Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic-Honey Drizzle
You need these honey balsamic brussels sprouts in your life right this minute! Sweet, bitter, crispy, salty, and charred, this side dish is perfect for any weeknight or even a fancy holiday meal!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of brussels sprouts
- 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh-ground sea salt garlic powder, pepper to season
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. If you're lazy like me, line a large shallow baking sheet with tin foil for easy cleanup. Drizzle with half the olive oil.
- Prep the brussels sprouts, chopping off the stem base, then cutting in quarters (or smaller if they're massive; see notes). Peel away any outer leaves...keep the ones that look good, but any yellowed or wrinkly ones can get thrown away.
- Put all the brussels sprouts on your baking sheet and add the rest of the oil. Toss to coat well (I just use my hands). Season with salt, a little pepper, and some garlic powder.
- Roast for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your sprouts (I put them on the top shelf of the oven). Stir after the first 10 minutes, and ever 5 minutes after that. You want the leaves dark brown and crisp (but not so burnt they taste nasty), and the undersides of the sprouts browned really nicely. Because I make sure mine are small pieces, this is usually around 15 minutes for 1 pound and 20 or so minutes for a bigger batch.
- Once you pull them from the oven, put in a large bowl and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and honey. Toss to coat. You can serve immediately, but I also like this made ahead a bit because it allows the flavors to soak into the roasted brussels sprouts and soften them a bit. These are great as leftovers too.
Notes
- This makes very flexible amounts, depending on what's needed...I made almost 3 pounds for Thanksgiving, and usually just make 1 pound for myself (sometimes there's leftovers, sometimes not)
- The main change I've made from the original recipe is backing way off the amount of dressing/drizzle. I've found a 1-tablespoon-to-1-teaspoon ratio works best, and even sometimes a bit less than that (I eyeball when making for myself)
- The key here is using high heat to get a good char, which means you need smaller pieces to make sure the sprouts get cooked through and aren't tough. So for normal size brussels sprouts I usually do quarters, but for really big ones I just slice into small pieces
- Make sure not to crowd the pan too badly...better to do two pans so they can roast and not get soggy, if you're making a bigger batch