For decades, brussels sprouts battled a bad reputation. But the ways they’re being cooked now would make any vegetable jealous: roasted with honey and harissa until crispy; sautéed with salty sausage and topped with pickled red onions; doused with cream and baked with cheese until thick and bubbling. Here are five simple methods for cooking brussels sprouts, which are more versatile than greens and just as delicious.
Buying & Cleaning Brussels Sprouts
Your journey to delicious brussels sprouts dishes begins with the buds themselves. They can stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week and a half, so they are good candidates for keeping on hand.
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Brussels sprouts, along with kale, cauliflower and broccoli, are members of the Brassica family. They grow as tiny cabbagelike buds on a large inedible stalk.
When buying brussels sprouts, look for tightly closed, green leaves; any signs of yellowing mean they are most likely past their prime. They should give off an earthy, almost herbaceous aroma. The buds shouldn’t smell cabbage-y.
They grow larger as the season progresses, appearing small and delicate at the beginning of fall, but one size generally fits all. Buy 1½ pounds of untrimmed brussels sprouts to feed four to six people (depending on what else is on the menu).
If you’re charmed by the ones on the stalk at the farmers’ market (a true oddity if you’ve never seen them), know that their yield may be smaller than you hoped for, and plan accordingly.
To clean them, trim the ends and rinse in a large bowl of cold water. Brussels sprouts aren’t an especially dirty vegetable, but any dust or sediment should float to the bottom. Transfer to a colander and pat dry before storing them in a resealable bag.
Store them in the crisper or vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, where they can stay fresh for up to a week and a half.
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Raw Brussels Sprouts
While we don’t frequently see brussels sprouts prepared raw, their peppery leaves can give kale a run for its money.
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Basic Method
Raw brussels sprouts leaves can be a little tough, so it’s best to soften them before turning them into a salad. This can be done two ways: massaging the leaves with a bit of salt to help them break down, or thinly slicing them for more of a shredded slaw.
For the massaging technique, you’ll be using the sprouts’ whole leaves. The darker green ones are easily separated by trimming the core and letting them fall away. This is no doubt time-consuming, but it’s worth it for those adorable little leaves.
Trim the stem off the sprouts and halve them lengthwise. The leaves should start to fall away naturally. Once they become stubborn, trim the stem further. (The closer you get to the core, the tighter the leaves become, and the more annoying they are to remove.) Eventually, you’ll have a tiny, pale yellow core, which may not be ideal for salads, but are great roasted or pickled for your next Bloody Mary bar.
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You can also thinly slice the entire sprout, which will result in more of a slaw but is still delicious and decidedly less labor intensive. To prevent the sprouts from rolling around the cutting board, halve them lengthwise and lay them cut side down before thinly slicing.
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To Serve
Raw brussels sprouts love a dressing with fatty and assertive flavors. Choose ingredients that deliver both, like anchovies, grated cheeses and finely chopped nuts. Lots of olive oil is a must.
To make sure the leaves are softened and properly seasoned, give them a good massage before adding anything else. For balance, include something sweet (crisp apples, ripe pears or dried fruit) and something fresh (shaved raw fennel, lemon juice and plenty of fresh herbs).
The salad pictured above combines brussels sprouts leaves, apple, fennel, walnuts and some garlic, before finishing them off with fresh flavors from mint and parsley.
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Not to play favorites, but roasting brussels sprouts may be the best and most delicious way to prepare them. When they are exposed to a furiously high heat, they caramelize, soften just enough and become impossibly crispy.
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Basic Method
Halve brussels sprouts (or quarter them, if they are especially large), making sure to hold on to any leaves that fall away (these get the crispiest) and toss with plenty of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and scatter them onto a rimmed baking sheet, making use of every inch. Brussels sprouts contain a good bit of water, and if they’re too crowded on the tray, they’ll steam instead of brown. Roast at 450 degrees, tossing every 10 minutes or so, until the outer leaves have begun to almost char, and the innermost part of the sprout is just tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
While they caramelize well on their own, tossing the sprouts with a tablespoon or two of maple syrup, honey or light brown sugar will give them a boost. And who doesn’t love a little salty and sweet in their roasted vegetables?
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To Serve
You could eat these right off the tray as soon as they’re cool enough to pick up, but a little patience goes far. They are excellent with an aggressively flavored relish or vinaigrette. Their dark, caramelized bits play best with lots of lemon or lime, something salty like fish sauce or soy sauce and a bit of fresh scallion or shallot to keep the sweetness in check.
