Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries with Barley
Crisp roasted Brussels sprouts meet sweet cranberries, pecans, and Gorgonzola cheese on a bed of barley. This delicious winter meal is ready in twenty minutes!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
My favorite term of endearment in French has always been mon petit chou chou, which literally translated means โmy little cabbage cabbageโ. The French use it to mean something like โmy sweetheart,โ and it may or may not actually refer to a pastry instead of cabbage. Regardless, the literal translation made me giggle when I learned it in high school and it still makes me giggle today. Please, call someone you love a โcabbage cabbageโ today and wait for their reaction. If you want to say it in French, chou sounds just like โshoeโ. I dare you.
Anyway, my favorite French term of endearment has come to mind often this winter as Iโve sliced up Brussels sprouts to roast for dinner. Having never eaten Brussels sprouts as a kid, I was intimidated by those foreign baby cabbages. This winter I vowed to get over my apprehension. I learned to like them on my first attempt: steamed on the stove and oven roasted under a layer of Fontina cheese. Like turned to love when I learned to roast them, halved, in a cast iron pan, and I officially tombรฉ amoureux (fell in love) when I found a quick sautรฉ and broil method that bakes my little โcabbage cabbagesโ in under ten minutes.
Since falling in love with Brussels sprouts, I have singlehandedly put away at least 10 pounds of roasted sprouts. I love their salty, crispy exterior and softer, steamed interior. Technically speaking, Brussels sprouts are not baby cabbages, but a special kind of miniature cabbage. The flavor is a bit reminiscent of broccoli, which makes sense because they are both Brassicas. Brassicas are notoriously high in anti-cancerous, DNA protective properties.
I crave Brussels every few days, and Iโve developed an odd habit of eating a huge bowlful of roasted Brussels after my weekly yoga class. Desolรฉe, mes petits chou choux, I think as I slice off their tails and cut them in half. By the time I bite into crisp, roasted sprouts, Iโm not really sorry at all.
In addition to my newfound love for Brussels sprouts, Iโve been becoming more adventurous and knowledgable about various types of whole grains. Every time I visit the new health food store in town, I make a point to buy a new variety. So far Iโve tried wheat berries, farro, Kamut, steel cut oats, and most recently, barley. I like to cook up a big batch of whole grains and try to come up with ways to use the leftovers over the week. I think itโs a good way to become acquainted with a grain, and itโs a very cheap way to eat.
Though I havenโt made any direct taste comparisons, I think that wheat berries, farro and Kamut are all pretty similar in taste and texture, and could easily be substituted for one another. I expected barley to be like the others, with a chewy exterior and soft interior, but I was surprised to find that it is fluffy and soft. Barley seems like a cross between brown rice and oatmeal. Thus itโs a little creamy and almost risotto-like, which makes it the perfect grain to soak up dressing in this recipe.
Another thing Iโve learned about cooking whole grains is that their cooking time varies, sometimes even from the time listed on the bag. I just mixed two cups of uncooked, hulled barley with six cups of water (a 1:3 ratio), let it come to a boil, and then simmered it, covered, for a little less than an hour. One cup of uncooked barley will yield plenty for this recipe and two cups of uncooked barley will leave you with tons of leftovers. I encourage you to get creative and come up with new ways to enjoy barley in your cooking.
This recipe is one that Iโve been working on for a while now. Brussels sprouts tossed in a light maple syrup and balsamic dressing pair marvelously with sweet, freshly cooked cranberries, and a bed of creamy leftover barley is the perfect final resting place for mes petits chou choux. Tangy Gorgonzola cheese melts into the barley and toasted pecans add a nice crunch.
