Sautéed shredded Brussels sprouts are a quick, nutrient-dense vegetable dish for the winter months. And those coveted, caramelized, crispy sprouts like the ones served at restaurants aren't out of reach for the home cook. It's all about one easy technique and balancing out the bitterness with the right ingredients.
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The Story
Brussels sprouts are tiny cabbages with an earthy aroma and bitter crunch. And shredding or shaving the sprouts helps the fibrous vegetable sauté up faster and more tender.
Caramelizing the sugars in the plant with high heat (yes, vegetables contain sugar) is the secret to delectable, sweet crispiness. This simple technique creates those can't-get-enough sprouts from your favorite restaurant. For a lot less dough.
The Ingredients
You can create truly crispy, crunchy, delicious Brussels with only shredded sprouts, cooking oil, and salt. But I recommend reaching for a least two or three of the seasonings and ingredients below for the most flavorful dish. For a vegan dish, leave out the prosciutto.
- Fresh Brussels sprouts. Bonus if you can find bagged, shredded sprouts in the produce section of your market. Stay away from frozen sprouts, they won't caramelize because of the residual moisture added and created during freezing.
- Oil. Reach for the best high-heat oil you're willing to buy. I recommend avocado, olive, and safflower. Canola (rapeseed) will work, too. The goal is to choose a refined oil that won't smoke excessively at high temperatures.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is more aromatic, but use what you have and like to buy.
- Shallot. I can't think of many vegetable dishes I cooked when working in restaurants where we didn't add a small pinch of minced shallots. With a subtle, sweet, onion-meets-garlic flavor, shallots are a delicious addition to any green vegetable dish.
- Lemon. A quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice is all you need. Or a little drizzle of bottled juice.
- Prosciutto or pancetta. The two Italian forms of cured pork bring umami to the dish and temper the bitterness of Brussels. Traditional American bacon serves the same savory purpose.
- Dried cranberries. Adds a sweetness and contrasting texture. But if added sugar is a concern, leave them out.
The Method
Whether you sauté shredded Brussels sprouts on the stove or send them into the oven, a hands-off approach is key. Nearly blackened, crispy Brussels sprouts are the product of high heat and a lack of movement.
So regardless of how you cook them, spread the shavings into a single layer and fight the urge to stir. A nice dose of oil encourages food to brown.
In brief:
- High heat.
- Plenty of oil.
- Single layer.
- Don't stir.
How to Shred
The best way to get shaved or shredded sprouts of the same size is to do it yourself with a sharp chef's knife. A food processor gets the work done quickly, if not a little less accurately. A mandolin is incredibly accurate. But can be intimidating when slicing a smaller ingredient like sprouts.
If you shred with your knife or a processor, first slice off the stems (this piece of instructional advice is surprisingly missing from many popular recipes). If you use a mandolin, leaving the stem on gives you a sturdier spot on the sprout to grasp while you grate.
- Chef's knife. With a chef's knife, carefully cut off the brown stems and slice the sprouts in half. Then with the cut side down, slice each half as thinly as possible.
- Food processor. If you own a food processor, you can make quick work of shredding whole Brussels sprouts. Pulse the sprouts until they're finely chopped. Or use the shredder blade if your machine came with one. You may still want to run your knife over larger pieces.
- Mandolin. A chef's time saver, but also a potential finger hacker. If you employ a mandolin to shave your sprouts, use the guard if you can, or pinch the stem tightly. And take it slow to prevent cutting yourself.
The Steps
When prepping vegetables, I like to work with a small bowl next to the cutting board for dropping in scraps for compost (or the trash). And reach for the largest sauté pan possible and the same goes for a baking pan. Crowding any vegetable creates a steaming effect as the food's moisture evaporates over the heat. And this prevents crisping and caramelizing.
- Shred the Brussels sprouts. If you are starting with whole sprouts, remove the stems and shred or thinly slice with whichever tool you choose.
- Prepare the seasonings. Mince any garlic or shallots you plan to use. Carefully tear the prosciutto into inch-wide strips. Or dice pancetta or bacon into small pieces.
- Oil and season. In a mixing bowl, drizzle plenty of oil over the shaved sprouts and mix to distribute it. Season the sprouts generously with salt, I like coarse kosher salt.
- Crisp the pancetta or prosciutto in the pan (optional). Cook your chosen pork in a bit of oil over medium heat just until it becomes crispy, two or three minutes for prosciutto and a few minutes more for bacon and pancetta. Remove from the pan and drain on a towel. Leave any rendered fat in the pan.
- Add the sprouts to the pan in a single layer. Turn the heat to medium-high and add a little oil to the rendered fat in the pan to create a thin coating. Once the oil shimmers, carefully add the sprouts and spread them out evenly. Avoid a thick layer, and work in batches if necessary.
- Cook undisturbed. Let the Brussels cook without stirring until they are deeply browned on the bottom, about three or four minutes. Then stir to flip them over and cook longer to caramelize as much surface area as possible. Repeat with the remaining sprouts if you couldn't fit them all in the first round. I like to crisp the first batch, then push them over to the side to make room in the pan for more. If you're worried the first batch will burn, you can push that half of the pan off the burner.
- Add the garlic, shallots, and cranberries. Turn the heat down to medium, and add all of the caramelized sprouts, garlic, shallot, and dried cranberries to the pan. Cook for about three minutes stirring occasionally. Taste a bite, and add salt and ground black pepper a little at a time until you like the seasoning.
