
Brussels sprouts are the most underrated vegetable in the world. People have been brainwashed by their grandparents and parents boiling them to the consistency of absolute mush and then dumping them on their plate and force feeding them mushy globs of questionable smelling sprouts.
BUT – listen, these poor brussels sprouts have just been wildly misunderstood. Because when cooked correctly and treated just as their lovely little selves deserve to be treated, they are WONDERFUL. One of my top five favorite veggies for sure. They are a regular occurrence in our house!
I will say that in recent years, brussels have been making a come back as people realize how delicious they can be.

There are so many ways to make them the most glorious vegetable ever:
- Shredded and eaten raw in a salad
- Shredded and cooked in a saute pan
- Halved and roasted to a beautiful, caramelized perfection
Or, in this case, roasted whole. This is probably my new favorite way to make brussels just because it is SO easy. Though I love my brussels, they are a little bit of a pain to make. Leaves come off errywhere when you are cutting the roots off and slicing them in half, and then they keep coming off as you bake and toss the sprouts in the oven. You can either pick them off the baking sheet or they char to absolute ash by the end of the oven time.
But since you are roasting these whole, the roots hold all the leaves together, and all you have to do is pick off any tough ones from the outside if there are any!

So your whole process is just to literally throw all your brussels sprouts into a bowl, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and them dump onto a baking sheet and roast.
And then, while they are roasting, you whip up a delicious balsamic reduction to be drizzled lightly over top, because is there ever a time when balsamic reduction doesn’t make the world a better place?? Lol, of course not.
And then, when these come out of the oven and you’ve drizzled them to perfection, you just slice off the roots as you’re eating them. Or you can hold them by the root and bite the sprout off (my fave way).
These are life changing if you love easy, short-prep-time dinners! Make this happen this week, friends.

Whole Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction

- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves pulled off (some may not have any)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- In a large bowl, add your brussels sprouts, oil, and salt + pepper. Toss the brussels in the bowl until they are evenly coated in oil and seasonings
- Dump the brussels out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss, and bake for another 10 minutes or until fork tender
- While the brussels are roasting, add your balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the vinegar has reduced and thickened
- When the brussels are done, add to your plate and drizzle with balsamic reduction!
Notes
Even when roasted, you don’t want to eat the root, so either slice it off as you eat the sprouts, or hold them by the root and bite the sprout off.
This recipe is 1 Freestyle SmartPoint per serving!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the sprouts
- Calories: 144
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries so I can see!
In the mood for more brussels sprout recipes? Check these out:
Pecan Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Cider Vinaigrette
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce and Charred Shallots
Broccoli and Brussels Sprout Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
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