Brussels Sprouts Roasted with Sausage

by Aug 1, 2015Meat, Veggies

I originally tried this recipe from “Italian Food Forever.”

It was very good just as she did it. But I with every bite, I kept thinking, this reminds me of pizza. So, I made some changes with the notion of making a topping for pizza….or perhaps a main dish served as a casserole. If you’re in the mood for straight up Roasted Brussels Sprouts, try this simpler version.

 

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 pound of Brussels Sprouts; stems removed; then sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 pound Italian Sausage; removed from casing and crumbled
1/2 pound tiny mushrooms; sliced
1 small purple onion; skinned and sliced thinly
1 cup black olives; coarsely chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes; sliced in half
3-6 cloves garlic; thinly sliced (or chopped if you prefer)
1/2 – 1 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 – 1 cup Cotija or Parmesan; grated.
olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne (or red pepper flakes)

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 (F). Place prepared Brussels sprouts in mixing bowl and season with cayenne (or red pepper flakes), salt and pepper. Add 2 T or more olive oil and toss well. Pour into a large casserole or in a deep baking pan ( I used a 13″ x 10″ x 3″ disposable foil baking pan.). Scatter the crumbled sausage evenly over and around the sprouts. Place in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the garlic, olives, mushrooms, onions and cherry tomatoes in the same mixing bowl used before. Add a few splashes of olive oil and a few dashes of salt and pepper. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

After the sprouts and sausages have roasted for 15 minutes, remove from oven and stir. Return to oven.

After another 5 minutes, stir in the mushroom/vegetable combination prepared earlier. Stir to distribute evenly

After another 5 minutes; remove from oven and stir in Cotija (or Parmesan) cheese. Return to oven for another 5 minutes.

Continue checking every 5 minutes until the sprouts begin to turn golden brown.  Add a layer of finely grated Mozzarella cheese and return to oven until bubbly.

Allow to stand a few minutes before serving. It will be hot.

Note: Leftovers make an excellent sandwich.  Rewarm the leftovers in microwave. Split a bolillo or other sandwich roll and warm in a dry non-stick skillet.

Apply a spread of mayo to both pieces of bread. The sandwich will work better if you cut each Brussels sprout half in half once again. Spoon over one piece of bread. I like to add slices of tomato too that I’ve cut into bite size pieces. Cover with other half of bread. And press to flatten a bit.

Melt a spoon of butter in the warm skillet; place sandwich in the butter and press with  a plate, foil covered brick, or any flat clean weight. Grill until golden; then flip and repeat.