I passionately believe that veggie sides are the best part of thanksgiving (I know, crazy) but it’s because properly cooked veggies are truly the BEST! These sweet and salty smashed brussels sprouts are a prime example–thanksgiving or otherwise. The star of the show here is the pom seeds, they add texture and tartness to the dish that keeps you wanting more.

SMASHED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH POMEGRANATE

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

5.0 from 4 votes

Servings

–

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, ends chopped off
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
juice of ½ orange
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons honey
zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl and set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the brussels sprouts, and boil until just fork tender, 10 to 13 minutes. Drain the water and add the brussels sprouts to a lined sheet pan, keeping a 1/2-inch of space between the sprouts.
With the bottom of a glass jar or cup, press down to smash each sprout. Evenly drizzle the oil and spice mixture across the sprouts. If the jar or glass sticks to the sprout, lightly oil the bottom of it before smashing.
Bake until the brussels are starting to brown, about 20 minutes, then remove the sheet pan from the oven and flip each brussels sprout over. Bake until brown and very crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.
To serve, drizzle honey over top and sprinkle with the orange zest and pomegranate seeds.