The Best Brussels Sprouts Casserole | Easy Brussels Sprouts Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What gives brussel sprouts a better taste? ›

In the late 1990s scientists identified specific chemicals, called glucosinolates, that made Brussels sprouts taste bitter. Plant breeders started growing old seeds, previously discarded for producing paltry harvests, to identify tastier versions with lower levels of these compounds.

Like all cabbages, Brussels are unavoidably fibrous and dense. You must overcome this by either cooking them in salty water until fork tender (blanching), or by roasting at a high (over 425F) temperature for upwards of 20 minutes. To guarantee great texture, do both!

Don't soak sprouts before cooking them, they don't need it. Rinse before cooking, and if you want to store them ready-prepped but them in a reusable bag or container in the fridge.

A Dutch scientist named Hans van Doorn, who worked at a seed and chemical company, figured out exactly which chemical compounds in Brussels sprouts made them bitter. The next step was to plant sprouts with the least amount of these chemicals and eventually cross-pollinate the chemicals out.

To cut down on some of that bitterness, take a few extra steps. When you clean and prep your Brussels sprouts for cooking, be sure to remove the outer leaves. Additionally, rather than going straight to the roasting pan, consider quickly blanching the sprouts first, which can also help reduce bitter flavors.

Your first step should always be to blanch the brussels sprouts. This is basically when they get submerged in boiling water just for a few minutes, not until they're fully cooked, but just enough to take away some of the bitterness. Blanching also softens them and preserves their beautiful bright green color.

One of the most common ways to cut a Brussels sprout is in half or quarters. By doing so, you reduce the size of the sprouts, speeding up cooking.

If you want your roasted Brussels sprouts to be seriously crispy, you need to crank up the heat. Roasting at a low temperature won't allow them to brown properly, so you want to get that oven nice and hot before tossing in your baking sheet. Follow this tip: Roast Brussels sprouts at a minimum of 400°F.

For best results, soak your Brussels sprouts in salt water. Not only does salt act to tenderize the dense sprouts, but it will also help to season them all the way through. It won't take a lot -- just add 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 quart of water and toss in trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts.

What does brussel sprouts do for your body? ›

Eating a lot of Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous veggies may help protect against cancers of the stomach, lungs, kidney, breast, bladder, and prostate. Crunchy veggies like Brussels sprouts may also help you stave off other health issues, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.

Containing more vitamin C than an orange and with just eighty calories in a half pound, Britons eat more of them than any other European country, around 40,000 tonnes a year — and yes, we do eat them all year round. Two-thirds of Brussels sprout consumption in the UK is outside of the festive season.

Brussels sprouts resemble small cabbages. They are firm and bright green in color. They are believed to have originated from Brussels, Belgium.

Over the last twenty years, farmers have mellowed the "unpleasant" flavor of brussels sprouts by breeding a vegetable that contains fewer bitter compounds or glucosinolates. So, brussels sprouts just taste better than they used to when we were kids. The rub is that glucosinolates help protect sprouts against pests.

About 30 years ago, a Dutch scientist identified the chemicals that made brussels sprouts bitter. He selected seed varieties with lower levels of the bitter chemicals and bred new high-yielding varieties that tasted less bitter.

Syngenta scientists first discovered the relationship between glucosinolates and bitter taste in the early 1990s, Van der Toorn says: 'The lower the level of some glucosinolates the less bitter the taste of the Brussels, which is perceived as milder or sweeter.

Not only can soaking make the centers more malleable, but the water that's absorbed into them will create a steaming action, whether you choose to roast, saute, or make your Brussels sprouts in your air fryer. The steam can help to ensure the cooking is even throughout the Brussels sprout.

For best results, soak your Brussels sprouts in salt water. Not only does salt act to tenderize the dense sprouts, but it will also help to season them all the way through. It won't take a lot — just add 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 quart of water and toss in trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts.