Brussels sprouts have an unfair reputation as a bitter-tasting, soggy vegetable at the dinner table. How to release your sprouts' potential? Roast them! This roasted Brussels sprouts with cheese sauce recipe should help to restore the humble Brussels sprouts' reputation! Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts give a sweet, nutty flavour you don't get with boiling or steaming. The vegan cheese sauce and Pangrattato topping take them to a restaurant-worthy new level. This recipe is a low-effort, high-reward vegan side dish. Turn "Yuck, Brussels sprouts!" into "I want some more!"
Why You'll Like These Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- This recipe takes the humble sprout to a whole new level. Crispy and cheesy, they add a wow factor to your roast dinner side-dish offerings.
- A roasted Brussels sprouts recipe that is low-effort but pays back big time!
- Layered with flavours and textures: perfect roasted Brussels sprouts, creamy cheesy sauce and crispy Pangrattato.
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Key Ingredients & Notes
- Brussels Sprouts - a member of the cabbage family. If not cooked well, they can taste bitter and soggy; if well-cooked, they are earthy, nutty, and slightly sweet.
- Vegan butter & Plain flour - These ingredients form the neutral, silky-smooth base for the sauce, letting the other flavours shine.
- White onion - Provides a gentle sweetness to the sauce.
- Oat milk - Provides creaminess and a cereal note to the sauce's flavour.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese provides the main umami flavour to the sauce, but it is not overpowering.
- Bay leaf, peppercorns, nutmeg, and parsley - Provide a gentle, soft herb-and-spice note to the sauce.
- Sourdough bread - This is used to make Pangrattato, a golden brown breadcrumb topping.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Vegan Cheese Sauce
Wash the Brussels sprouts thoroughly.
Preheat the oven to 200ยบC.
Cook the Brussels Sprouts
- Prepare the Brussels sprouts: Cut off the ends of each sprout where they were attached to the stalk.
- Cut them in half and remove any yellowed outer leaves.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper and olive oil and mix thoroughly.
- Place the sprouts onto a baking tray, cut side up, spaced apart.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes to caramelise. They should have golden brown edges.
Make the Cheese Sauce
- Peel and cut the onion into wedges.
- Add the milk, onion wedges, peppercorns, bay leaf and parsley stalks to a saucepan.
- Simmer over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the milk is warm.
- Strain the milk into a jug and discard the onions.
- In a pan, melt the butter over a medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the flour and stir vigorously with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
- Remove the butter/flour paste from the heat and slowly add the infused milk a little at a time, whisking vigorously.
- Continue adding the milk a little at a time, whisking until all the milk is incorporated. Until it is a glossy, lump-free, creamy sauce.
- Add grated garlic.
- Season with nutmeg.
- Bring the saucepan back to the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the grated vegan parmesan cheese and mix to incorporate.
Make the Pangrattato
- Remove the crust from the Sourdough. If fresh bread, tear up and leave to dry overnight on the baking tray. If the bread is stale, tear it into pieces and set it aside to dry while you prepare the rest.
- Grate the dried sourdough pieces.
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and gently fry the breadcrumbs until golden brown.
- Transfer the fried breadcrumbs to a bowl.
- Add grated vegan Parmesan cheese and parsley and mix well.
Serving
- Add some of the cheese sauce to a plate. Put the roasted sprouts onto the cheese sauce. Then pour more of the cheese sauce over the sprouts. Top with the Pangrattato, more grated parmesan and parsley garnish.
Substitutions
Of course, this recipe can be made vegetarian by replacing the butter and plant-based milk with their dairy counterparts. Make sure you select a vegetarian Parmesan cheese that doesn't contain animal rennet.
I prefer Soughdough bread for my Pangrettato; however, you can use any stale bread.
Variations
Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free bread for the Pangrettato. Check the label of your chosen vegan cheese, vegan butter, and plant-based milk to make sure they are gluten-free.
Equipment
For this recipe, you will need the following equipment:
- Baking tray
- Whisk
- Sieve
Storage
I strongly recommend making this side dish fresh and consuming it immediately. Stored and reheated Brussels sprouts are well past their best.
If you want to do some preparation in advance, you can prepare the Brussels sprouts the day before, up to the point of adding the salt, pepper, and olive oil, and on the day, arrange them on the baking tray and roast. Likewise, you can make the cheese sauce the day before and gently reheat it on the day.
