Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts Are Insanely Addictive

Photo credit: Brandon Bales
Photo credit: Brandon Bales

From Delish

GET THE RECIPE HERE.

Kids growing up these days are lucky - they live in a world where brussels sprouts are actually cool. And they're blissfully unaware of the vegetable's dark past. When I talked to my fellow twenty-something-year-olds in the Delish test kitchen, I learned that our experiences were very different. We never ate sprouts growing up because our parents HATED them. Why? Because our grandparents boiled them. We can think of nothing worse.

Photo credit: Brandon Bales
Photo credit: Brandon Bales

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Thankfully, we now know that roasting is the best way to prepare brussels sprouts. In the oven, they get super crispy and take on a deep nutty flavor - which is 1,000x better than the bland, flavorless mush my father-in-law refers to as "poison balls." Roasted brussels sprouts taste excellent as-is, but there are tons of way to amp up the flavor even more. Bacon, parm, and balsamic are obvious upgrades. What's not-so-expected, but even more amazing: kung pao sauce.

Photo credit: Brandon Bales
Photo credit: Brandon Bales

While the veg is roasting, sauté some garlic in sesame oil, stir in cornstarch (to help thicken), then add soy sauce, water, apple cider vinegar, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then pour it over the brussels sprouts and broil the sprouts 'til they're nice and sticky. The recipe might not be authentic, by any definition, but it's the most intensely flavorful and addictive preparation of brussels sprouts we've ever done. Like, four of us finished the entire sheet pan in less than 10 minutes.

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