These sweet and savory sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts with maple glaze are topped with cranberries and pecans, making them the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving celebration.
If you follow my blog, you hopefully noticed I’ve been sharing a lot of my favorite fall recipes lately. That’s because I’ve had a lot of requests for healthier holiday dishes. That, and I love pumpkin flavor. The last two recipes I posted were pumpkin favorites, so this time, I decided it was time for a healthy holiday side dish.
This recipe combines two of my favorite veggies – Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. I combined them to make one delicious, healthy side dish. So healthy, in fact, that one serving is provides 20% of the daily value for potassium. Potassium is a nutrient of concern in this country, and getting 100% of the DV each day is not easy. This side dish makes it obtainable.
You can print the recipe below, but I’m also going to walk you through the process. It’s much easier than the list of directions makes it seems, but it does take some prep work. Believe me, though, it’s so worth it!
You’ll need about 3 large sweet potatoes and 3 pounds of raw Brussels sprouts. I made it easy on myself and just bought a 3 pound bag. You can find them sold this way at most large groceries stores. You’ll also need a bottle of apple cider vinegar, some maple syrup, dried cranberries and a few pecans. These items will hold up in your refrigerator or pantry for some time, so put them on your grocery list now so that you have them ready when you have time to cook.
You’ll need about an hour to make this recipe. The majority of that time they are the oven, so you’ll be able to do other things while they are roasting.
The only equipment needed is a sharp knife, a peeler, a few large bowls and 2 large sheet pans. You can also cut the recipe in half if you are cooking for fewer people. In that case, one sheet pan will do.
Start by rinsing the vegetables, then peeling the potatoes and trimming the Brussels sprouts. I like to cut the sweet potatoes into small diced pieces. Smaller pieces makes it easier to get both veggies into every bite when it’s time to eat. You’ll want to cut the Brussels sprout in half lengthwise. Once you have them cut, transfer them to separate bowls.
Now, you might be wondering if you can just put them both into one big bowl. The answer is yes. However, I don’t recommend it. Once you have the veggies cut, you are going to add 2 tsp of olive oil to each, and toss them with your hands to coat them. When you do this step, the Brussels sprouts are going to lose some of their leaves. I like to toss them in separate bowls so that it’s easier to pick the leaves out. If you cook the loose leaves with the rest of vegetables, they will burn. But, if you wait until the end to cook them, you can be sure they are cooked to just the right amount of crispiness. Add them to the other roasted vegetables when you are ready to serve. They add some extra crunch and flavor.
Once both vegetables are coated with olive oil, you can transfer them to your sheet pans. This recipe makes 9 servings, so you won’t be able to keep them in a single layer if you just use one pan. You definitely want to roast them in a single layer. You also want to make sure to place the Brussels sprouts cut side down. This will assure they are evenly caramelized throughout.
Once you have them on the sheet pan, sprinkle with just a bit of salt and pepper and roast for ~25 minutes at 425 degrees.
While the vegetables are roasting, you can combine the vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil. This is the mixture that you will brush on the veggies once they are done. You can also dice the cranberries and crush the pecans. Set those aside.
After the 25 minutes, toss the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes one last time and use a pastry brush to coat the vegetables with the maple mixture. Sprinkle the crushed pecans and diced cranberries over the top and return to the oven for another 7-8 minutes.
That’s it! You have a highly nutritious and very delicious side dish. I hope you love it as much as I do.
If you like this recipe, you might also like my recipe for oven roasted Brussels sprouts or these twice baked sweet potatoes with rosemary and ricotta.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Maple Glaze
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 3 pounds raw Brussels Sprouts
- 2.5 pounds sweet potatoes
- 5 tsp olive oil separated
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp crushed pecans
- 3 tbsp dried cranberries, diced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with Parchment paper.
- Rinse Brussels Sprouts and trim the ends off, then cut in half lengthwise. Put in a bowl.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut ends, then cut into ~1 inch chunks. Put in a separate bowl.
- Drizzle 2 tsp. of olive oil the Brussels sprouts, then toss the vegetables with your hands until they are evenly coated with oil.
- Repeat that process for the sweet potatoes.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes onto one baking sheet, and the Brussels sprouts onto the other. Make sure that both vegetables are in a single layer, and that the Brussels sprouts are cut side down. Some of the leaves from the Brussels sprouts will fall off, but don’t throw them away. Set them aside for later.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then put them both in the oven to roast for ~25 minutes, tossing them once during this time to allow for even roasting.
- While the vegetables are roasting, make the glaze by combining the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp olive oil in a bowl.
- Remove vegetables from the oven. Using a small pastry brush, coat the vegetables with the glaze. If your baking sheet is large enough, you can combine the two vegetables onto the same baking sheet. Sprinkle the cranberries and crushed pecan pieces over the vegetables and return to the oven.
- Roast vegetables for an additional 7-8 minutes until nuts are toasted and vegetables are caramelized and tender. Serve immediately.
- {Optional}: if you have a lot of Brussels sprouts leaves that fell off, lay them in a single layer on the baking sheet you are no longer using and bake them while the other vegetables are roasting, or until they are crunchy. You can add those to the finished dish for extra crunch!
Notes
- Makes 9 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Recipe makes 9 servings
- Nutrition Facts (per servings): 170 Calories, 32 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 6 g protein, 4 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 6% DV for calcium, 10% DV for iron, 20% DV for potassium
Looks amazing!
Thank you. This is one of my favorite fall recipes.
Yum! Looks like a perfect fall recipe. I’ll be trying it soon for sure!
Great. Let me know what you think!
This sounds delicious!!! Do you think it would still be a good using butternut squash too? And would that change the amount of time to cook, or would I have to cook them separately? I feel like butternut squash cooks faster and might get too soft.
Hi, you can absolutely substitute butternut squash. The cook time will be the same. You can keep and eye on it while it cooks though, and adjust based on how firm you like the vegetables. That’s true even for the sweet potato. Hope you like it.