This dish is easily deconstructed, however. Feel free to roast the Brussels sprouts with this method, and toss them with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice for a snack. Brussels, cranberries and pecans without barley make a great side dish. If you canโt find fresh cranberries, you can substitute dried cranberries (which is a shame, in my opinion, but do as you wish). Just toss the dried cranberries in with the sprouts after theyโre done roasting. Vegan? Omit the cheese.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries with Barley
Crisp roasted Brussels sprouts meet sweet cranberries, pecans, and Gorgonzola cheese on a bed of barley. This delicious winter meal is ready in twenty minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, tips cut off, discolored leaves removed and sliced in half (smaller sprouts are better than large sprouts)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- โ cup fresh cranberries (or โ cup dried cranberries)
- โ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or goat cheese
- โ cup freshly toasted pecans
- 1 ยฝ cups cooked barley, reheated (see instructions above)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler.
- Set a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Let it heat up for two to three minutes. It should be so hot that a few drops of water sizzle and quickly disappear after contact.
- In a medium sized bowl, toss the prepared Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Toss well, so that the sprouts are evenly coated in a thin layer of oil.
- Once the pan is hot, dump the sprouts into the pan and quickly rearrange them so the flat sides are face down. Let them cook for two minutes.
- Toss the fresh cranberries into the pan and transfer the pan to your broiler. The pan will be heavy and hot so use oven mitts and be careful! Let the Brussels broil for about three minutes. Check the sprouts for donenessโtheir tops should be a little browned and the bottoms caramelized. How long you should leave them in there depends on your preferences and your oven. The cranberries should have started popping by now; set the hot pan on your stovetop for a couple of minutes while you reheat the barley.
- Toss the warm barley, sprouts, cranberries, cheese and pecans in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Season with salt, divide into smaller bowls, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Love and Lemonsโ maple and balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts recipe and one of Mark Bittmanโs recipes in The Food Matters Cookbook. The quick-roasted sprouts method is adapted from The Kitchn.
Serves two.
Make it vegan: Omit the cheese.
Make it nut free: Omit the pecans, or if you feel like experimenting, try adding pumpkin seeds instead!
Recommended equipment: I highly recommend using a 12-inch cast iron skillet rather than a large oven-safe, non-stick skillet because typical non-stick skillets release toxins at high temperatures.
Preparation tips: Brussels sprouts are best cooked flat side down because the heat gets trapped inside the sprout and, in effect, steams it. Itโs the best way to get crispy flat sides and cooked insides.
A note on the pecans: If youโre adding pecans, I recommend toasting the pecans over medium heat in a separate pan. They will burn over high heat.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Last but certainly not least, I have an exciting announcement to make! Sarah of 20something cupcakes and I are starting a community cooking project called The Food Matters Project. Sarah brought The Food Matters Cookbook to my attention a few months ago because she loved the recipes, but mostly because it had given her a new viewpoint on food. I bought the cookbook, and after reading through the introduction, realized that Mark and I share the same cooking philosophyโthat eating more plants and whole grains and less meat and processed food is better for our health and the environment. Then I poured through all 500 recipes, dog-earing many of them to try later. I adore the recipes because theyโre healthy, simple and versatile, which are all essential recipe qualities in my mind. Truly, if I had to pick one cookbook to recommend above all others, it would be this one.
Sarah and I are so enamored with Mark Bittmanโs recipes in The Food Matters Cookbook that we want to build a community around it and cook through the book together. If you want to learn how to cook healthy food, try new ingredients, or challenge yourself creatively, this project is for you. We canโt wait to see how you interpret his recipes!
Just like Mark Bittman, we want this project to be as unfussy and approachable as possible. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are welcome to join, and you decide whether or not you want to cook the selected recipe each week. And just so weโre clear, we have no affiliation with Mark Bittman; we just feel that his cookbook is perfectly suited for a group cooking project.
Learn more about the project at our new website, thefoodmattersproject.com, and follow our facebook page for updates! You can buy the book over here. I hope you are as excited as I am about the project and I hope youโll participate. We launch on February 6, so get ready!
