Here's my Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts recipe. Crispy, sweet Brussels sprouts sautéed in a cast iron pan make a great weeknight vegetable side dish.
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Dad! You forced me to like Brussels sprouts!
File that one under "Things I never thought I'd hear at the dinner table." I would have bet money. No, I would have bet on the heat death of the universe happening before one of my kids enjoyed Brussels sprouts. And now? It is the favorite vegetable of two out of three of my kids. (As always, one kid - and it's never the same kid - decides they don't like a vegetable.)
What is the downside to this newfound Brussels sprouts love? Oven roasting takes too much time on a weeknight unless I'm really organized. (I'm not that organized.) That's why I got excited when I saw the bag of shaved Brussels sprouts at the grocery store. Shaved Brussels sprouts cook in about ten minutes. Sautéing them in oil (or butter) gives me crispy sprouts with roasted flavors, and I don't have to heat up the oven.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredients
- 9 ounces shaved Brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional)
Substitutions
- Simple sprouts: Skip the vinegar, and just use salt and pepper.
- Spicy Brussels sprouts: Add ½ teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic (or garlic powder) with the salt and pepper.
- Sweet Brussels sprouts: Replace the drizzle of balsamic vinegar with a drizzle of honey.
- Other drizzles: I use vinegar because I like the hint of tart it adds to the sweet Brussels. Fresh lemon juice also works well.
- Fancy Brussels Sprouts: If you want to get fancy, add toasted pine nuts and sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on top of the sprouts right before serving.
- Frozen Brussels sprouts: This recipe really works best with fresh Brussels sprouts, but if all you can find are frozen sprouts, you can use the same technique. Dump the frozen sprouts directly in the pan, and sauté until they are cooked through.
How to Make Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts
Preheat the pan
Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for at least five minutes, then swirl in the oil. (For any other type of skillet, preheat over medium heat with the oil in the pan until the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes).
Cook the sprouts
Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan, gently toss to coat with the oil, and then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Sauté the sprouts, stirring and flipping often, until the white center of the sprout softens and turns a light tan color, and the sprouts start to brown and crisp a bit on the edges. This should take about 10 minutes.
Add vinegar and serve
Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the sprouts. Scrape the sprouts into a bowl, serve, and enjoy!
Helpful Tips
What if I have whole Brussels sprouts?
I get bags of pre-sliced Brussels sprouts at the grocery store. What do I do when they're not available? Slicing tiny Brussels sprouts by hand is possible but a lot of work for a quick weeknight meal. I use my food processor's thin slicing disc. (I stack the Brussels sprouts in the feed tube in batches).
Why a Cast Iron Skillet? What if I don't have one?
This recipe works best in a cast iron skillet, preheated for (at least) five minutes. The heat that builds up in the cast iron crisps up the sprouts, browning them while cooking them through. That said, you can cook Brussels sprouts in any heavy pan. (My All-Clad frypan also does a good job, and my thick aluminum nonstick pans do OK as well.) If you don't have a heavy pan, the sprouts won't crisp up, but don't let that stop you from making this recipe. The sprouts will still be good enough to make picky kids love green vegetables. (Or, at least, my kids.)
Brussels sprouts, not Brussels sprouts.
Yes, it's BrusselS sprouts, not Brussel sprouts. They're sprouts from Brussels, Belgium.
Why do Brussels sprouts taste better now?
You're not imagining things - Brussels sprouts used to have a strong bitter taste. Back in the 1990s, a Dutch scientist figured out the chemical compound in sprouts that made them bitter. Seed companies searched their archives for sprouts with less of that chemical and spent years cross-breeding them until they got a version that tasted better. For more details, read [From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom].
Storing Leftovers
Leftover sprouts, sealed in an airtight container, will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.
What to Serve with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are one of my go-to green side dishes. I love serving them with [Roast Chicken], [Roast Beef], [Roast Pork], [Roast Duck]…can you tell I like them with roasts? But, really, they will work with almost anything as a side dish.
Print
Sautéed Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Recipe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté recipe - crispy, sweet Brussels sprouts, seared in a cast iron pan.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces shaved Brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the pan: Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for at least five minutes, then swirl in the oil. (For any other type of skillet, preheat over medium heat with the oil in the pan until the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes).
- Cook the sprouts: Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan, gently toss to coat with the oil, and then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Sauté the sprouts, stirring and flipping often, until the white center of the sprout softens and turns a light tan color, and the sprouts start to brown and crisp a bit on the edges. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Add vinegar and serve: Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the sprouts. Scrape the sprouts into a bowl, serve, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
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Related Posts
For a decadent taste of sprouts, try my Brussels Sprouts Gratin in the oven. For other hearty side dishes, try my Instant Pot Cannellini Beans and Greens, Instant Pot Turnip Greens Recipe, or Cast Iron Roasted Cauliflower. Or, for a starchy side, try my Oven Roasted Crispy Fingerling Potatoes, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, or Cast Iron Spiral Skillet Potatoes.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Cast Iron Pan recipes.
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Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
This is my current favorite vegetable side dish. Try it!
Tagore Smith says
It's a bit ironic, and a bit unfortunate, that the people who need the most kitchen time on weeknights (parents) have the least. I don't have kids, so if I feel like spending three hours cooking on a weeknight I can (though I do value efficiency most of the time.)
That said, I'm surprised to hear you say that oven-roasting is outside your time budget. As long as you pick vegetables that benefit from high heat (and Brussels Sprouts definitely do) it's pretty quick. Since Mark never responded I will- raw halved Brussels Sprouts should only take about 20 minutes in a 500 degree oven (assuming the cooking vessel was pre-heated along with the oven.)
I'm also really partial to Brussels Sprouts done Italian-style on the stove-top (Italians have not traditionally had ovens at home.) I learned the technique from Marcella Hazan's books, but I think it's pretty traditional. She doesn't ever mention using Brussels Sprouts, but they work very well.
First blanch (past blanch for tougher veggies like Sprouts and broccoli- I do this by feel, so I can't give you exact timings) the vegetable in question in salted water, then finish it in a skillet with either butter and Parmesan or olive oil and garlic. If using butter and Parmesan hold off on adding the cheese till appropriate. Broccoli made this way is also _very_, _very_ good- it's best if you get whole heads instead of just crowns and include a lot of stalk. Cast iron works well for this, and the whole procedure is quite quick and only really requires attention for the last few minutes.
Michael says
Definitely recommend adding a little garlic salt for some extra flavor. I also use Penzy's spices "mural of flavor" which is excellent on all sorts of veggies. Since you're using cast iron, might as well try it on the grill! Been using cast iron on the grill all summer so the kitchen doesn't heat up and make the AC bills skyrocket! We use whole sprouts with the stems cut off and then just half them. I attempt to flip them, but it's a lot easier to stir/flip every so often to get an even crisp to them. Cooks in about 15 minutes or less.
Lisa says
I like to add a little beer which will cook off...then throw a little bit of blue cheese crumbles on before taking out of pan. Love Brussels!!
Lyle says
Love the Sprouts! Try tossing with salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil then bake in the oven till crispy on the outside and slightly crunchy on the inside....
Mark says
We cook our BS in cast iron exactly this way, but we just trim the stems and cut them in half. Shaving gives it some serious contact surface. Trying this tomorrow.
Mike V says
Interesting! How long do you cook halved brussels sprouts in the pan?