Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples with Tahini Dressing

These sweet and savory Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples with Tahini Dressing are perfect for Thanksgiving! Even the pickiest eaters will love them!

It's All About the Way They Are Cooked

As a kid, brussels sprouts were my least favorite vegetable, and they were served a lot at my house. Or maybe it just seemed like they were served a lot because I disliked them so much.

Fast forward to thirty years later at a Thanksgiving dinner and I found myself not only eating them, but loving them. What changed? The way the brussels sprouts were cooked. That's it.

They were roasted instead of steamed, which is what I was used to as a kid. They were served in a dish with dried cranberries or raisins, and perhaps other ingredients, but I don't recall what. Obviously, the ingredients in the dish don't stand out, only the fact that they were roasted does.

Sweet and Savory

Roasting brussels sprouts, and other vegetables for that matter, caramelizes their natural sugars and brings out their sweetness. Because I liked them so much, that is how I made them for this recipe.

Then I paired the brussels sprouts with tart Granny Smith apples, which I also roasted to bring out their sweetness. You could use your favorite apple instead. Granny Smith apples just happen to be my favorite. Keep in mind that if you get a softer apple to cook it for a shorter period of time.

Then, I added crunchy pecans and sweet tart dried cranberries. To add a savory flavor I made a tahini dressing to drizzle on top, which pairs nicely with sweet flavors. The roasted brussels sprouts and apples taste good on their own, but the tahini dressing ties everything together and takes the dish to a whole new level.

I also tried this dish with black cherry balsamic vinegar in addition to the tahini dressing because I love how it tastes with savory foods. It complimented these Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples nicely with another sweet note.

Try It A Different Way

The moral of the story is that if you try a food and you don't like it, you might just need to try it prepared a different way. In general, roasting vegetables is my favorite way to eat them, especially if they are served by themselves. So if you have kiddos that don't like a certain vegetable, maybe they will like it roasted. It's worth a shot!

As a vegan, I eat a fair amount of gluten free tempeh, but I am picky about how it is prepared. One of my favorite ways to eat it is in BBQ Tempeh Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Guacamole. Since tempeh has a strong flavor, I like to pair it with a strong sauce.

Tempeh tastes earthy, nutty, and a bit like mushrooms. It is not my favorite soy product, but I like to eat it occasionally. It's too bad that I don't like it as much as tofu. Since tempeh is minimally processed and fermented it is a healthy choice.

Then there are foods like tofu that I could eat anyway that they are prepared. I think it's all about trying foods cooked in different ways to find which way you like them the best.

Other Roasted Vegetable Recipes You Might Like

• Roasted Cauliflower Steak Sandwich with Red Pepper and Black Olive Tapenade
• Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Spicy Vegan Grilled Cheese
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Roasted Hatch Chili Hummus Tostadas

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples with Tahini Dressing

This vegan brussels sprouts recipe is a healthy side dish for the holidays.

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5 from 1 vote

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples with Tahini Dressing

These sweet and savory Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples with Tahini Dressing are perfect for Thanksgiving! Even the pickiest eaters will love them!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine vegan, gluten free

Keyword brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar, roasted brussels sprouts and apples, vegan brussels sprouts recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 129kcal

Author Willow Moon

Ingredients

• 4 cups brussels sprouts halved lengthwise
• 2 Granny smith apples sliced in large pieces (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup pecans chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Tahini Dressing*

• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Place sliced brussels sprouts in a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Stir and add sliced apples and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until brussels sprouts are fork tender.
• Tahini Dressing: While brussels sprouts and apples are cooking, make the dressing. Mix tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Place brussels sprouts and apples in a bowl. Add pecans and dried cranberries. Serve with tahini dressing.

Notes

If you prefer a sweet dressing, this also tastes really good with black cherry balsamic vinegar or blackberry ginger balsamic vinegar. Or if you want sweet and savory, you could use a little of both.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 41.1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.9mg

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*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.