Brussels Sprouts and Apple, Skillet Version
Roasted sprouts logic moved to a pan, with dried apple standing in for fresh.
- calories
- 260
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 52
- protein
- 5 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 60 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Brussels sprouts | 1 lb | trimmed and halved at home, carried in the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Dried apple slices | 1/2 cup | or one fresh apple if you have cooler room |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Dried cranberries | 1/4 cup | |
| Chopped walnuts | 1/4 cup | |
| Maple syrup | 1 tbsp | or maple sugar, which does not spill |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Dry-toast the walnuts in the pan over low heat for two minutes, then tip them into a mug.
- Add the oil and the sprouts cut-side down. Leave them alone for four or five minutes so the flat faces brown.
- Stir, add the dried apple and cranberries, then pour in about 60 ml of water and cover.
- Steam five to eight minutes until a sprout gives to a spoon. Uncover and cook off any water left.
- Kill the heat, stir in the maple syrup and the walnuts, and salt it harder than you think.
An oven does two things to a sprout: browns the cut face and drives off the water that makes it taste bitter. A pan does the same job if you let the halves sit still long enough to color before you start stirring. That first undisturbed four minutes is the whole recipe.
Fresh apple is mostly water and bruises in a pack, so dried slices go in instead. They rehydrate in the covered steam and end up close to roasted apple. The nuts get toasted first and added last, because anything that spends the steam phase in the pan comes out soft.
Sprouts keep about three days in a cooler, which puts this in car-camping and basecamp territory rather than a long carry.
Packing
Trim and halve the sprouts at home so camp prep is one bag opened. Nuts, cranberries, and dried apple ride together in a second bag; syrup goes in a leakproof bottle inside another bag.
Variations
- Maple sugar instead of syrup makes the whole thing shelf-stable and lighter.
- A handful of instant couscous stirred into the residual water turns the side dish into a meal.
- Smoked paprika or a few chili flakes cut the sweetness if three sweet things is two too many.
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-roasted-brussels-sprouts-apples