Side dishes · Vegetable sides

Roasted brussels sprouts

Name: Roasted brussels sprouts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved; 2 tbsp olive oil; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2, juiced lemon; 3 tbsp grated parmesan

The vegetable that rebranded itself: halved sprouts roasted hot until the outer leaves go dark and crisp. The redemption arc was always just an oven set high enough.

Time: 35 min (10 prep + 25 cook)
Servings: 4
Per serving: 166 kcal
Protein: 7 g

Both directions are legitimate — the score measures fullness per calorie, not virtue. Every version is the same dish, rebalanced.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved700 g
2 tbsp olive oil30 g
3/4 tsp salt4 g
1/2 tsp black pepper1 g
1/2, juiced lemon15 g
3 tbsp grated parmesan (optional)20 g

Every ingredient links to its food page — same data, same score, same formula.

Steps

Heat the oven to 220°C — high heat is the entire trick; sprouts roasted at 180°C steam and sulk.
Toss the halves with oil, salt and pepper, and lay them cut-side down on the tray. The flat side against hot metal is where the caramel happens.
Roast 20–25 minutes without stirring until deeply browned underneath and crisp-leaved on top.
Off the tray, hit them with lemon and parmesan if using.

Why did everyone hate these growing up?

Because they were boiled. Boiling develops the sulfur compounds that made the vegetable's reputation; high-heat roasting develops sugar and crunch instead. Same sprout, different chemistry.

Why this score

moderately filling

No single route carries this one — a moderate amount of protein, volume and fiber.

Three routes to fullness — one is enough

16% of kcal

72% water

41 g/Mcal

What pulls it down

How scores work

Computed on the finished dish, not an average of the parts: 662 kcal goes into the pot, 770 g of ingredients comes out as ~500 g of food → 132 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water, and energy density is the score's biggest lever — so we show the math. Full formula here.

Per

Calories: 132
Protein: (16%); 6 g
Fat: (47%); 8 g
Carbohydrates: (37%); 13 g
of which sugar: 3 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sodium: 416 mg

Percentages are the share of calories from each macronutrient.

Computed from the ingredients' USDA data — nothing typed by hand. Every number is traceable, every score recomputable.

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Photo: AI-generated. Nutrition and score are computed from the ingredients with the published formula — this recipe hasn't been kitchen-tested by us yet.