Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I love the Fall for many reasons, and the fact that Brussels sprouts are in season is one of them. Gosh I love these little guys!  Roast them at a high temperature, with just the right seasonings, and they caramelize into little leafy bundles of goodness.

My mom would make Brussels sprouts occasionally when we were growing up.  I never prepared them until I was working at the corporate office of Whole Foods Market (WFM) above their flagship store in Austin, TX.  The store sold a prepared version that was so delicious, sometimes I would pick up a container and that would be my entire lunch.  Just Brussels sprouts.

I was so inspired by the WFM version that I made them at home, only to have all three of my guys tell me that I did not need to repeat that meal.

I was heartbroken!  And not really sure what I had done wrong, until Steve and I went out for an anniversary dinner a few months later and the seafood dish he ordered came with roasted Brussels sprouts.  He tried them and declared them delicious.  I was dumbfounded!  They were seasoned just like WFM’s and my homemade ones.  And then I realized what I had done wrong.  I had not caramelize them near enough.

There is something magical that happens to Brussels sprouts when you get that nice dark roast on them.  So I made them at home again, achieving that beautiful roast, and both Steve and Matt decided they were amazing.  My picky second son never did see the light.  But Sam-Sam has other redeeming qualities, so I’ll let him live.

My brother asked for this recipe and he makes it for his family as well.  Shall we get started?

So, so simple!  You’ll need salt and pepper too, but I have decided that since those two are basically a given for every recipe, I am simplifying my ingredients pictures by excluding them from now on.

I never did ask the chef at the Austin WFM store for the recipe.  This is really my take on how they prepared them, and to me, they taste the same.

Trim the base off and split each sprout down the middle the long way.  Place them in a strainer, wash them, and drain them well.

Transfer the sprouts to a bowl for seasoning.

Drizzle the olive oil and stir well until all of the them are well coated.

Then sprinkle salt, freshly ground black pepper, and half of the garlic powder.  Stir well, then add the rest of the garlic powder and more salt and pepper, if needed.  Stir again.  Then add the juice of half a large lemon and stir again.

Pour the Brussels sprouts into a sheet pan, making sure they are in a single layer.

Shake the pan every 8-10 minutes to flip the them.  That will make sure they brown evenly.

Roast until they look this beautiful.

Don’t let the charred little bits scare you.  That’s the magic part.

And here’s a tip

Remember to watch these closely while they are roasting.  Roasting times for these guys are really a function of how big the sprouts are.  Sometimes you can get really big sprouts.  As a result of being bigger, they contain more moisture and not only need to cook longer, but tolerate the high temperature better.  Smaller ones will caramelize and cook faster, so take them out earlier if they are done or they will burn and become dry.

So pretty!  I am definitely serving these for our Thanksgiving meal this year.

Feels like Fall!  And these bring back fond memories of food and friends from my time at WFM.  Miss you guys!

And now, it’s time for lunch!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Lori

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
• 2 tablespoons of high quality olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
• Trim the Brussels sprouts by removing the dry base and cutting them in half the long way.
• Place trimmed sprouts in a colander, rinse and drain well.
• Transfer to a large bowl for seasoning.
• Drizzle the olive oil and stir well to completely coat all of the sprouts.
• Add salt, pepper, and half the garlic powder.
• Stir well, then add the other half of the garlic powder, and more salt and pepper, if needed.
• Add the lemon juice and stir again.
• Transfer to a sheet pan, single layer, and roast.
• Shake the pan every 8-10 minutes so the sprouts caramelize evenly.
• When the sprouts are tender and well caramelized, remove from oven and serve hot.

Notes

Roasting time will be a function of the size of the Brussels sprouts. Watch them closely during roasting and remove early if cooking smaller sprouts.