the oven, and once they’ve been tossed with this savory sauce everyone dives right in! Click here for the recipe!
Crunchy Brussels Sprout Salad
Trust us, even if you think you don’t like brussels sprouts, it’s only because you haven’t had them like this yet: thrown together with dried cranberries, bleu cheese, pear and fried onions. Yes, fried onions. As you can see, it’s impossible to go wrong with that combination of flavors, and the result is a crispy, crunchy, fruity salad that will bowl you over every time! Whereas you may usually take just a few bites of salad before moving onto something more interesting, that’s not the case with this recipe, since it’s just too good to pass up – grab the recipe here!
Slow Cooker Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
We like to put our slow cooker to work as often as possible – not just with main dishes, but with sides as well! And these slow cooker Brussels sprouts are really great for when the oven is already occupied, or for warm days when we don’t want to heat up the house. The sprouts themselves require very little work (that’s what the slow cooker is for!) and come out fork-tender, but the star of this dish is the balsamic glaze. We reduce it down with a little brown sugar until it’s thick and syrupy. It’s soooo good, you’ll want to put it on everything…. We certainly do. Click here for the recipe!
