An easy, super-quick and utterly delicious recipe for golden, crusted Brussels sprouts with crisp Parmesan cheese.
Raise your hand if you’re a Brussels sprouts fan! (mine’s up, just in case you had any doubt).
If so, Parmesan-Crusted Brussels sprouts is an incredibly easy — and fast — recipe you’re going to love.
Have you ever tasted parmesan crisps? They’re highly tasty (and addictive) snacks made by heaping grated parmesan cheese on a baking sheet and baking until the heaps melt and turn into lacy cracker-like discs.
That’s kind of what happens in this recipe.
First the sprouts are briefly cooked in boiling water before a getting a good dousing of olive oil and grated parmesan.
Then they go under the broiler for a few minutes. The cheese melts into those delectable crisp bits while the Brussels sprouts caramelize and brown.
You get a great mixture of texture with the cheese, whole sprouts and some of the stray leaves that turn extra-dark and crisp. Yum!
You can sometimes find Brussels sprouts on their stalks in some markets, especially in late fall.
I love to buy them this way — since you can pluck them off right before cooking, they couldn’t be any fresher if they were grown in your own garden.
I’ve always been intrigued by the unusual beauty of Brussels sprouts.
Their miniature cabbage-like form and their distinctive taste, a combination of cauliflower and broccoli., really does it for me.
And like cauliflower and broccoli — all siblings in the Brassica family — they take well to roasting and charring. It’s one of my favorite ways to cook them.
More Recipes for Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower:
Charred Cauliflower Salad with Fregola
Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Harissa
Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Pine Nut Gremolata
Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Grapes and Feta
parmesan-crusted brussels sprouts
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
If your Brussels sprouts are more than 1-inch in diameter, slice them in half.
Make sure to set your timer for the par-boiling step - overcooking the Brussels sprouts will turn them dark green and mushy.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, stem ends trimmed and larger sprouts cut in half
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add 2 teaspoons salt.
- Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for exactly 5 minutes. Drain.
- Heat the broiler to high with a rack placed 6 inches from the heat source.
- Transfer the sprouts to a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with the oil and the parmesan.
- Place under the hot broiler until the sprouts are golden and the cheese is bubbling, about 5 minutes depending on the power of your broiler. Rotate the pan and stir the sprouts around about halfway through.
- Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Courses vegetable
Cuisine italian
Hi there! I’m Karen, a mother of two and a professionally trained cook certified in holistic nutrition.
As the recipe developer, photographer and publisher of Familystyle Food, I share recipes and tips for making easy seasonal meals that are healthy and flavorful.
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Have a question or feedback? Get in touch or leave me a comment below — I love hearing from you!
Smalltown Mom says
I’ve been searching for a good brussels sprouts recipe and I think this one is going to be a winner!
Katrina says
I was just admiring the big stalks of Brussels sprouts at Schnuck’s today. A lot of the sprouts are SO tiny. Adorable. My favorite Brussels sprouts preparation is roasted with garlic in plenty of olive oil ala Mark Bittman. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I am going to try it out this week with pasta in Butternut squash sauce from Simply Recipes! Mmm!
Karen says
Smalltown Mom – thanks for visiting. Let me know how you like the recipe.
Hi Katrina – it’s nice to hear from a fellow Schnucks shopper! I really like Mark Bittman’s recipes, too. I even like his kind of dry sense of humor, which he show off in those NYtimes videos.
Kalynskitchen says
They sound delicious! I want some of those brussels sprouts on the stalk, haven’t seen that here.
Liza says
I LOVE Brussels sprouts. Love them Love them Love them. I often roast them with olive oil and a bit of good balsamic vinegar.
Karen says
Kalyn, I’d never seen them sold on the stalk before, either. Maybe your farmer’s market will have them, if they are still up and running.
Liza, I’m looking forward to sharing Brussels sprouts with you, any old way.
Amy says
I just saw them for sale on the stalk at Trader Joe’s in San Diego!
Maybe they will have them in some of their other stores?
My favorite brussels sprouts are browned in the pan with a little olive oil, then I add a splash of OJ and Maple syrup and take it off the heat when the liquid is gone.
Guess I have to go buy some now!
Brad says
Your recipe sounds simply delightful. I usually steam my sprouts with a sweeter veggie like corn or carrots, then finish with lots of butter.