The Pangrattato can be made in advance and stored for up to three days.
Chefs Tips
To maximise the crispiness of the Brussels sprouts, roast them with the cut side facing up. If you roast them with the cut side downwards, the moisture tends to stay in the sprout, making them softer.
FAQs
It is all in the cooking. You can definitely create a milder, slightly sweet, nutty flavour by roasting and caramelising the sprouts. In this way, you avoid the bitterness that comes from boiling them. The vegan cheese sauce creates a balanced flavour with each mouthful.
The key to a crispy Brussels sprout is to cook them so the water in them escapes. They should be roasted at a high heat - 200ยบC - and spaced on the baking tray; otherwise, if they are too close together, they will steam rather than crisp. Cooking them cut-side up encourages water to evaporate because more surface area is exposed.
Yes, you can make crispy roasted Brussels sprouts from frozen; however, you need to prepare them properly. Thaw the frozen sprouts completely and pat-dry to remove excess moisture. Cook as described in this recipe.
You can make a rich, silky vegan Cheese sauce that is completely non-dairy and tastes and looks just as good as the dairy version. The roux (sauce base) is made with vegan butter and flour. The milk is infused with onion, bay leaf, peppercorn and parsley stem. Vegan parmesan cheese, grated garlic, and some nutmeg give it that distinct but not overpowering savoury umami flavour.
Pangrattato is basically Italian crispy breadcrumbs. In Italian, Pangrattato literally means "grated bread". It is made from crumbled, stale bread, fried in olive oil until golden and crunchy. It is often sprinkled over pasta, soups, roasted vegetables, casseroles, and salads.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these next-level vegetable side-dishes:
Pairing Suggestions
These are my favourite dishes to serve with these crispy roasted Brussels sprouts in a vegan cheese sauce:
๐ Recipe
Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Vegan Cheese Sauce
Equipment
- Whisk
- Digital scale
Ingredients
- 500 g Brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Cheese Sauce
- 20 g Plain flour
- 50 g Vegan Butter
- 425 ml Plant-based Milk
- 10 g Garlic
- 6 Peppercorns
- 1 Bay leaf
- One pinch Nutmeg powder
- 30 g White onion
- 30 g Vegan Parmesan
Pangrattato
- 150 g Stale Sourdough, Sides removed
- 10 g Vegan Parmesan
- 20 g Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Wash the Brussels sprouts thoroughly and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 200ยบC (fan assisted)
- Prepare the Brussels sprouts by cutting off the ends, and peeling off any damaged or yellowed leaves. Then cut them in half. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper and olive oil and mix thoroughly.
- Place the Brussels sprouts cut-side up on a baking tray, leaving space between each sprout. Roast the sprouts in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Cheese Sauce
- Peel and cut the onion into wedges.
- In a saucepan, add the milk, onion wedges, bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley stalks. Simmer over medium heat until the milk is warm, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain the milk into a jug and discard the onions.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; don't let it brown. Once the butter is melted, add the plain flour. Then, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir vigorously until smooth and glossy.
- Remove the flour-butter mixture from the heat and slowly add the infused milk, a little at a time, whisking vigorously. Ensure the milk is incorporated before adding any more. Continue adding small quantities of milk and whisking vigorously until all of the milk is incorporated. When all the milk is incorporated, you will see that it has turned into a glossy, lump-free, creamy sauce-season with nutmeg. Add freshly grated garlic.
- Now bring the saucepan back to the stove on medium-low heat and let the sauce cook for about five minutes, whisking from time to time. Add grated parmesan cheese and mix to incorporate.
Pangrattato
- If you are using fresh sourdough, remove the crust from the bread and leave it to dry overnight. If you are using stale bread, remove the crust and let it dry while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Grate the bread, then heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the grated bread and fry gently until golden brown. Once done, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the chopped parsley and grated Parmesan to the fried breadcrumbs and mix well.
Assembly
- Pour a layer of cheese sauce on a plate, and top with roasted Brussels sprouts. Now add dollops of cheese sauce on top, followed by pangrattato, parsley and some more parmesan. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 ยฐF (74 ยฐC).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
Oli says
Best sprouts I've ever had! Thanks Chef Tripti!
Chef Tripti says
thank you!