Iโm going to make this tomorrow for Thanksgiving cause it looks so good, but I donโt have a cast iron skillet or gas stove. Do you think it will still be good using a reg. skillet and electric stove? If so is there anything I should change or know? Thanks! :)
Iโm sorry I didnโt answer your question in time, Rebecca. Hope your Thanksgiving meal turned out wonderfully.
I love what you had to say about the Food Matters cookbook! I had not heard of that book but am immediately adding to my christmas list! I started a food blog myself last May, primarily for the reason that as a vegetarian I want to support and witness to this diet because it is So much better for the environment. So far I have had a lot of support and love seeing other people out there like you with similar energy for healither lifestyles and a healthier earth. I am trying this delicious recipe tonight and cannot wait to taste it! It looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for all your work!
Thank you, Sarah! I think you will enjoy his cookbook. Itโs always great to hear from another like-minded eater. Best wishes to you and your blog.
Hi Kate!
I love your blog. I recently found it after starting my own blog and wanting to check out the competition. Yours is absolutely amazing. I really canโt compete. I saw your recipe for Brussels sprouts and immediately was drawn to it. I like them a lot myself. The funny thing is that where I live (the netherlands), theyโre really old fashion. My mother never made them when I was young, because of the smell and the bitter taste. But now I really like them. I used to have this fase, trying to make them less bitter by adding fruit, cinnemon and stuff. Went horribly wrong, not nice at all. After that I kept to more traditional recipes. But nowโฆ And Iโve got some maple syrup in my kitchen.
But reading this nowโฆ
Thank you for your kind words, Cisca. I was always afraid to try Brussels sprouts but I absolutely love them when they are cooked this way. Hope you get a chance to try the skillet method soon!
This dish is awesome! I love the fresh cranberries in this dish and the slight sweetness the maple syrup adds. It also looks festive with the red and green! Do you have the nutrition facts? Thanks again!
Thanks, Alyssa! Iโm glad you like it. Iโm sorry, I donโt have the nutrition facts but if you calculate them, please let us know.
This recipe was awesome! So delish. I am adding this to my regular winter rotation.
Thanks, Denise! Iโm so glad to hear that.
I found your recipe on Pinterest, and I love it. Iโm big on substituting whatever I have on hand in recipes and have used sliced almonds or chopped hazelnuts as the crunch, sliced peaches or persimmon as the fruit and quinoa or brown rice in place of the barley (if I even use a grain). The strangest substitution was when I dumped a couple of handfuls of trail mix into it. It worked suprisingly well! Anyway, thank you for sharing this wonderful little recipe with us.
Funny! I added roasted almonds because I picked up the wrong can at the store, but it was just as good!
Omg!!! I just made this for my dinner and I want more!!! I only made a serving size because the main squeeze is very picky with his veggies ;) but more for me. I did add turkey bits for a bit of protein. AMAZING!!!! Thank you fr sharing this recipe <3
I calculated how many calories per serving and it came out to around 440 cals. Not bad at all!
Not bad indeed! Thanks for sharing your nutritional calculation with us.
I just made this as a side with steak. One of the best sides I have ever tasted in my life. It was absolutely delicious. The only thing I changed was: instead of honey/balsamic vinegar, I mixed apple cider vinegar with coconut palm sugar. Thanks for posting this! 5+ stars!
I also didnโt use any barley or rice (paleofied it!) and I used slivered almonds because thatโs what I had on hand. Thanks again!
Angela, thank you for your glowing review! Iโm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, itโs one of my favorites.
Just made this. Omg. So. Good. Thank you!
Yes! Thanks, Michelle.
It is a great receipe, but I use buckweat instead of barley
I am OBSESSED with this recipe. I have to replace the barley with quinoa due to my allergies, but I am seriously in love with this dish! It is a meal โ sometimes a few nights a week. Thank you for sharing it!!
Woohoo! Really glad to hear that you love the recipe so much, Elizabeth. Thanks for commenting!
I just made this for a dinner Party tonight and everyone loved it! :)
Glad to hear it, Marilena!
