Maple Glazed Brussel Sprouts. I try to eat a green veggie with every meal (doesn’t always work on a day when I am having cereal for dinner). But when I do make sure I eat a green veggie – it has to be something I like and something that tastes good. This is my favorite way to eat brussel sprouts, hands down. And I make these personally, very often. They are crispy, salty, sticky, sweet, kind of charred, and they are so tasty. Cover with a handful of sliced green onions? You will be making these every night.
Roasting Brussel Sprouts
There are lots of brussel sprout roasting methods out there, but with this one we are keeping it simple. We aren’t solely focused on getting everything crispy here. At the end, there is a delicious glaze which will take away some crisp anyway. So, we are going to focus on crispy bottoms and crispy leaves.
Toss the brussels with lots of olive oil, salt & pepper & preheat the baking sheet inside the oven. (I like to use my most beat up baking sheet for this step). The goal is to get the brussels cooking right away. Leave any of the leaves that fall off – they are going to crisp and char and bring a lot of flavor to the dish. Roast them just like that – cut side down – until they are cooked through and crispy.
Making the Glaze
Making the glaze is very simple – this part of the recipe was adapted from a Bon Appétit recipe from years ago that I make constantly. Whenever I am out of some ingredients, I tried with different ones like maple instead of honey or balsamic instead of sherry vinegar. And over time it has become this – heavy focus on the green onion and balancing all of the flavors.
Start by bringing the maple syrup to a boil. We aren’t caramelizing it too much, but we are going to get it hot and sticky and fragrant. Add in the balsamic glaze & simmer until it reduces and thickens. Add a quick tablespoon of butter & done.
A little tip? Sometimes, when transferring the brussel sprouts from the baking sheet to the bowl, I keep the crispy leaves aside. I toss the brussel sprouts in the glaze, and throw the crispy leaves back on top with the green onions. Extra added crispy, charr-y flavor.
When you make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram @quartersoulcrisis or comment here. I really love hearing your thoughts and chatting with you.
Warm Balsamic Maple Glazed Brussel Sprouts
Equipment
- small sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb brussel sprouts cut in half with ends trimmed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt & black pepper
- 3 tbs grade a maple syrup
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbs salted butter
- 3 (or more) green onions sliced thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° with baking sheet inside the oven. Prep brussels & add them to a large bowl with ¼ cup olive oil, big pinch salt & black pepper & toss.
- Roast Brussels: Carefully remove hot baking sheet from oven & drizzle with a little bit more oil or spray. Dump brussels sprouts onto hot baking sheet & shake it up a little. Carefully flip brussel sprouts cut-side down flat onto baking sheet. Keep any extra leaves on sheet. Roast like this for 20-25 minutes, brussels will still be green but leaves & bottoms golden and crispy.
- Make Glaze: While brussels are roasting, make warm maple glaze. In a small sauce pan on skillet, add 3tbs maple. Bring to bubble on medium-high (a few minutes). Let it bubble for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat & add balsamic. Simmer for a few minutes, until reduced slightly (3 or so more minutes). With spatula or whisk, whisk in 1tbs butter & let melt. Remove from heat & pour into measuring cup or small bowl to stop cooking process. Let cool until brussel sprouts are done (5-10 minutes).
- Assemble: Remove brussels from oven & let sit on baking sheet for a minute or so. Remove and add to serving bowl. Toss with glaze- add some or all of the glaze, I like to start with half. Toss, sprinkle heavily with green onions & serve immediately.
Home Cook’s Notes
- Cut off the ends of the brussels sprouts & discard. Discard any wilted, sad, soft leaves. But if any other leaves fall off, keep those. They get extra crispy!
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