Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Recipe with Parmesan, Tomatoes & Garlic⁠

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This easy best Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Recipe with Tomatoes, Olives, and Garlic features tips on how to get the bitterness out of Brussel sprouts and roast them to sweet and caramelized perfection. Jump to Recipe 

The Best Balsamic Brussel Sprouts Recipe + All the Tips & Tricks

I feel like we’re going to split the room with this one, but let me go on record as being staunchly for Brussel sprouts. Not that I haven’t had terrible ones – mind you. If anything, I feel like they were a lot more common growing up in Germany than I’ve found them to be here in the Americas, so I’ve had plenty of bad sprouts in my life – it’s just that the balance still favors all the really, really good Brussel sprouts I’ve had.

And these Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Orange, Olives, Tomates and Garlic are THE BEST! You can serve them as they are – vegan! Or sprinkle them with parmesan cheese! 

I also added a sprinkle of fennel seeds to the Balsamic Brussel Sprouts which goes so well with the orange zest and also helps with digestion. 

So this Thanksgiving how do we guarantee delicious, sweet Brussel sprouts over bad, bitter ones? After much testing, I’ve distilled it down to three key variables.

Best Brussel Sprouts Cooking Method: 

Most of us grew up eating steamed or boiled Brussel sprouts. This is not the way to do it. The best way to get good sprouts is to cook them in a way that allows them to brown and caramelize, activating those deep, nutty flavors and allowing them to release some of the natural sweetness that’s hidden in there.

Boiling or steaming your Brussel sprouts does neither of these two things and on top of that, they make it really easy to overcook the sprouts, which produces that sulfurous taste that children (and adults) the world over know and dread.

Solution! Roasting the Brussel sprouts! There are also a lot of successful brussel sprout recipes that make use of the broiler, but I tend to just roast them in the oven as it’s more hands-off and less dependent on the size and freshness of your Brussel sprouts.

How to get Bitterness out of Brussel Sprouts?

Roast Brussel Sprouts on High Heat: 

Just as someone, somewhere in some sci-fi movie said: “Blast ‘em!”.

That browning and caramelization I mentioned before are key, but we have to balance that out with the risks inherent in overcooking them. We want to get them up to heat as quickly as possible, and we’re going to do this in two ways:

Pizza-mode. Crank that oven up to 500°F (260°C) and we’re going to preheat the baking sheet in there too before the sprouts even go in. If you have a pizza stone or baking steel, this is the time to whip it out. I prefer to use a baking sheet so as not to crowd the sprouts together, and having the pizza stone or baking steel in there to gather heat helps brown the bottoms. Using any sort of cast-iron cookware works as well, but remember: don’t crowd the pan.

Secondly, we’re going to toss the sprouts with oil before they go in. This can do some lovely things flavor-wise, but more importantly, it helps us get those sprouts heated quickly and evenly.

Create Surface Area for Caramelization: 

All that nagging I did about not crowding the pan? This is why – and as you’d expect by now it goes right back to the browning and caramelization I’ve been going on about. More surface area – more browning. 

This is easily handled. just make sure they’ve got space as they roast, and cut them in half lengthwise to expose all the interior folds and the base of the stem. Simple.

What goes well with Roasted Brussel Sprouts? 

I like serving these with my Cornbread Stuffed Maple Roasted Chicken or with my favorite Lamb Sirloin. It would also go oh so well with salmon! 

Tips for Roasting Balsamic Brussel Sprouts:

• If you’ve halved this Balsamic Brussel Sprouts recipe, using an oven-safe skillet is just as effective as the baking sheet. The only real concern here is crowding the pan, which cuts down on the surface area that can be easily browned.
• This is a great excuse to use that pizza stone or baking steel that’s taking up space in the back of your cupboard. It allows for more heat transfer to the bottom of the baking sheet and more browning of the surface
• This methodology discussed here is easily transferable to other beloved cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli. Just adjust your cooking times.
• Depending on the size and relative age of your Brussel sprouts, you may want to trim off a bit of the bottom of the stem, they can get rather tough and taste a bit woody.

★ Did you make and love this balsamic Brussel sprouts recipe? Give it your review below! And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!

5 from 4 votes

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Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Recipe with Tomatoes & Garlic⁠

This easy best Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Recipe with Tomatoes, Olives, and Garlic features tips on how to get the bitterness out of Brussel sprouts and roast them to sweet and caramelized perfection.  

Course side

Cuisine American

Keyword balsamic roasted Brussel Sprouts, brussel sprouts with balsamic, roasted brussel sprouts recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

• 6 cups brussels sprouts
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes ⁠
• 1/2 tsp salt ⁠
• 1/4 tsp black pepper⁠
• 4 tbsp olive oil ⁠
• 6 garlic cloves⁠
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar⁠
• 1/2 cup olives⁠

To Finish

• 3 tbsp olive oil ⁠
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds crushed⁠
• 2 twigs fresh thyme or rosemary⁠
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest⁠
• ⁠
• optional: 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese⁠ balsamic glaze

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with the rack in one of the upper positions. Prep a foil-lined baking sheet and place it in the oven while it preheats. If you have a baking steel or pizza stone of some kind, this is the time to break it out.

2. While waiting on the oven, cut all of your Brussel sprouts in half lengthwise, exposing all those interior folds and a portion of the stem. This will make more surface area available for browning and caramelization. Toss the sprouts with the oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper, then transfer the sprouts to your warm baking sheet along with the peeled garlic and tomatoes.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until crispy, with noticeable patches of caramelization. Add olives in the last 10 minutes⁠.

4. Once the olives go in, gently warm up 3 tbsp olive oil, thyme, and crushed fennel seeds in a large saute pan, over low to medium-low heat.

5. Once the sprouts come out of the oven, toss again with the herbed oil, adding orange zest, and seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.⁠
6. Transfer to a plate, garnish with balsamic glaze drizzle and shredded parm

Recipe Notes

• If you’ve halved this recipe, using an oven-safe skillet is just as effective as the baking sheet. The only real concern here is crowding the pan, which cuts down on surface area that can be easily browned.
• This is a great excuse to use that pizza stone or baking steel that’s taking up space in the back of your cupboard. It allows for more heat transfer to the bottom on the baking sheet and more browning of the surface
• This methodology discussed here is easily transferable to other beloved cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli. Just adjust your cooking times.
• Depending on the size and relative age of your brussel sprouts, you may want to trim off a bit of the bottom of the stem, they can get rather tough and taste a bit woody.