Sautéed Brussels Sprouts – Love and Lemons

This sautéed Brussels sprouts recipe is my go-to quick and easy side dish. It cooks up in no time, and the sprouts are tender, flavorful, and golden brown.

If you need a quick and easy side dish for any meal this season (Thanksgiving included!), these sautéed Brussels sprouts would be a great pick. They cook in a hot cast-iron skillet until they’re beautifully seared on one side, bright green on the other, and tender all the way through. I toss them with lemon juice, season to taste with salt and pepper, and…that’s it.

In just 10 minutes and with only 6 ingredients, these sautéed Brussels sprouts become crisp, flavorful, and perfectly browned. They’re so simple and so delicious. I can never resist sneaking a few straight out of the skillet.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Recipe Ingredients

To make this recipe, you’ll need a pound of Brussels sprouts. Look for ones that are small-medium in size with green, tightly-closed leaves. Before you cook them, wash them well and pat them dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Then, trim off any dried-out ends and slice the sprouts in half lengthwise.

The only other ingredients in this sautéed Brussels sprouts recipe are

• olive oil, for sautéing the sprouts,
• salt and pepper, for seasoning them,
• and lemon juice, to brighten them up at the end.

If you like, you can serve them with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan and/or red pepper flakes, but those ingredients are totally optional. These sautéed Brussels sprouts are delicious on their own!

That being said, you could also dress them up with different sauces or garnishes.

• Drizzle them with tahini sauce, balsamic vinegar, or this balsamic glaze.
• Toss them with fresh herbs like parsley or thyme.
• Or sprinkle them with pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, or toasted nuts.

Find more ideas here!

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Recipe Tips

• Let them be until they brown. We all love sautéed Brussels sprouts that are crisp and well-browned, right? To achieve this browning, the sprouts need to have sustained contact with the hot pan. If you stir too soon or too frequently, they’ll cook through without browning. Instead, place them in the skillet cut-side-down, and then don’t move them for about 3 minutes. You can peek under a sprout or two every so often to check their color, but don’t really stir until they’re all golden brown.
• Don’t be afraid to work in batches. If you don’t have enough room in your pan to arrange all the Brussels sprouts cut-side-down (see above tip), then you need to work in batches. It’ll add a little extra time to the cooking process, but the crisp, brown, and perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts will be totally worth it.
• Season to taste. Because you’ll likely be cooking these sautéed Brussels sprouts in batches, it’s especially important that you season to taste. You don’t want one batch to be too salty and the other to be too bland! Before serving, toss all the sprouts together in the pan to warm them through. Squeeze them with the lemon juice; then, taste and adjust the salt and pepper. If you like, top them with Parmesan cheese, and serve!

More Easy Veggie Side Dish Recipes

If you love these sautéed Brussels sprouts, try one of these easy veggie side dishes next:

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Serves 4

This sautéed Brussels sprouts recipe is a delicious quick and easy side dish! I love topping the tender, perfectly browned sprouts with Parmesan or vegan Parmesan, but a drizzle of balsamic, tahini sauce, and/or fresh herbs would be great too. Find more serving suggestions in the post above.

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon wedge, for squeezing
• Flaky sea salt
• Grated Parmesan, or Vegan Parmesan, optional

• Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Place half the Brussels sprouts, cut-side down, into the skillet. Without moving the sprouts, let them sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until deeply golden brown. Toss, sprinkle with half the salt and several grinds of pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender. Remove from the pan, add a little more oil, and repeat with the remaining sprouts.

• When the second batch is finished, add the first batch back to the pan and heat until warmed through. Turn off the heat, squeeze with lemon, and season to taste with more sea salt or with flaky sea salt.

• If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan or vegan Parmesan, and serve hot.