Beautiful Brussels Sprouts by Ree

First things first: My new Thanksgiving special will air tonight on Food Network at 8 Eastern/7 Central! I hope you love it. It’s called P-Widdy’s Totally Awesome Turkey Day Special and it’ll be lots of fun.

Okay, that’s not the title. The title is actually Ree’s Totally Tubular Thanksgiving Special!

Okay, that’s not the title. The title is actually Pioneer Woman’s Ultimate Thanksgiving. No, really. It is!

 

And here’s one of the recipes you’ll see if you tune in. (Pssst. It’s a keeper.)

Here’s how to make it!

 

 

First, dice up a butternut squash! I didn’t take step-by-step photos of this process, but you can look at the process shots on this post from 2014, as it’s exactly what I did here! And please note my nails in that post. Thank you.

 

 

Next, prep some Brussels sprouts (unless you can buy them already prepped where you live, in which case can I come live with you?)

 

 

First, slice off the tough end of the sprout.

 

 

Then slice the sprout in half (from top to bottom, not across.)

 

 

After that, you have to peel off the outer layer of the sprouts, which is somewhat tedious. But the sprouts will be worth every tear!

 

 

Keep going until you have the amount you need, and throw away (or compost) all the scraps.

 

 

You’ll need a red onion, too! It’s pretty and purple (despite its moniker) and makes the dish extra gorgeous. Slice the onion in half, slice off the ends, then peel off the outer skin and pull out the inner core.

 

 

Slice the halves in half again…

 

 

Then cut them into sorta small wedges.

Oh! This brings me to something I wanted to tell you: The size of Brussels sprouts can vary widely, so prep the sprouts first, then dice the squash and cut up the onion accordingly. You want everything to be the same general size.

 

 

Next, pile the sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet…

 

 

Along with the squash and the onion! Look at those gorgeous colors.

 

 

Next, drizzle olive oil all over the veggies…

 

 

Sprinkle them with salt and pepper…

 

 

Then, just for kicks, sprinkle on some chili powder!

 

 

It just adds a hint of flavor and a little zip.

 

 

Use your hands to toss them all around…

 

 

Then pop the veggies into a 425 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, shaking it once or twice during the process. Watch them, as you want the veggies to be tender but you don’t want the Brussels sprouts to start to turn too yellowish-green.

 

 

They’re ready!

 

 

So pile them all on a platter…

 

 

And then—and this is totally optional!—grab a bottle of pomegranate sauce, otherwise known as pomegranate molasses because of the dark, thick, rich color and consistency! I learned this trick from Bobby Flay many moons ago, when he traveled to the ranch for our Thanksgiving Throwdown, and I’ve been drizzling my sprouts with the stuff ever since!

You can also do a balsamic glaze instead, which gives it a nice bite. Instructions for that glaze are here, or here. Yum!

 

 

Just drizzle over as much as you want. It’s sweet and a little tangy and highly magical.

 

 

Both the pomegranate sauce and the balsamic glaze work really well, so you really can’t go wrong.

 

 

To finish everything off…

 

 

Sprinkle on some pomegranate seeds at the end. So pretty!

 

 

This is a masterpiece for your Thanksgiving table. It’ll make everything look gawgeous.

Here’s the handy dandy printable. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week!