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If you’re looking for some side dishes to prepare for Thanksgiving that free up the oven, this pan roasted Brussel sprouts recipe is your best bet! Easy and quick to make with just a handful of ingredients, these sprouts are the perfect side for your holiday table.
When I cook brussel sprouts, I usually opt for roasting them in the oven, but preparing the brussel sprouts in a pan creates just as wonderful a taste and texture. The sprouts get crispy and caramelized on the outside while getting fully cooked and tender on the inside. Try this and it will be your go-to last-minute recipe for brussel sprouts!
Are these crispy Brussel sprouts healthy?
One serving of these sprouts is around 100 calories. They are sautéed in a little oil and butter, but this helps them to get nice and crispy and only adds to the flavor. Sprouts are highly nutritious and are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to nake pan roasted brussel sprouts
Preparing the Brussels sprouts
To start, you need to prep by washing the sprouts. Check my tips for cutting brussel sprouts by first cutting off the stems and then slicing them in half. This part is tedious and can be time consuming. But using only a pound of brussel sprouts isn’t so bad. You can usually wrap this step up in 10 minutes.
And if you’re preparing this for Thanksgiving, I highly recommend doing this step 2-3 days in advance.
Next comes the flavor part of the recipe! For a unique and rich flavor, use both olive oil and butter, heating them together in a large skillet until they start shining and become very hot. Then add the sliced garlic and pan fry the garlic just enough to get a golden brown color. Then quickly remove from the heat and set the garlic aside. These will be used to garnish the dish. And you pretty much just used them to flavor the oil/butter combination.
Cooking the pan roasted Brussel sprouts
Now you can transfer the prepared brussel sprouts and place them cut-side down on the pan. If you’re using pearl onions or regular onions, you can throw these in there at this point too. I try not to touch the brussel sprouts for a few minutes here. This allows them to get a wonderful caramelized flavor and soak up the garlicky olive oil butter.
After that, you can start stirring frequently until the outside of the brussel sprouts (and any leaves that fell) get toasty. Be careful not to overcook the brussel sprouts, which happens when the outer layers become completely brown. You can tell they’re over cooked if their color turns drab and they can become soggy. They should be bright green still with a hint of golden brown and pretty firm.
Serving the pan roasted Brussel sprouts
Once they’re fully cooked, you can serve them with the pan roasted garlic you made earlier. I added cranberry just for color and garnish but that’s not really part of the recipe. Get ready to devour this easy brussel sprout recipe!
Tips for Cooking Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Have a large enough skillet when cooking the brussel sprouts so as not to crowd them on top of each other on the pan. This will ensure that each sprout can get enough heat in the initial pan roasting and reduce any chance of soggy sprouts. For 1 pound of brussel sprouts, I used my 1 ½ quarter saucepan, which fit perfectly.
- Use smaller Brussel sprouts instead of the more popular large ones that are often sold in the grocery stores. The smaller ones have better flavor and also cook faster, which is great for the pan roasting method. Sometimes the organic ones are the smaller ones.
- Buy fresh brussel sprouts if possible for this recipe to ensure they don’t get soggy when cooking. However, if you’re using frozen brussel sprouts, be sure to allow them to fully thaw before pan roasting them.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you cook Brussels sprouts?
Because you are sautéing these sprouts in a pan rather than roasting them in the oven, the cooking time is significantly reduced. It only takes around 10 minutes to cook them, so they are a great side dish you can cook up right at the last minute before serving the rest of your feast.
How do you know when the pan roasted Brussel sprouts are cooked?
When the outer leaves start to become a toasty golden brown, your Brussels sprouts are ready to serve. They should still be a vibrant green in color and be firm, not soft and mushy.
What do you serve with sautéed Brussels sprouts?
These sprouts make a great side dish for your Thanksgiving and holiday feasts but they are also right at home as part of an easy weeknight meal. Try them with:
These pan roasted brussel sprouts are incredibly quick and easy to throw together as a last minute addition to your Thanksgiving spread or as a side dish for any weeknight meal. No need to turn on the oven and wonder about roast temperatures and times. Just pan roast them for 7-10 minutes and they’re done! They’re toasty, tasty and a very healthy side dish to add to your meal.
More Brussel Sprouts Recipes
- Holiday Brussels Sprouts
- Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Parmesan Crusted Brussel Sprouts
If you make this healthy-ish feelgood Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 pound brussel sprouts halved
- 6-8 pearl onions peeled/halved (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Trim the stems off brussel sprouts and then cut in half lengthwise.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside.
- Add the brussel sprouts and pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until brussel sprouts are fork tender and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Once caramelized, season with salt and pepper, stir in the lemon juice and toss the garlic back in the pan.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- To make this vegan, substitute the tablespoon of butter for olive oil
- If you can’t find pearl onions, you can use half a small onion, chopped
- If you prefer to skip the garlic, that’s fine. You can also sprinkle garlic powder on the brussel sprouts instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Excellent! i fried chips of bacon, removed bacon and cooked the sprounts and pearl onions in the bacon grease
Such a great recipe! Simple ingredients (with logical substitution options), clear instructions, and EXCELLENT RESULTS. Loved our sprouts last night, will DEFINITELY make these again!
Thank you so much, Ace!
What temperature (heat level) do you pan heat the sprouts?
Medium high heat!
I made this recipe and its so yummy!!
Thank you!
I used your recipe today, which was the first time I’ve EVER prepared Brussels Sprouts, and they came out perfectly. I used Asian Spicey Pearl Onions, for my family enjoy any dish that has a slight kick. This was a hit with everyone, will try adding mushrooms the next time. Thank you.
That’s awesome! So glad to hear that you liked it and it came out perfect! Thank you for taking the team to leave feedback 🙂
This recipe was awesome! I used sliced shallots instead of pearl onions which I didn’t have. So quick and tender!!! Will absolutely use your recipe again.
Terry GS
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that. I think the shallots are an awesome substitute actually. Thank you for the feedback 🙂
It worked perfectly! Cooking garlic was made easy with this recipe. I added in some mushrooms with slices of onions 🙂 thanks again.
That’s wonderful! Love the addition of the mushrooms and onions 🙂
Healthy side dish. Like the mix of olive oil and butter. Good tips