Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I love brussels sprouts, but this wasn't always true. No, dear readers, I used to shun this delicious cruciferous vegetable simply because it was the stereotypical vegetable that all children hated. I honestly don't know if I ever actually had tasted one until a few years ago when, lo and behold, I found them to be amazing. Yeah, I'm silly like that sometimes.

Simply Recipes was my help for a second time this holiday with this side dish. I had made this for Aaron and myself a few weeks before Thanksgiving and decided that because I loved them so much, I'd do it again. I love this recipe and I think you will too. It's perfect for fall and winter meals.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts from Simply Recipes:

Serves 4 (or 8 with several other side dishes)

1 lb. brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed
5 garlic cloves, minced (the original had 3. Ha!)
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tb. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional. Cheese is always a yes when it’s an option for me)

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place brussels sprouts in a roasting pan. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss with oil so that the sprouts are well coated. Sprinkle generously with salt (at least a half teaspoon) and a few turns of black pepper.

Put brussels sprouts in oven on top rack, cook for 20 minutes, then stir so that the sprouts get coated with the oil in the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with parmesan and cook for another 5 minutes.
The sprouts should be nicely browned, some of the outside leaves crunchy, the interior should be cooked through.

 Add more salt to taste. Salting sufficiently is the key to success with this recipe.

I cooked these early in the day, set them aside, and then reheated them with a few other items just before dinner. They hold up really well.

I think these are so good, you can turn non-brussels sprouts eaters, like my former self, to them. My father-in-law claimed he didn’t like brussels sprouts, to which I said “that’s because you’ve never had them cooked properly before.” Aaron added that they taste like broccoli. He tried one and said “Yeah, they taste like broccoli.” Sounds like another food win to me!