The turkey, ham or roast shouldn’t be getting all the attention at your holiday dinner. These Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves shine the spotlight on side dishes and their unexpected presentation of the humble sprout is an attention getter!
(And yes, this blog used to be called Life Through the Kitchen Window, as you can tell from the watermark on the photo.)
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves
Brussels sprouts, or spruitjes as I like to call them in homage to my Flemish background, are one of my favourite vegetables to serve at Thanksgiving. My family, however, doesn’t feel the same way about them. This year I decided to try a different preparation, to make them seem less cabbage-like and more sophisticated.
First I trim the bottom of the sprout, discard the tough outer leaves and then remove the rest of the leaves, coring the sprout as I go. Yes, it’s a finicky and time-comsuming job (especially when you’re working with almost two pounds of sprouts, as I was for our Thanksgiving dinner), but meditative and relaxing in its own way. Besides, a bold makeover always takes some effort. I gave them a quick rinse and set them aside until it was time to cook them.
A benefit of this dish is that it’s so easy to cook the sprouts at the last minute before dinner. Just melt several tablespoons of butter in large skillet, stirr in the Brussels sprouts leaves, add salt and pepper and a grating of fresh nutmeg, put on the lid and let them cook over low heat until tender.
At one point I added about a tablespoon of the turkey stock I’d made for the gravy just to get more moisture to aid in the cooking process. I could have used water instead.
As a final coup de grace, I added 6 slices of cooked and chopped bacon that I had prepared the night before (totally optional).
Made this way, sprouts cook quite quickly, in about 20 minutes or so, and are happy to wait in the lidded skillet with the heat off until serving time. They look tender, bright and delicious, and they are!
As makeovers go, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves is a winner (even though not all of the Offspring were fooled.)
Looking for More Fall and Winter Side Dishes?
Side dishes are just as important as the main course, and here are a few to choose from: Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Belgian-style green beans, and Potato Turnip Mash.
First published 2013 10 18
Republished 2026 10 09
I have loathed Brussels sprouts for most of my life, then I discovered lightly cooked sprouts. I love them now, and I think your dish looks delicious! Don’t be hard on the offspring. They may come around intime!!
Well, as long as they turn their noses up at my delicious spruitjes there’s more for me!
That looks fantastic! Another recipe I’ve got to try. I adore Brussels sprouts.
I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know when you try it!
This sounds like a great dish, Mar. Love the combo of sprouts and bacon and preparing them like this may encourage a few doubters to give them a try. For me, this seems like the perfect dish for a Thanksgiving feast. I look for low maintenance dishes for that feast. Either the sides need to be prepared ahead of time or they can cook, unattended on the stove top. You’ll never see a risotto on my Thanksgiving table. 🙂
I don’t think I fooled the doubters, John, but people already in the sprouts camp really enjoyed them!
I love brussels sprouts and know your method of preparing them would be just yummy! I saw them at the market on the weekend.. in their original form, on the large stem.. I wish now I’d bought some!
I think you’ll love this way of enjoying sprouts. Just beware, trimming all those leaves takes some time. I did it with my daughter and a nice glass of wine, and it was rather enjoyable!
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