Smashed Brussels Sprouts

Versatile and oh so crispy, Brussels sprouts are easily one of my favorite roasted vegetables to serve with practically any weeknight meal or holiday dinner. While I love classic roasted Brussels sprouts, I thought I’d take things up a notch in this recipe by adding two things: smashing, and plenty of cheese. Just like smashed potatoes, smashing these Brussels sprouts turns them deliciously crispy and golden in the oven—plus, plenty of cheese always helps.

What People Are Saying:
“These are SOOO good! My new favorite way to prepare Brussel sprouts!” - CyanPopcorn

How To Make Smashed Brussels Sprouts

INGREDIENTS

• Brussels Sprouts: Brussels sprouts are the star of the show here, of course. When you’re at the grocery store, choose sprouts that are bright green with tightly packed leaves and feel firm when you squeeze them. Avoid any that are yellowed, have spots, or are wrinkly. If possible, try to choose sprouts that are close to the same size—that will ensure they’ll all finish cooking at the same time.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil, or check out our list of the best (or worst!) olive oil brands.
• Garlic: 2 cloves of minced garlic adds the perfect amount of flavor, but if you’re a big garlic fan, you can add another clove.
• Cheese: Adding freshly shredded mozzarella creates that melty, cheese-pull texture on these sprouts, and Parmesan adds that nutty, salty flavor, and crisps up nicely. If you're vegan, feel free to leave off the cheese and add even more herbs and spices to customize as you please.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, preheat your oven and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, make an ice bath in a large bowl in preparation to blanche your Brussels sprouts. It’s important to boil your sprouts first—blanch your Brussels sprouts before smashing and baking to ensure that they get perfectly tender and crispy in the oven. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add your sprouts. Cook until they’re bright green and very tender, then add them to the ice bath to cool. Once cool, drain them. After boiling your sprouts, make sure to pat them really dry so that they crisp up nicely in the oven.

Add your dry Brussels sprouts to the baking sheet, then toss them with oil, garlic, and fresh thyme.

Now, we can get to the fun part: smashing. Use the end of a small glass or mason jar to press down on your sprouts to smash them into a flat patty.

Once they’re all smashed, season each one with salt and pepper, then sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan on top of each sprout.

Bake the sprouts in the oven until the bottoms are crispy and the cheese looks perfectly melty and golden. This should take around 20 to 25 minutes, but keep an eye on them. Once done, garnish with parsley and get to serving!

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How do you crisp up Brussels sprouts? I cook these sprouts hot and fast. Roasting your Brussels sprouts on a high heat will get them as crispy as possibly, but we've also got other hacks for the crispiest sprouts ever. After boiling your sprouts, make sure to pat them really dry so that they crisp up nicely in the oven. The added cheese on top also never hurts for adding an extra crispy factor to these roasted bites.

How To Serve Smashed Brussels Sprouts

If you’re making this as a side dish to your holiday dinner, then these sprouts go perfectly alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, a roast chicken, or even a steak dinner. Just looking for a side to your weeknight dinner? I love serving these up with melt-in-your mouth chicken, sausage and broccoli burrata pasta, or creamy polenta and meatballs.

Storage

These Brussels sprouts are best the day they’re made, but if you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3-4 days.