Pomegranate Molasses Brussels Sprouts

The other day I made a fresh batch of pomegranate molasses and I have been busy in my kitchen finding creative ways to cook with this delicious treat. So far, this is one of my favorite recipes: Pomegranate Molasses Brussels Sprouts.  I have others and I’ll share them soon.  Brussels sprouts are so fresh and plentiful this time of the year, they are kind of hard to resist. Beautiful seed-filled pomegranates have also made their appearance in most grocery stores and what a happy marriage these two make!

OK first things first.  You know how you can go your whole entire life and never pick up on a little tidbit of info and when you find it out you’re like…”Wait…what?? How did I not know that?!?!” Well, I probably should NOT admit this, being a food blogger and all, but I am honest to a fault…so don’t judge me! But I did not know that……….ok, I’m just going to say it…I did not know that they were BrusselS sprouts…! I made no connection between these and the city in Belgium…none whatsoever!  I know!  My entire life I have been calling them brussel sprouts! So embarrassing…oh well. You live, and you learn.  Right??

Now, lets get to making these delicious Pomegranate Molasses Brussels Sprouts…

How to make Pomegranate Molasses Brussels Sprouts

You will need: Brussels sprouts, toasted walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar or honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, orange zest, a sprig of rosemary and pomegranate arils (seeds).

First thing you will need to do is to get your sprouts ready… rinse them thoroughly in cold water and drain to dry in a colander or on a kitchen towel.  Remove any brown or damaged leaves and then, with a paring knife, trim the stems, just a little, to freshen them up and remove any brown or uneven  bottoms. Then slice all of the sprouts in half lengthwise (from the top through the bottom stem), this will keep the leaves intact and prevent the sprouts from falling apart during roasting.  Spread the Brussels sprouts in a large baking or roasting pan in a single layer to ensure even roasting then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast in a 400° oven for about 25-35  minutes.  After 20 minutes of cooking, remove the pan from the oven and give your sprouts a good toss. This will help them brown more evenly.  Here’s a nice before…

and after pic of the sprouts. Just look at that color after they are roasted…Yum, yum, yum!

Not going to lie, just looking at this after pic makes me want to cook some Brussels sprouts for dinner tonight… 🙂

While the sprouts are roasting it’s time to seed your pomegranate and make the pomegranate molasses sauce. You can purchase packages of pomegranate seeds in a lot of grocery stores these days, look in the cut fruit section of your store.  During the fall and winter, fresh whole pomegranates are fairly easy to come by and they are kinda fun to seed – I am also easily amused.  If you have a whole pomegranate and have never seeded one, here is a great video from Martha Stewart on How to Seed a Pomegranate.

After you have your pomegranate seeds ready, gather up all of your sauce ingredients…

This sauce is super quick and easy to make and it will be ready before your sprouts are done cooking.  Get a medium sized skillet and first add in the pomegranate molasses.

Mmmmm…. it’s soooo good!  Then just add in all of the remaining ingredients, the sugar or honey, a pinch of salt, some turns of fresh ground pepper, bit of balsamic vinegar and a fresh, fragrant sprig of rosemary.

Using a spoon, give everything a good mix to combine and heat through for about 10 minutes. Stirring it every few minutes.  The sauce will darken during cooking as the sugars caramelize and you will be able to smell the amazing scent from the rosemary as well as the sweet, tangy scent of the molasses and citrusy smell of the orange zest. 

Once the sauce is done, remove and discard the sprig of rosemary and take the pan off of the stove and away from any heat.

By now your Brussels sprouts should be on there way to being done.  During the last eight or so minutes of cooking, place a small baking sheet with your chopped walnuts into the oven so they can get a nice toast on them while the sprouts are finishing cooking. 

After you remove the sprouts and nuts from the oven, let them both stand for about 5 minutes. Using a large spoon, place the Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl or on a platter (rimmed would be best) and then drizzle the sauce all over the sprouts…mmmmmm…. they smell so delicious! Don’t sneak a taste yet! Show some restraint for goodness sake!  Almost finished. Give them a little toss to distribute the sauce, sprinkle on the walnuts and pomegranate arils and voilà!

The colors are just amazing aren’t they? And they taste just as amazing! The roasted flavor of the sprouts, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, paired with the tangy sweetness of the sauce and the wonderful crunch of the toasted walnuts and the pomegranate seeds that just burst in your mouth with deliciousness – oh my!  Truth be told… see that picture above here… I ate just about half of that for dinner the night I did this post…they were just so yummy I couldn’t help myself.

Serve these bad boys up quickly so they keep that crispiness and are still a bit warm. You will make them more than once I bet…enjoy!