If you are looking for a delicious side dish for a special occasion or for any old day of the week, my Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potato Recipe is the answer. Add this to your Thanksgiving menu and serve it alongside the ham or turkey and the other side dishes on your holiday table. The best part will be the compliments from friends and family.
It goes as well with a weeknight dinner as it does with fancy holiday meals. Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are dolled up with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and golden raisins and dressed with a glaze made of hot honey (or maple syrup), apple cider vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. This will become one of your go-to easy recipes and will surely become one of your favorite sweet potato recipes.
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MARY'S TWO CENTS
This delicious Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Recipe falls into my frugal budget category. You might not have hot honey, so use what you have. You might not have balsamic glaze, but you can reduce regular balsamic vinegar and make your own. You might not have golden raisins, so use regular raisins. This dish is very versatile and easily adaptable to what you have on hand.
THIS BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND SWEET POTATO RECIPE IS:
- an easy side dish or a main dish for vegetarians
- unique and full of deep flavor from the dressing
- fresh and crunchy with roasted veggies
- beautiful with gorgeous mouth-watering color
- a great way to try new flavor combinations by improvising
- a gluten-free recipe
- one of Thanksgiving's healthy recipes
- that roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are a very good thing.
INGREDIENTS
For the full recipe with quantities, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Brussels Sprouts - Choose firm sprouts with tight leaves when possible. Avoid ones with dark or rusty spots.
- Sweet potatoes - Make sure you have sweet potatoes with orange flesh. There are varieties that are pale yellow or white-fleshed and they are not as sweet.
- Dried cranberries - Dried cranberries work better than fresh ones as the fresh cranberries will burst during cooking. If your cranberries are very dry and hard you can rehydrate them by placing them in a small microwave-safe bowl, covering them with water, and cooking for 30 seconds. Let them sit for a couple of minutes then remove them from the water and drain them on paper towels until dry. The cranberries in the ingredient image were rehydrated.
- Pecans - Nothing ruins a dish like rancid nuts. Taste them before toasting. If they aren't fresh, don't use them. Better to leave them out than to wreck the dish with stale nuts. TIP: Store nuts in an airtight container in the freezer.
- Golden raisins - You can use regular raisins if you don't have golden raisins. If you prefer not to use raisins, double the cranberries or add another dried fruit like dried apricots.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - If you do not have apple cider vinegar use another flavor like champagne vinegar. If you only have white vinegar use half the amount.
- Hot Honey - Hot honey brings a very subtle heat to this otherwise sweet dish. If you don't have any or don't want the heat use regular honey or maple syrup.
- Balsamic glaze - I use a bottled balsamic glaze. If you don't have any you can make your own by simmering balsamic vinegar over low heat until it is thickened and reduced by half.
- Oil - You can use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or olive oil if you prefer.
- Salt & Black Pepper - I always use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. For this recipe, I prefer medium ground black pepper.
- What about onion? Yes! If desired, add half a medium red onion to the halved brussels sprouts and cubed sweet potatoes when roasting. I do not recommend adding them uncooked with the fruits and nuts.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Cube the sweet potatoes and halve the sprouts and place on a sheet pan.
Pour on 1 tablespoon of oil, and mix to coat evenly. Sprinkle with pepper. Roast.
Add pecans to a skillet and warm until fragrant, 2-3 minutes on low.
Mix pecans, cranberries, and golden raisins in a bowl.
Mix the hot honey, apple cider vinegar, and Balsamic glaze in a small jar.
Remove the vegetables from the oven when they are fork tender.
Add the dried fruit and nuts. Pour dressing over and mix well to coat.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve while still warm.
LOOKING FOR MORE VEGETABLES?
EQUIPMENT
- Large sheet pan
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Aluminum foil (optional)
- Large bowl
FOOD STORAGE TIPS
Keep for no more than 2-3 days, covered in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing.
PRO TIPS
- The best part of this dish, aside from how it tastes, is its beauty. If you make this dish as a part of your holiday dinner or even an everyday supper, you'll want to serve it immediately. If you are not planning to serve it immediately, do not put the dressing on. Instead, transfer the roasted vegetables to a casserole dish, leave the dried fruits and nuts in the bowl, and the dressing in the jar. Reheat the roasted vegetables briefly (30-60 seconds) in the microwave, then assemble the dish. The colors will remain vibrant and not take on the brown color of the Balsamic vinegar dressing.
Ingredients
- ½ pound Brussels sprouts approx. 1.5 cups
- 1 medium Sweet potato approx. 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ cup Dried cranberries
- ¼ cup Golden raisins
- ¼ cup Pecans
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic glaze
- 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Hot honey or maple syrup or regular honey
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees f. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper if desired. This step is optional as it is mainly for ease of clean-up. I roasted the vegetables directly on the pan. Set aside.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into ¾" cubes.
- Wash the Brussels sprouts and pat dry with paper towels. Pick off any loose leaves. Cut off the brown part of the bottom of the stem being careful not to cut too much causing the leaves to fall off. Cut the smaller sprouts in half and the larger ones in quarters.
- Add the vegetables to the baking sheet in a single layer with room in between for them to roast instead of steam. Pour the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle the pepper over the vegetables.
- Bake at 400°F oven for about 20-25 mins.
- Add the pecans to a skillet and warm on low heat until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Be careful. They burn quickly.
- Add the dried cranberries, raisins, and pecans to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the hot honey, apple cider vinegar, and Balsamic glaze in a small jar.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven when they are done (fork tender). Add the dried fruit and pecans to the baking sheet with the roasted vegetables. Sprinkle the salt on. Pour the dressing over and toss with a spatula to mix.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot or warm.
S says
How much is "1 Hot honey or maple syrup or regular honey"? We talking Tablespoons, cup, is this another recipe?
Mary says
It is one tablespoon.
Kat says
Can the veggies be roasted a day ahead and then re-heated and mixed with the rest? I really want to make this but my oven is pretty fully booked (i.e. a turkey resides there), and once that is out and resting I'll have time to re-heat.
Mary says
I think it would be fine. I would leave the cranberry, nuts, and raisins out until you re-heat. I comletly understand how valuable oven space is on the holidays. Let me know how it comes out! Happy holidays!