Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté
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. Now, thanks to oven roasting (and a load of cheese), I have a brussels sprouts fan. She’ll even eat them without the load of cheese!
The downside? Oven roasting takes just long enough that I can’t do it on weeknights, unless I’m really organized. I’m never that organized. But I don’t want to give up on a vegetable that (one) of the kids is actually eating. That’s why I got excited when I saw the bag of shaved brussels sprouts at the grocery store. 2 Shaved brussels sprouts cook in about ten minutes. Sautéing them in a little oil gives me the crispy, sweet, oven roasted flavor, without heating up the oven.
Now, this recipe works best in a cast iron skillet, preheated for five minutes. The heat that builds up in the cast iron crisps up the sprouts, browning them while cooking them through. That said, it will work in any pan; heavier is better, if possible. The sprouts won’t crisp up quite as much. But they’ll still be good enough to convert picky daughters to a love of green vegetables.
Recipe: Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté
Equipment
- 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet (I love my 12 inch skillet from Lodge)
Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté
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Prep Time: 5 minutes - Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
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Yield: 4-6 -
Category: Side Dish -
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
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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
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the pan: Preheat the skillet – for a cast iron skillet, preheat over medium-low heat for five minutes, then swirl in the oil. For any other type of skillet, preheat over medium with the oil in the pan, until the oil is shimmering.
- Cook the sprouts: Add the Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Sauté the sprouts, stirring and flipping often. The sprouts are done when they are browned and crisp on the edges and the white center turns a light tan and looks softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add vinegar and serve: Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, toss to coat the sprouts evenly, and then scrape the sprouts into a serving bowl.
Sprouts in the pan
Cooking and tossing – starting to brown
Done – note the change in color – the white part of the sprouts turned to yellow.
Notes
- Can’t find shaved brussels sprouts? Buy them whole and run them through your food processor, using the thin slicing disk. (Process them in batches, stacking as many as you can in the feed tube at a time.)
- Yes, it’s BrusselS sprouts, not Brussel sprouts. They’re sprouts from Brussels.
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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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.
Interesting! How long do you cook halved brussels sprouts in the pan?
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….
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!!
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.
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.