How many kids do you know who like Brussels sprouts?
Somehow, Brussels sprouts are at the top of our list (minus the husband). I should clarify, Trader Joe’s Shaved Brussels sprouts, sautéed with olive oil and sea salt, was what originally put them on our radar.
From there, I gained the confidence to experiment with a new dish: Brussels sprouts and Bacon with Maple Syrup. Another hit. The irony? There isn’t a shred of Brussels sprouts in any of Mom’s recipes. In fact, I didn’t even know what they looked like until starting the blog. When starting to cook for the family, I was too focused on championing the basic veggies: broccoli, carrots and green beans.
Seems like most of my recent recipe successes are simply variations of one another.
My kids love lasagna so I knew they’d love the Chicken Roll Ups. My kids loved Mom’s Cheeseburger Pie so I knew they’d love Turkey Pie. Same goes for most of the Slow Cooker dishes. Sometimes, just switching one or two ingredients does the trick to help me diversify our meal plan.
Last night’s dinner side was a new Brussels sprouts spin off. I found baby sprouts that I purchased in spite of their misspelling (yet again) at the local gourmet food market: Citarella. Instead of a simple saute, I decided to jazz up the dish a little and mix in some left over chicken broth, onion, garlic, lemon, cheese, Panko and some pecorino Romano to the roastin sprouts. YUM.
The kids ate the dish without any hesitation but, voted for our traditional shaved Brussels with olive oil and salt as their fave. They said the liked the crunchy “potato chip” texture of the basic recipe. This one was “too soggy” and “not salty enough.”
I loved it. Try it for yourself.
Enjoy.
Next time I’d add more garlic and less broth.
Browned Brussels sprouts with Bread Crumbs
inspired by Cooking Light
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 12 ounces Brussels sprouts, sliced lengthwise
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
- 3/4 cup pecorino Romana cheese
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, roasted
Instructions:
- Heat large skillet over medium heat and add oil to pan.
- Ads Brussels to pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes until Brussels are browned.
- Add broth, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cover and cook for 2 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to bowl and sprinkle with cheese and toasted pine nuts.
- Enjoy.
Leave alone kids, here at my house even adults don’t like these sprouts. I like this version, but I would love to try the olive and sea salt one.
I’ve never tried brussels sprouts, but seeing this recipe I’ll definitely plant them in my garden!