- Garnish with lemon juice and serve. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the top of the sprouts, and serve with the prosciutto or bacon sprinkled on top.
Chef's Tips
- Slice the sprouts with a knife. Shredding the sprouts in a processor makes for more cleanup and can result in uneven pieces. If food looks the same, it cooks the same. And that's what you want, especially when cooking at higher temperatures.
- Don't be afraid of really high heat. You can always turn it down or push the pan off the burner. But if you don't send the shredded sprouts into a blazing hot pan, the poor greens will steam themselves into sogginess. And by the time the burner catches up (especially on an electric stove), it'll be too late to get that coveted, charred, crispy texture.
- Use your eyes, not the clock. Disregard recipes and advice that hold steadfast to time stamps for cooking meat and vegetables. Every pan and stove cooks differently. When most of the sprouts are a really deep brown and almost blackened, only then are they crispy, sweet, and delicious.
What to Serve with Brussels
Caramelized shredded Brussels sprouts pair wonderfully with roast chicken, any type of roast beef, braised short ribs, and sockeye salmon. For a plant-based meal, serve the crispy sprouts alongside roasted parsnip purée, baked sweet potatoes cooked in an air fryer, roasted portobello-quinoa "burgers", irresistible home fries, or even five-spice pumpkin soup for a soul-warming vegan dinner.
📖 Recipe
Caramelized Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Crispy, deeply caramelized, flavorful shredded Brussels sprouts. Here's how to sauté up restaurant-worthy sprouts with a simple technique. This side dish is wonderful in the fall and winter seasons when hardy sprouts are in abundance. And if you can find already-shredded sprouts at the grocery store, it comes together in about 15 minutes.
- Total Time: 25 to 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 5 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 12 ounces or 1 bag of fresh Brussels sprouts, shredded
- 3 slices of prosciutto or 2 ounces of pancetta or bacon
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 small shallot, minced
- About ¼ cup of avocado, olive, or canola oil
- 3 tablespoons of dried cranberries
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (less if table salt)
- Ground black pepper, optional
- ½ of a small lemon or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, for garnish
Instructions
- Shred the Brussels sprouts. If you are starting with whole sprouts, remove the stems and shred or thinly slice the Brussels into pieces of the same size. Or shred them using a food processor or mandolin.
- Prepare the seasonings. Mince any garlic or shallots you plan to use. Carefully tear the prosciutto into inch-wide strips. Or dice pancetta or bacon into small pieces.
- Oil and season. In a mixing bowl, drizzle plenty of oil over the shredded sprouts and mix to distribute it. Season the sprouts generously with half of the salt.
- Crisp the pancetta or prosciutto in the pan (optional). Cook the prosciutto (or pancetta/bacon) in a bit of oil over medium heat until it becomes crispy. Prosciutto takes just a couple of minutes, bacon and pancetta a few minutes longer. Remove from the pan and drain on a towel. Leave the rendered fat and drippings in the pan.
- Add the sprouts to the pan in a single layer. Turn the heat to medium-high and add a little oil to the fat in the pan to create a thin coating. Carefully add the sprouts and spread them out evenly. Avoid a thick layer, and work in batches if necessary.
- Cook undisturbed. Let the sprouts cook without stirring until they are deeply browned on the bottom. Then stir and cook a few minutes longer to caramelize as much surface area as possible. Repeat with the remaining sprouts if you couldn't fit them all in at first. You can push the first batch of sprouts over to make room for the next round. And if necessary, set your pan off-center on the heat to prevent burning the cooked ones.
- Add the garlic, shallots, and cranberries. Turn the heat down to medium, and add the garlic, shallots, and dried cranberries. Cook for about three minutes stirring occasionally. Taste the sprouts and add the rest of the salt and ground black pepper a little at a time until you like the seasoning.
- Garnish with lemon juice and serve. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the top of the sprouts, and serve topped with the crispy prosciutto or bacon.
- Storage. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave in a pinch.
Notes
Chef's Tips
Slice the sprouts with a knife. Shredding the sprouts in a processor makes for more cleanup and can result in uneven pieces. If food looks the same, it cooks the same. And that's what you want, especially when cooking at higher temperatures.
Don't be afraid of really high heat. You can always turn it down or push the pan off the burner. But if you don't send the shredded sprouts into a blazing hot pan, the poor greens will steam themselves into sogginess.
Use your eyes, not the clock. Disregard recipes and advice that hold steadfast to time stamps for cooking meat and vegetables. Every pan and stove cooks differently. When most of the sprouts are a really deep brown and almost blackened, only then are they crispy, sweet, and delicious.
Add nuts for more texture. For even more crunch in your dish, mix in toasted almonds, cashews, pecans, or any nut you enjoy. If the nuts are raw, toast them in a pan over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant.
On Nutrition
The nutrient amounts below are based on the recipe as written using three strips of traditional bacon. Depending on how you prepare the dish, the amounts will vary.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 to 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1 Cup
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 5.5 g
- Sodium: 310.5 mg
- Fat: 11.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
- Cholesterol: 4.3 mg
Keywords: shredded Brussels sprouts, crispy Brussels sprouts, how to shred Brussels sprouts, caramelized Brussels sprouts
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Cathy
I substituted dried cherries cut up in place of the cranberries and I didn't have leeks but I did have mild onions. I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon of real maple syrup! Regardless it was delicious!
Wexeeda
Brussels sprouts and Sheldon Cooper- two favourites flavour I would like to taste, Bazinga !!!