Feast & Lore

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Squash and Apples

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Bored with your vegetables these days? What you need is a good trio—the Luke, Leia and Hans of dinner! Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and apples are the unlikely characters to connect this veggie plot together. Roasting brings out the caramelized bitterness of the sprouts, the earthy sweetness of the squash and honey-tart apple flavours in the most perfect way. Add some fresh herbs, walnuts for crunch and drizzle with maple syrup for a vegetable dish that is totally delish, yet super healthy at the same time.


Caramelized butternut squash, brussels sprouts and apples come together with walnuts and maple syrup for a delightful veg side dish

To begin, prep your brussels sprouts by removing the outer leaves, trimming the bottoms and slicing them in half (for really large sprouts, cut into thirds or quarters—the goal is for all the pieces to be roughly the same size for even roasting). I find a heaping two-cup measuring cup does the trick, you don’t need to be too precise.

A glass measuring cup brimming with fresh brussels sprouts

Next, chop up your butternut squash (about 2 cups as well). I like to buy a package of pre-cut squash from the store. It saves all that prep time peeling the skin, and a whole butternut would be too much for this recipe. No need to peel the apples, just cut them up into half-inch pieces and toss everything together in a large 9×13″ baking dish, with some shallots and some fresh rosemary, thyme or sage, whichever you have on hand. Season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle with some olive oil, and stir it all together.

The vegetables are oven-ready

Roast, uncovered, for about 35–45 minutes until the edges of the squash and outer leaves of the sprouts are dark and golden. No need to stir, just let it roast in place to get all those nice dark golden bits.

Golden roasted brussels sprouts and vegetable mix

The photo above gives a good idea of how the vegetables should look when they are ready. Aren’t roasted brussels sprouts just gorgeous?! Finally when serving, I like to let people grab their own walnuts to place on top, and drizzle the maple syrup on top to their liking. Overall the combination is so simple and so good. It makes a great side dish with pork chops. With more walnuts and maybe a bit of goat cheese, this could also be a meal on it’s own. Who said vegetables can’t be the star of dinner? With the right trio, veggies triumph over all. May the syrup be with you!

Drizzling maple syrup on roasted brussels sprouts with squash and apples

Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Apples, the perfect trio of vegetables
Drizzling maple syrup on roasted brussels sprouts with squash and apples
4.75 from 4 votes
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Roasted brussels sprouts with butternut squash & apples

The perfect trio of vegetables to shake up your vegetable routine.

Course Side Dish
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Brussels sprouts
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peel removed, cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 cups apples (1–2 large apples) cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 shallots, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • fresh rosemary or sage, chopped to taste
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • maple syrup to taste
  • 1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted

Instructions

  1. Toss first seven ingredients in a 9x13" baking dish. Roast in a preheated 375° oven for 45–55 minutes. Veggies are done when there are dark golden areas on the outer brussels sprout leaves and squash. 

  2. Serve with maple syrup and walnuts on the side, for each person to top up their veggies as desired.

Recipe inspired by The Occasional Vegetarian’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Apple with Candied Walnuts on Serious Eats.

German Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

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German Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

Slow down, relax and make this breakfast in your pyjamas while everyone else is still dozing this long weekend. The ingredients are simple, yet the result of a German pancake, glorious and puffy right out of the oven, is spectacular.

A twirl of apple peels in the foreground with slices in behind.

When I first started making this, every once in a while it would be disappointingly flat, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. My husband was convinced it was the mixing, he thought for sure an electric mixer had to be used to add air to the batter. I tried that, but to no avail. Finally I figured it out. The key to puffy german pancake perfection is a really, really hot pan. So many recipes tell you to put the butter into your dish and heat it in the oven until the butter melts, but this is inadequate, your pan won’t be hot enough. And if you leave it in the oven too long with the butter, it will be scalded.

What I do is place an empty skillet into the oven right when I turn it on. That way I know the skillet will be at oven temperature (450°) when I’m ready to add the batter. Butter gets added while the skillet is searingly hot (the butter will sizzle and melt almost instantly when you add it to the pan—just like in the video below). Twirl the pan with the butter until it’s melted and add in the batter, and pop it into the oven. 15 minutes later, it will be three times the height, buttery, crisp and golden.

As for the pan, I use an old heavy skillet with the handle removed (as it wasn’t oven safe to 450° with the handle). An oven safe skillet (please ensure that it can withstand up to 450°), cast iron pan or glass pie baking dish will work just fine as well.

Apples frying on the stove with brown sugar and cinnamon scattered on top

While the batter is transforming in the oven, melt some more butter in a medium skillet, add the slices apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 12–15 minutes until the apples are soft and the sugar has caramelized a little. And that’s it—serve with a dusting of icing sugar and maple syrup, drizzled with the apple juices from the pan. What better way to spend a lazy weekend morning?

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German Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

The ingredients are simple, yet the result of a German pancake, glorious and puffy right out of the oven, is spectacular. Cinnamon apples pan seared on the stove while the pancake bakes are the perfect accompaniment.

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp butter (or margarine)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 apples peeled, cored and sliced into 12 slices each
  • 2–3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Place empty oven-proof skillet (safe up to 450°) into the oven with rack in middle position (batter will rise well above the pan so ensure there will be room). Preheat oven to 450°.

  2. Combine eggs, milk, flour and salt into a medium bowl. Stir with a fork until smooth and just a few small lumps remain. 

  3. When the oven has reached temperature, remove the skillet and add 2 tbsp butter. The butter will sizzle and melt; swirl the butter in the pan until melted, tilting to coat the sides with melted butter. Add the batter to the pan, and pop back into the oven. Bake 15 minutes, or until very puffy and golden. 

  4. While the pancake is in the oven, melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium skillet on the stove top, over medium high heat. Add apple slices and stir, turning to coat evenly with butter. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook on high for 10–12 minutes, until the apples soften and the juices have combined with the brown sugar and cinnamon and cooked down into a syrupy sauce.

  5. Remove skillet from the oven, slice pancake and sprinkle with powdered sugar on top. Add sautéed apples to the plate, spooning the sugary juices on top of the pancake.