Try roasting them, like we did above, with some honey and spicy harissa, maybe topped with some lemon relish with shallot and parsley.
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
Think of sautéing your brussels sprouts as the gateway preparation, the method that will get you hooked. That’s because brussels sprouts get along particularly well with the smoky flavor of cured pork, and while using meat here isn’t required, you won’t want to turn back once you’ve tried it. Having a large enough skillet is essential, so the sprouts have a chance to brown on one side before steaming and turning to mush.
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Basic Method
To properly sauté brussels sprouts, you’ll need a fair amount of fat in the skillet. While bacon is a classic pairing, take this opportunity to use any sort of flavorful fat you like: sausage, fresh or dried chorizo, duck fat or even schmaltz. (If you’re a vegetarian, olive oil works, too.)
If using something like bacon or sausage, start by browning the meat in a large skillet (10 to 12 inches) over medium-high heat to render the fat. Once the meat is cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving behind the drippings. (You can add the crispy meat bits back later.)
Add halved brussels sprouts to the fat, shaking the skillet so that as many as possible land cut side down. Now, don’t touch! Disturbing the skillet at this point would prevent the sprouts from caramelizing. Cook until they have a nice sear on one side, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, give them a stir and continue to cook until they’re nicely browned all over and just tender on the inside, another 5 to 8 minutes.
Just before removing from the heat, add in a handful of aromatics, like chopped garlic, sliced onion, thyme sprigs or dried chiles, tossing to coat and cooking only a minute or two.
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To Serve
Finish these deeply savory sprouts with either a squeeze of halved lemon, a splash of nice vinegar or a handful of pickled onions or shallots. Because of the sprouts’ meaty flavor profile, it’s also nice to hit them with a smattering of fresh herbs, especially parsley, cilantro or mint.
For instance, you could caramelize them in sausage drippings, as in the photo above, and finish them with pickled onions and fresh parsley.
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Steamed Brussels Sprouts
For years, cooks steamed brussels sprouts, sometimes to an army-green death. This is probably what gave them their bad reputation. But what if this simple method was a way to preserve their beautiful bright color, cook them until tender without waterlogging, and bring out their natural sweetness? It can be done.
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Basic Method
To start, slice brussels sprouts in half lengthwise. Fill a large pot (the wider, the better: A larger surface area will help the sprouts steam more evenly) with 2 inches of water and place a metal steamer basket on top. Bring the water to a simmer, add the brussels sprouts to the basket, season with salt and pepper and cover. Steam until the brussels sprouts are bright green and just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid from pot and let them cool slightly before removing.
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To Serve
Properly steamed brussels sprouts are a great blank canvas for just about anything, be it vinaigrettes or a garlicky romesco. But nothing beats a generous pat of butter, lots of salt and plenty of cracked pepper. Should the spirit move you, anything stirred into the butter beforehand is a welcome addition (think finely grated Parmesan, chopped herbs, chile flakes, ground spices).
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Gratin
The most indulgent way to eat any vegetable is to bathe it in cream and top it with cheese, but few benefit from that treatment as much as brussels sprouts do. Instead of melting into the cream like potatoes or cauliflower, they hold their own, letting the cream coat them while it reduces to a thick, caramelized golden brown sauce. Whether or not you decide to top them with crispy bread crumbs (you should), the end result is a decadent, but never too heavy, side dish that could easily become your main course.
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Basic Method
Before getting doused in cream, brussels sprouts need a head start, which is to say they should be parcooked. Rather than blanching (which can leave them waterlogged) or steaming (which requires another set of cooking tools), roasting them in whatever vessel you plan on making your gratin in will do the trick.
Roast them (along with some alliums, like quartered shallots, halved pearl onions or sliced garlic) at a high temperature (450 degrees) just until they’re nearly done, 12 to 15 minutes. You’re looking for al dente, since they will finish cooking in the cream. They’ll look bright green and should still have a bit of bite left in them.
Next, pour cream over top and sprinkle with a good, melty cheese (Gruyère, fontina or white Cheddar are great here). Return the dish to the oven and continue to cook until the sprouts are tender, the cream has thickened and the cheese has melted, another 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with some bread crumbs tossed with olive oil or butter. Bake just until the sprouts are toasted and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
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To Serve
The best thing about a gratin is that it doesn’t need any finishing touches — no pinches of chile flake, no chopping of herbs. Just let it cool slightly before serving.
Gruyère and shallots drive the flavors in the version above, which is finished with crispy bread crumbs.
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
