Brussels Sprouts With Chorizo And Rosemary

Christmas dinner just wouldn’t be the same without sprouts, and these brussels sprouts with chorizo and rosemary are deliciously different with the warmth and spiciness of the Spanish chorizo and earthiness of rosemary.

Love them or hate them Brussels sprouts are just as much part of Christmas as turkey and cranberry sauce. How many jokes have we heard about putting the sprouts on in October so they are suitably soggy in time for Christmas?

Soggy sprouts are hell but my brussels sprouts with chorizo are crispy, spicy and just packed with flavour.

I love serving up sprouts with other flavours like blue cheese, pancetta or hazelnuts. They are a veggie that can take a lift from other flavours which help to bring out their natural nutty sweetness.

This recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo makes a nice warming spicy addition to your festive feast.

Brussels sprouts

These gorgeous little balls of green goodness are part of the cruciferous family and of course, originally came from Belgium and started to spread throughout Europe and then the USA during WW1.

Their season here in the UK is between October and March. Christmas falling nicely in the middle means they are the perfect festive veggie.

Sprouts are good for you

Sprouts are incredibly good for you with a very low GI and only about 56 calories per 156g. They are packed with vitamins K, C, B, folate, manganese, fiber, copper and potassium to mention just some of the goodies that will boost your energy and keep you healthy from top to toe.

Ingredients for brussels sprouts with chorizo

Sprouts – make sure they are fresh and not wilted. Wash and cut in half

Chorizo – good quality chorizo that you can dice, not the sliced stuff

Onions and garlic – These are your base flavours

Flavours – Fresh rosemary and a red chilli pepper for some heat

Sweet and sour – honey and red wine vinegar

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Method;

heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and quickly saute the chorizo for about two minutes for it to release that amazing flavourful oil into the pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chorizo and set aside for later.

Now add the sproyuts to the pan along with any stray leaves and saute for about ten minutes till that are all lovely and gnarly and browned. This means they have soaked up the chorizo oil and are full of fabulous flavour.

Add the onion, garlic, rosemary and chilli and cook for another two minutes or so mixing all those wonderful flavours together.

Now add the honey, red wine vinegar and seasoning (go easy on the salt as chorizo is quite salty already) and return the chorizo to the pan to cook for another minute then you are ready to serve your sprouts and chorizo.

Remember to fry up all those little leaves that come off the Brussels sprouts when you chop them in half. These crisp up beautifully and actually pop and jump about in the hot pan when you start to cook them.

How to serve brussels sprouts with chorizo

Don’t just think of these sprouts in terms of merely dancing with the turkey, they are also great served alongside baked ham, gammon, pork, lamb or beef. Any roast will appreciate the addition of these delicious brussels sprouts with chorizo and rosemary.

These sprouts are great served up with simple fried eggs too. In fact, it’s a great way to use up any leftovers.

So that’s how I’ll be vegging up my Christmas dinner this year with my Brussels sprouts with chorizo. How do you serve your sprouts?

Looking for more festive feasting ideas? Then check these out before you go;

Whisky glazed Vichy style carrots

Greek-style fried beetroot with breadcrumbs

Turkey curry and some great recipes for your turkey leftovers

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.