Without realizing, you may have already laid your peepers on this flavorful side as it is pictured here with the world’s best chicken recipe. So many of you asked for the how-to of these brussels! And I’m happy to indulge. You’ll love this dish because it is versatile with so many entrees AND the ingredients are available year-round, especially in winter (bonus!).
Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Pecans
Serves 3-4
1 pound brussels sprouts, de-stemed and halved
2/3 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup pecans
2 cups barley, cooked
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Heat skillet with drizzling of olive oil over medium heat. Season brussels sprouts with salt & pepper and combine with cranberries in skillet.
Cook sprouts and cranberries for 8-10 minutes, until berries begin to burst and sprouts become tender. Add balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to coat and remove from heat.
Toss barley, sprouts, cranberries, and pecans in a large bowl. Top with gorgonzola and serve.
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, de-stemed and halved
- ⅔ cup fresh cranberries
- ⅓ cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup pecans
- 2 cups barley, cooked
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Heat skillet with drizzling of olive oil over medium heat. Season brussels sprouts with salt & pepper and combine with cranberries in skillet.
- Cook sprouts and cranberries for 8-10 minutes, until berries begin to burst and sprouts become tender. Add balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to coat and remove from heat.
- Toss barley, sprouts, cranberries, and pecans in a large bowl. Top with gorgonzola and serve.
Modified from Cookie + Kate.
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
We loved this, made it tonight!! Thanks for sharing.. K
You’re welcome!
Hi, thanks for sharing this recipe, I made it tonight and loved it!
Delicious! I also made a few substitutions but it was still yummy! Used craisins but put them in a pot of gently boiling water to soften them then added them back in half way through cooking the sprouts. Had shelled walnuts on hand so used those instead and subbed feta for the gorgonzola. Also didn’t use barley but it was still absolutely delicious! Thank you for this!
You’re welcome!
Would it be possible to substitute broccoli for the brussel sprouts
Yes.
Oh yum! I, too, have been drooling over this delicious dish for weeks! It’s on the plate for dinner in a few hours!
That’s great! I hope it’s a big success.
I made this tonight after drooling over it on Pinterest for months! It did not disappoint! Definitely a go-to dish for sure!!! All of the flavors together are perfect. Thanks! It was a healthy and filling dinner. Normally I hate cleaning the brussels, but the ones I got were the size of tennis balls (almost)! so it was easy and quick. YUM!
Great! Thank you.
how many people does this recipe serve?
thanks
3-4
What a beautiful dish! I can’t wait to try this very soon. Love the colors and flavors!!
- strawberrymint.org -
Thanks!
Question – can I assume that your recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked barley not 2 cups barley,cooked??
I am planning to substitute brown rice.
I meant 2 cups raw barley.
Do you think you could swap the barley for quinoa?
Can’t wait to try this, I’m going to make it was Easter dinner!
Definitely. Happy Easter!
Wonderful recipie! I know this one is a keeper for me!
Thanks!
Is it 2 cups of barley cooked…or 2 cups of cooked barley?
2 cups when it’s uncooked.
This was great. I had fresh brussel sprouts from my garden and pecans from our tree, so this was a great way to prepare them. I did steam the brussel sprouts for 5 minutes in the microwave first just to soften them up. I don’t know if I really needed to though. I added the nuts into the pan at the end to heat them through. I had to rehydrate dried cranberries, but they were fine, I let them soak all day. I used pasta pearls instead of barley and used a lot of pasta to make it more paletable for the boys. I also used feta, because that is their favorite cheese. It was delicious and easy, of course I did have the boys crack the nuts.
That’s great! Glad you enjoyed.
Was just wondering, can frozen brussel sprouts be used instead of fresh?
I love this recipe, but will leave the barley out. Very pretty dish.
Thanks!
Cannot wait to try this…know I am going to love it!
why can’t I print this recipe? It looks delicious…I love brussels sprouts!
never mind…a problem on my end, but it finally printed. YUM!
There is a green and gray print button near the social media icons.
We loved this recipe …it’s a keeper for sure!
Glad to hear it, Donna! Thanks for writing.
Thanks for the great recipes. Made the chicken with brussel sprouts for dinner and we both loved it. I was so excited to find this recipe, because I ate my first brussel sprout this past Christmas!! I know…… Anyway, I had no idea how to cook them. I buy cranberries fresh when they are really cheap and freeze bags of them, so I have them on hand for recipes during the year – just as well!
My Family loved it . Thank You
Great! You’re welcome.
I can hardly wait to try this with some alternatives, such as cooked quinoa or cooked wild rice instead of barley ( barley has gluten); walnuts instead of pecans(prefer pecans,hands down); and feta cheese instead of a bleu cheese. Another reason to like this recipe is it will fit very nicely into my Japanese Bento box for lunch. One can double up on nuts and cheese for extra protein. YUM!
So glad to know rice could be substituted!
Yep, sure can.
Great ideas. Thank you!
Did you every cook Chicken with Cransberries and Blue Cheese crumbled? With a lot of cracked peppers.. Gosh, it is delicious. Betty.
Sounds like a wonderful combination! How do you make that?
Great idea, thanks!
Love everything but the Walnut have an allergy to nuts. So I would have to find a different food to replace the walnut. But it sounds wondersul. Betty.
Excited to try this tonight. Will probably have to do dried cranberries so glad to see some have tried with success and how they did it. May try almonds (only nut my hubby will eat) and blue cheese. We shall see what I find at the market. :)
Hoping for the best!
Made this and the mustard chicken for dinner tonight! Omitted the barley and used dried cranberries, but it’s so yummy!! Both the chicken and the side. My boyfriend is loving the brussells sprouts especially!
Wonderful! Thanks for writing.
I can’t wait to make both the side & main dish tonight! Thanks for the recipes, I was thinking about what I can do differently with my fresh cranberries! You hit it right on the head ;-)
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I cannot wait to try it.
dried cranberries don’t really work in this…. they crystallize because of all the sugar and turn into like a crunchy candy!
Soak the cranberries first to soften
Great tip. Thanks.
Trying this receipe tonight. Can’t find fresh or frozen cranberries as they are not in season. Do you think dried cranberries can work?
Yes! No problem.
Very yummy! I could not get fresh cranberries this time of year – so I used dried and threw them in halfway through cook time.
I also omitted the barley – not my thing – but it still turned out great. Failed to get the kids to eat it but the hubby thought it was fantastic!!!
That’s great! Thanks, Michelle.
This was so good! Didn’t have the pecans, so I used walnuts. Some work but worth it.
Still a good substitute! Thanks, Beth.
Was looking for a great healthy-ish meal to make for tonight. Stumbled upon your world’s best chicken recipe and it came with this cranberry sprout side tabott! On the way home now to make them both and cannot wait! Full review to come tomorrow, and I suspect it will be glowing :)
Thanks for the hard work and great recipe ideas!
Dave
Thanks!
Really interesting recipe — looks fantastic in the photos — but I was wondering why barley is listed in the ingredients. Didn’t see any instructions concerning it.
Barley is listed in the recipe; it is added in the last step, tossed with the sprouts, cranberries, and pecans.
I’m definitely doing this tomorrow for dinner!
I’m making this AND the chicken right now. As I type this. It smells SO GOOD. Can’t wait for dinner to be ready!
That’s great! Hope it turns out well.
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