Brussels sprouts?
 

This is the first thanksgiving since my mom passed. My brother was her caretaker for 10 years and I'm trying to make a nice dinner for him, since he has really struggled with grief. I hate brussels sprouts and have no idea how to cook them, I don't think mom did anything special, but is there a trick to it? Brother loves them and I want to make sure all his favorites are included. Help? No cheese sauces, he doesn't like that, and he's diabetic if that helps. Thank you!

I love brussel spouts. I just steam them and then drowned them in butter! YUM!

I think that most folks boil or steam them.

They're tasty if you toss fresh sprouts in a little olive oil (cut the bigger ones in half), sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper, and roast them in a hot (400-450) oven until they're tender. Start checking after about 15 minutes. That decreases the cole stank a good deal.

Here is how i do it: Steam in butter and white wine (water is good, too), and pepper. Add grated fresh nutmeg at serving. Cooking time varies based on your preference. I like mine a bit stiff. I don't have a steamer, so I use a sauté pan with a lid.

I make them heart attack style!!
Half a pound of bacon cut in about two inch pieces sauté onion in with bacon. While it is frying and about half done add cut up Brussels sprouts. When bacon is done it is ready.

I do steam them too...but this other way is soooooooo good!

Love them for Thanksgiving!!! Forgot to include them on our menu - will fix that! BTW, we love them steamed with lots of butter! Yummy for the tummy!

Yes. Bacon bits. A great add. I also forgot to mention that I cut them in half.

Slice in half, and sauté with chopped garlic and a little olive oil, and S&P of course.

Halve or quarter them, toss with some olive oil and maybe onion or garlic salt, and roast. You can add sliced carrots too if you want. MMMMMM!!!!!!

This is a vegetable that was not meant to be boiled.

yep...everyone is correct. me loves the brussels and would eat them everyday (if only i could afford'm). slicing, then steamin works best for me. i add garlic, pepper in water, then remove from heat and steam with more garlic, pepper, and butter. i don't care for them mushy but will eat'm cause me loves some bussels..sending moose-luck~ML

Thank you all! Maybe the reason I never liked them was because I forgot to drown their taste with butter and bacon, haha.

get them SMALL. Dont get the big ones, those taste like dead pumpkin guts to me. The baby ones are so delicious steamed with butter

Peel off the funky leaves, slice in half, rinse well, shake out the excess water, put in a microwave safe dish (that has a cover) with a couple of tablespoons of butter and nuke, covered, for 2 to 5 minutes (less is better) and serve. Perfectly simple,

Love them! Cut in half, remove outer leaf, steam for about 10 minutes, toss with lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper.

I julienne them and saute with bacon and onion, or I cut in half and saute cut side down till crisp tender in olive oil with garlic at the very end right before I flip them over and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and put the lid on for a second or two. I like them boiled or steamed with butter too. I just like sprouts.

We like to do them sometimes with the bacon and onion except I put just a little syrup on them and cook them till they are nice and glazed. Mostly though just with some butter.

Brussels Sprouts are best harvested after a frost. Choose small hard sprouts and leave the larger or looser ones in the store. Peel off the outer leaves until you have a tight pale green ball like a tiny white cabbage. I like mine steamed and eaten plain with just a touch of salt added at the table. In England lots of people eat them with vinegar - added at the table, not as part of the cooking.

I toss them in melted butter, and put in a roasting pan, then salt and pepper. I like them when they start to show a little carmelization on them. Yum!

Sometimes I mix them with some root vegetables and roast.

Take off the bad leaves if any, cut in half then saute in butter and olive oil (not too much) and add fennel seed towards the end........yum.

I have got to ask = what were you doing tasting dead pumpkin guts?


I like the brussels sprouts steamed, then a bit of butter on them. But I find a slight drizzle of a plain or raspberry vineagrette is good with them, too.

Anything you can do with cabbage, you can do with Brussels sprouts.

edited to add (except Brussels sprout rolls would be VERY tiny...)

My husband did not like them until I steamed them until cooked but still firm, tossed them in sour cream and added bacon bits. I halve each sprout which cooks them a lot faster so you can be sure that they don't get mushy and also allows for more surface area for the sour cream to stick to.

I'm in the roasted with a tich of olive oil camp. I cut them in half so they are bite-sized, drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, and spread on a cookie sheet, little sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper, roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. For special occasions, sprinkle in a handful of pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts before roasting. I like pecans the best, but mostly use English Walnuts because we have several trees on the farm. They come out rich and sweet. One of my family's very favorite vegetables, even my 9-yr-old granddarling!

There are so many ways you can make them, you might ask him how he likes them. I love mine barely cooked, but my kids wont touch them unless they are boiled to the point of coming apart.

My recipe won't be nearly as good as the butter and bacon, but....maybe healthier?

I have found that Mrs. Dash and boiled brussel sprouts are SO YUMMY. I drain them, put a little olive oil on them and probably way too much Mrs. Dash. ha. I take them to work. I love the flavor of brussel sprouts. The slightly lemon zing and garlic of the original Mrs. Dash (other flavors are okay) taste really nice with brussel sprouts.

Lemon or lime juice in the steaming water. Or sesame oil. Or both :clap:

Personally, my favorite way is pickled, with a touch of heat.

Here's a recipe I haven't seen mentioned yet: Steam lightly in salted water till tender/crisp, not soggy. Shock in cold water so they retain their brilliant green color. Let drain. Melt butter until it just begins to brown; saute Brussels sprouts in browned butter. Add dill weed to taste. Amazing!

Fry a little bacon and add some onion or chives, drain the fat. Cut sprouts in half and add to pan, don't turn, let them carmalize a little, sprinkle with lemon juice and Mrs. Dash. MMM MMMMM....James

I love brussel sprouts, but hate the smell. I used to boil them, drain and mash with a ton of butter, then started using the butter substitutes. But now I just cook them in chicken broth until they are tender. You can keep them warm in the broth (crock pots are good for this). Serve with a slotted spoon. I admit I still spray on a little spray butter before I eat them though. Love my butter.

fry salt cured ham or bacon as a substitute. Remove when done and set aside. Drain off some of the grease if you used bacon, or add some butter it you used the ham. Add apple cider preferably or apple juice to the grease, scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge the crispies, and cook the brussel sprouts in the juice/grease. if it gets too dry, add more cider. The goal is that by the time the sprouts are semi-tender, the cider will have reduced to a thin syrup. Chop the ham or bacon, add it back to heat and stir it around in the cider syrup. This sweet and salty sauce will make the sprouts a bit different and even most kids will enjoy.

I braised mine in cream today and they were incredible. I just put them in a pot, added a cup of heavy cream and a half tsp of salt and brought to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer and cooked till tender. A dash of fresh ground nutmeg and they were absolutely divine. This recipe was a keeper!

#1 rule: don't overcook them - it's the old "grey vegetables don't taste great".

Here's a recipe we like:
Brussels Sprouts Recipe | Simply Recipes