Broiling the brussels sprouts with the cranberries was such a great idea. We just made a vegan variation and it is so good. We put the nuts (we did walnuts) in the broiler with brussels sprouts and cranberries and they burned, so next time we will add them in at the end as you said. But back to how good this was, my fiancรฉ was just stealing some off my plate as I wrote this comment.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks, Kerry! Iโm so glad you both enjoyed the dish. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
My love is in Paris without me (le sigh) Heโs not a huge fan of brussels sprouts so I took advantage of the opportunity! Just tried this as written except quinoa instead of barley โ delish! Next time I will get the sprouts out of the pan a little more speedily as I like them crispier like they were straight out of the broiler! Maybe if I call him mon petit chou chou when he gets back heโll let me make this for him :)
Glad you enjoyed this dish, Stefanie! Maybe it will change your manโs opinion of brussels sprouts. :)
I love this recipe! I have made it 4 times in the last six weeks. It is so delicious and so filling. Love the sour taste of the cranberries with the sprouts and maple syrup. Mmmmm. I would never have thought of putting these ingredients together. I have come to like barley through making this recipe. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Thanks, Cindy! I almost forgot about this one, but itโs one of my favorites!
I LOVE this recipe. It is a holiday favorite of mine. Thank you for creating and sharing!
Itโs fall and time to start eating this fabulous recipe again! Itโs my favorite and have told many people about it. I always eat too much of it because itโs so good! Thanks for such a delicious and healthy recipe!
Hooray, thanks Cindy!
Amazing taste, used some garlic and lemon for roasting the Brussel sprouts to make it to bit more fresh since I only had dried cranberries.
Garlic and lemon sound great with this, Josie.
This recipe is amazing, I loved it!! I couldnโt get hold of fresh cranberries here in Norway, only dried ones with additives, so I opted for frozen cherries, and it turned out really good:-)
Frozen cherries sound amazing with this, Heidi! I think thatโs a great substitution.
This has been a household favorite since I read the recipe years ago. It goes over so well at pot lucks despite the initial weary looks & concerns for looking too healthy to taste good. My favorite mods are adding thick, crispy bacon, then subbing walnuts, & red & white quinoa.
Thanks, G_V! Iโm so glad this one is a time-tested winner for you. :)
Am enjoying the beautiful flavors as I write :)
Thanks for sharing!
Youโre welcome, Shazron!
This is a home-run! We made it two weeks in a row.
Love that! Thank you, Rachael for your review.
Mon petit chouchou in French is a very sweet thing and it rรฉfรฉrรฉs to the ยซย Chou ร la crรจmeย ยป the pรขtisserie that is sooooo delicious! voilร !
Ohhh, that makes sense! Thank you for enlightening me, Cat. Iโve always wondered how that phrase came to be. :)
hi
I love your recipes!
I made the stuffed bell peppers (with lentils) yesterday and my husband took the left overs to work.
Tonight we had the spaghetti squash bowls.
Anyway question. Can I use walnuts instead of pecans for this dish?
Hi Monica! Iโm happy you enjoyed it. You can use walnuts if you like.
I made this recipe tonight, followed the directions exactly but used fat free feta for the cheese and 2 Tbs maple syrup. It was very good.
Iโm glad you enjoyed it, Betsy!
If you use dried sweetened cranberries, donโt put them under broiler. They burn and taste awful! Otherwise, delicious recipe.
Hi yes, you donโt want to add them in the broiler. See step 5 & 6 on the cranberries.
Hello , can the barley be substituted with quinoa?
Will it affect the taste ?
Hi, You could try it. Or Possibly rice too. Let me know what you think!
perfectโฆ
Great to hear, Pavle!
Made this for myself last night and cannot wait to make again! It was very filling and exactly what I wanted to have after all the holiday excess. The fresh cranberries are excellent โ never occurred to me to roast them. Loved that they retained their tartness. I used feta cheese because I had it but I will try with the other cheese suggestions in the recipe next time.