Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Medjool Dates and Blue Cheese

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts have now become a sophisticated side dish for your dinner party or holiday table.  The blue cheese and Medjool dates complement the Brussel Sprouts in such a way that gives this dish an added dimension of flavors and textures. Your guests will definitely be asking for seconds.

There was a day when I really hated Brussel sprouts. The smell alone when cooking was enough to drive you out of the house.

I think the first time I had ever tasted Brussel Sprouts, that I recall liking, was probably 10 years or so ago. One day when we were out eating with friends, they ended up ordering Brussels Sprouts as an appetizer. Just for the sake of being polite, I tried them. The tangy cranberries and crunchy nuts that accompanied these little odoriferous green things gave me a whole new tasting experience and enlightened me with a fresh perspective. It was that day I began to appreciate them.

Why I love these Sauteed Brussel Sprouts:

This recipe is an easy preparation. From start to finish this dish can be on your table in 30 minutes. It takes very little prep time and you'll be amazed at how simple it is.

The presentation of this dish is gorgeous. Any beginner cook can throw this together and make it look as if it's from the kitchen of a fancy restaurant. It's that pretty and impressive.

Sauteeing captures the wonderful taste and texture of Brussel Sprouts. If you've had steamed or boiled Brussel Sprouts in the past, they were probably limp with a bitter taste. But pan-roasting gives you a tender yet slightly crisp texture and the caramelization on the sprouts enhances the taste and removes the bitterness.

Medjool dates and blue cheese are the perfect combinations for Sauteed Brussel Sprouts. When Brussel sprouts are paired with the salty, sharp taste of blue cheese and the sweet, candy-like flavor of dates, it creates a wonderful harmony in the food world.

How to choose the best Brussel Sprouts.  

Always go for fresh vegetables if you can. These will last in your refrigerator for about a week. When you're picking Brussel sprouts, choose the smaller ones because they are sweeter. The larger ones are more bitter. Also, look for those that are firm, tightly compacted and are bright green.

Medjool Dates brings a sweet balance to the Sauteed Brussel Sprouts.

What a delightful little jewel that we've added to the Brussel Sprouts. In my opinion, it is what makes this side dish so delectable. And who doesn't love "sweet" and "salty" together?

You'll need to pit the dates first. With a paring knife, slit the date lengthwise and you should feel the knife hitting the pit. Open up the date and remove the pit. Super simple. For this recipe, I quartered the dates.

Par-boiling before Pan Roasting.

One of the best ways to get the Brussel Sprouts to a perfect tender texture is to parboil them before pan roasting. Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, add the Brussel sprouts and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain and place the Brussel sprouts on a dish towel and pat dry to remove the excess water. Trim the stems to remove any toughness and cut the Brussel sprouts in half lengthwise.

Pan sauteeing the Brussel Sprouts. 

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add olive oil and place the Brussel sprouts cut side down in a single layer giving them room between each other. Otherwise, you will just steam them. You will probably need to cook in batches depending on how many you are making.

The key to any vegetable is to not overcook them. They should be bright and rich in color, and never mushy. Otherwise, you've just cooked all the nutrients and flavor out.

Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are charred and tender. This is when you get the beautiful caramelization which makes them so incredibly yummy. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Adding the Medjool dates.

In the same cast iron pan, turn the heat down to medium and add the quartered Medjool dates. You only want to warm these. Therefore cook them for only about 2 minutes and stir continually while they are in the pan. If you cook them too long they will become hardened and crystallized. You're looking for soft and chewy. 

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the Brussel sprouts back into it with the dates.

Transfer the Brussel sprouts and dates to a serving bowl and toss with blue cheese.

And there you have it, Sauteed Brussel Sprouts. A very quick and easy but elegant side dish that any entree would be honored to sit next to on your dinner table.

If you're looking for some other fantastic side dishes for your dinner table, click on the links below.

Roasted Green Beans with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives
Roasted Candied Rainbow Carrots
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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