Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

Roasting at very high heat caramelizes and chars the edges of the Brussels sprouts without allowing the insides to turn too soft.
A balanced combination of tart and spicy kimchi, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, and honey perfectly complements the nutty sweetness of Brussels sprouts.

I've had a lot of kimchi in my house recently. I mean a lot. See, a few weeks back, as I was tweaking my recipe for fried chicken sandwiches, I got to thinking. I'd been experimenting with using pickle juice as a brine for my fried chicken. It's a quick and easy trick that helps your chicken retain moisture (thanks, salt!) while simultaneously tenderizing it (thanks, acid!) and adding flavor (thanks, lacto-fermented cucumber!). I thought to myself, If pickle brine makes a great marinade for fried chicken, what about other brines?, which was immediately followed by Holy crap: KIMCHI-BRINED FRIED CHICKEN.

I immediately went out and bought every variety of kimchi I could find at the market and began experimenting, straining out the juice and using it as a base for my chicken marinade. The resulting sandwich is one of the tastiest damn things I've ever made, but we're not here to talk about that today. Today, we're here to talk about what I did with the rest of that kimchi post-draining.

You see, there's only so much kimchi I can personally eat. But, oddly, there is no end to the number of perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts I can eat. Brussels sprouts are a near-perfect vegetable for experimenting with new flavors. They're unique in that not only do they have great flavor of their own, but they've also got those layered leaves, which make them ideal for picking up flavors from other foods as well. Like kimchi.

The key to great Brussels sprouts is to cook them right in the first place. I cook my Brussels sprouts according to my guide to roasting winter and fall vegetables: tossed with oil, then placed on a preheated rimmed baking sheet in a 500°F oven. High heat is essential: Cooking the sprouts to the point where they actually begin to blacken and char on the edges brings out the sweetest, nuttiest flavors, while rapid cooking ensures that they don't turn to mush inside. It takes about 20 minutes for them to go from hard and raw to tender and charred.

At first I tried to keep things simple: I tossed the roasted Brussels sprouts with some chopped kimchi, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and served them at a dinner party. They disappeared in moments, but I still felt they could use a little tweaking.

Eventually, I settled on adding some thinly-sliced shallots and julienned ginger to the tray with the sprouts. When sliced thin, shallots and ginger both have a very low ratio of volume to surface area, which means they dry out pretty quickly and then turn dark. I mean really dark. This is a good thing: Taste a stick of near-black ginger as it comes out of the oven, and you'll find that almost all of its sharp, raw edge is gone and all that's left is the gingery aroma and a sweetness that develops as the raw ginger caramelizes. It goes brilliantly with the Brussels sprouts.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger Recipe (1)

With the kimchi, sprouts, ginger, and shallots, I had plenty of savory, nutty aromas and sharp, spicy flavors going, but the whole thing still seemed a little off balance. Honey lent some sweetness to the mix, while a splash of fish sauce further brought out the savoriness of the roasted sprouts. Rice wine vinegar brightened the dish up. Personally, I like to add a big pinch of red pepper flakes (or dried crushed roasted Thai chili, if you can find it).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger Recipe (2)

I topped the whole thing with a little chopped mint after tossing it together. There's really not much to the recipe at all. Roast some sprouts, toss them with some things. So easy, so quick, but so darn good.

My recipes tend to fall into two categories. There are those that require a ton of research before I even head into the kitchen, and then there are ones like these, where an idea comes to me before I've done any digging at all. Of course, it usually turns out that the great original idea I thought I just had is a common one that's been done millions of times before, including by David Chang in the New York Times.

Great original ideas are hard to come by. Fortunately, revamped and reinterpreted old ideas can still be just as delicious.

Speaking of new ideas, I can think of another vegetable that falls into that tastes-great-on-its-own-but-is-also-a-sauce-and-flavor-sponge category: broccoli. It's like nature's delicious little sauce mop.

Be right back. I'm off to roast some broccoli...

Recipe Details

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger Recipe

Active25 mins

Total25 mins

Serves4to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 poundsBrussels sprouts, trimmed and split in half
2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (2-inch) knob ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup drained kimchi, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Asianfish sauce
Pinch ofred pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

Adjust oven rack to upper position, place a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on it, and preheat oven to 500°F.
In a large bowl, toss Brussels sprouts, shallots, and ginger with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove baking sheet from oven and add Brussels sprout mixture. Shake pan to distribute evenly. Return to oven and roast until sprouts are tender and deeply browned and shallots and ginger are starting to char, about 20 minutes total, rotating pan halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, add kimchi, honey, vinegar, fish sauce, and pepper flakes (if using) to now-empty bowl. When Brussels sprouts are roasted, add to bowl and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if necessary. Toss with mint and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you rinse brussel sprouts before roasting? ›

To prepare brussel sprouts, you should rinse them well or even soak them if you have enough time. Trim the bottoms and outer leaves off, then cut them in half to prep them for roasting.

