Introduction

I never liked brussel sprouts when I was a kid.

Actually that’s a lie. My parents never tried to feed them to me, so I never had a bad experience with them.

And then restaurants started serving brussel sprouts and they were good and I wanted to do it too.

This is a great side dish to go with most any meal. Its leftovers aren’t so great, but still tasty.

Materials

Cutting Board Chef’s knife Mixing bowl Plastic bags Baking Sheet Aluminum Foil Collander

Ingredients

Pantry

1/2 C Trader Joes’s Balsamic Glaze 1 Packet of Italian Dressing Mix 1/4C Avocado Oil

Refrigerator

2 lb Brussel Sprouts 1/4 C Grated Parmesan Cheese

Steps

The Night Before

Chopping up the brussel sprouts is best done the night before. Stashing the sprouts in the refrigerator for the day/night before cooking them will allow the surface water to evaporate and dry them out - this prepares them well for accepting the dressing.

Brussel Sprouts

Dump the brussel sprouts in your collander and rinse them off. Shake off the excess water and then bring them over to your cutting board. Cut off the stems, then cut them in half and place them in the mixing bowl once cut. Place them in the fridge - uncovered - so they can dry out. If you want them especially dry, spread them on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and put that in the fridge.

Dressing

Combine the avocado oil, balsamic glaze and italian seasoning packet in a sealable container - preferably a mason jar. Mix well - either with an immersion blender or just a good shake. Store it in the fridge.

The Morning Of

Brussel Sprouts

Take your now-dry brussel sprouts out and dump them in a plastic bag. Then, dump your dressing in and shake it all around to coat. Then, put it back in the fridge - preferably on top of a paper towel in to prevent messes. If you’re home, turn the sprouts occasionally to ensure everything is covered equally.

Oven Preparation

If you’re feeling especially productive the morning of, you can wrap your baking sheet in foil and schedule the oven to bake at 400F at your preferred time.

At Dinnertime

Take the foil-covered baking sheet and spray it with non-stick spray, or just wipe it down with olive oil. Spread the brussel sprouts evenly out on the baking sheet and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the brussel sprouts once or twice while baking.

At about 25 minutes of baking, you should take the sprouts out, turn them, and sprinkle parmesan cheese on them. Optionally at this time, you have the choice of moving the sprouts to the topmost rack in your oven and setting it to broil in order to make the sprouts crispier. You should continually monitor the sprouts while they are under the broiler and be ready to remove them at a moments’ notice. You should even go to the extent of leaving the door open and crouching down to eye level to see if they’re burning or not.

Once done cooking, remove them and let them cool. Once cool, they’re ready to enjoy!