Roasted brussels sprouts are one of my favorite side dishes, and during the chilly winter months they are a perfect accompaniment to nearly every meal. I even eat a big bowl of them for lunch! These addicting roasted brussels spouts are slightly charred, crunchy, and get a sweet and salty hit from the sauce you toss them in after roasting.
I recently learned that when you want to get that signature charred, roasted, crunchy texture on your vegetables, you should roast them without salt, then salt them at the end. Salt draws out the moisture, so you get a better texture when you roast veggies without it.
Addicting Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
- 1 pound brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons gochujang Korean chili paste (You can find this at most supermarkets or linked here)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Start by trimming and cutting your brussels sprouts. Cut off the hard ends and quarter them. If you have really big brussels sprouts you might want to cut them into sixths so they aren’t so big. (See picture below)
Next, toss them with canola oil. I’m sure this recipe would be fine with olive oil too, but I like to use a flavorless oil so the flavor of the sauce can really shine. Place the oil coated brussels sprouts in a large cast iron pan. You can roast them on a baking sheet too, however they come out much better when you use a cast iron pan because it retains heat more evenly. If you don’t already own a cast iron pan, I highly recommend getting one. They are inexpensive and are one of the best cooking tools you could own. Here’s a link to my favorite large cast iron pan.
Make sure that the brussels sprouts are spread into one even layer. The more spread out the brussels sprouts are, the better they will roast.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes until the brussels sprouts are cooked through with brown crunchy edges.
While they’re cooking, make the sauce. Mix the crushed garlic, maple syrup, soy sauce, gochujang, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar in a heat proof mixing bowl until well combined.
Once the brussels sprouts are out of the oven, toss them in a bowl with the sauce, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve them up! Taste to see if they need additional salt, but you probably won’t need much because of the soy sauce. These are best served right away so you still get the crunch, but they’re still delicious served at room temp or even cold the next day!
You can also use this cooking technique for roasted brussels sprouts without the sauce. Just roast the brussels sprouts as described, season with salt after roasting, and enjoy!
Whichever way you serve them, roasted brussels sprouts are an easy and delicious way to eat your veggies!