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Why are my roasted brussel sprouts not crispy? ›

Why Are My Brussel Sprouts Not Crispy? Spread them out into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet to avoid overcrowding. If they're too close together, they'll steam instead of roast which stops the crisping process.

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How do you keep roasted brussel sprouts from getting soggy? ›

Extra virgin olive oil coats each Brussels sprout and helps it crisp up nicely in the oven. If you need to make roasted Brussels sprouts without oil, I recommend swapping in 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and omitting the added salt.

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What are the effects of brussel sprouts on the body? ›

Eating Brussels sprouts along with other good sources of fiber — like other vegetables, fruits, and whole grains — can help you meet your fiber needs. Brussels sprouts are high in fiber, which can promote regularity, support digestive health, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

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What happens if you don't wash Brussels sprouts? ›

Generally speaking (and especially if aphids are not evident), you don't have to wash Brussels sprouts because you are already “cleaning” them by trimming off the bottom and then peeling away a few outer leaves.

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Should you cut Brussels sprouts in half before cooking? ›

If the sprouts are small, leave them whole before cooking. If they seem to be rather large or have a thick core, halve or quarter them into uniform pieces. If some are small and some are larger, leave the small ones just trimmed, and then cut the larger ones in half. Some leaves will fall off.

Why soak Brussels sprouts in salt water? ›

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.

Do you need to blanch Brussels sprouts before roasting? ›

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!

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Should brussel sprouts be parboiled before roasting? ›

Unlike other vegetables, Brussels sprouts can be parboiled (even a day ahead) to reduce the roasting time without hurting their texture. That means the sprouts can be popped in the oven while the meat is resting before carving. Of course, if the main course is grilled or pan-cooked, the oven will be free for roasting.

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Can you roast Brussels sprouts ahead of time and reheat? ›

Reheat the Same Way They Were Cooked

The only difference is that we'll lower the oven temperature for reheating. A high oven temperature is ideal for roasting, but since the sprouts are already cooked, we just want to heat them through and bring back their crispy char, without burning them.

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Why are my oven roasted brussel sprouts mushy? ›

Veggies have a much better chance of crisping up when placed directly on a metal baking sheet. Don't overcrowd your pan. As your sprouts cook they will release a bit of moisture. If all of them are crowded in a small pan, that moisture will begin to steam the Brussels, resulting in mushy sprouts.

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Why are my roasted brussel sprouts bitter? ›

The flavor components that contribute to a bitter flavor are concentrated in the center of the brussels sprout. If you slice the the veggie in half, it helps to release some of those compounds during the cooking process. Smaller is better when it comes to tenderness and flavor.

What is one major side effect of eating Brussels sprouts? ›

Although a healthy vegetable, consuming too many Brussels sprouts can be unsuitable for people on anticoagulants since it contains vitamin K, which results in blood clotting. Another issue with consuming Brussels sprouts excessively is that it can lead to gas and bloating.

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When not to eat Brussels sprouts? ›

Throw out fresh brussel sprouts that have a foul odor, yellow or wilted leaves, a mushy or slimy texture, or dark spots. Use fresh brussel sprouts within 1–2 weeks of getting them. Store the brussel sprouts in a plastic bag inside your fridge, and wash them before cooking them.

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Do brussel sprouts clean your liver? ›

Cruciferous vegetables

This cruciferous vegetable — along with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and mustard greens — are good for your liver. They are a source of fiber, which supports liver health. Plus, they contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that may help prevent liver cancer.

Why do sprouts need to be rinsed? ›

Given proper moisture a seed will germinate. Rinsing is the process by which we add moisture to our sprouts. Draining is the process by which we regulate the amount of moisture our sprouts have available - until their next Rinse.

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Do you wash sprouts before cooking? ›

Handling Sprouts at Home

Keep sprouts refrigerated at 40°F or below. Store sprouts in clean containers. Wash hands properly with hot running water before touching sprouts. Wash sprouts with cool running water directly before use.

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Should you soak Brussels sprouts in salt water before cooking? ›

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.