If you’re looking for a side dish that feels fancy, but is easy enough to make on a weeknight, our Brussels Sprouts With Caramelized Onions And Prosciutto recipe is for you. It comes together in just about 30 minutes.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
Brussels sprouts are one of those foods that have such a terrible reputation. So many people say they don’t like Brussels sprouts. But the problem is, they’ve just endured bad Brussels sprouts their entire lives.
So many recipes make Brussels sprouts soggy or heated unevenly or not cooked through, so they’re not appealing. I get it.
But, if you cook them right, they’re delicious. And, if you follow along this recipe for these incredible Brussels Sprouts With Caramelized Onions And Prosciutto, it’ll convert your whole family to become Brussel sprouts fans.
Brussels sprouts are such a simple side dish that’s often thought of at Thanksgiving. So, if you’re searching for Thanksgiving recipes and that’s how you found this post, be sure to check out our list of Cheap Thanksgiving Side Dishes Recipes for some more ideas.
Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto Recipe
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Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto
- 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 3 oz. sliced prosciutto
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
How To Make Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto:
Add a pinch of salt to a pot of water and bring it to a boil.
Trim off the stem end of the Brussels sprouts.
Discard any wilted outer leaves that fall off.
Add the Brussels sprouts to the boiling water and cook for seven minutes.
Drain the Brussels sprouts and shock them in a bowl of ice water (literally, ice and cold water).
Quick note: An ice bath will stop them from from cooking, so they won’t sit and get soggy. This also keeps their green color (because the color will fade as they cook).
When they’re cool to the touch, but not cooled completely, cut them in half and then half again to make Brussels sprouts quarters.
Quick note: Make sure that your cuts are lengthwise. That way, the quarters stay together. If you cut the Brussels sprouts across, all the leaves will separate.
Slice your onions into thin slices.
Add the onions and half the olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 17 minutes until the onions are almost completely caramelized, stirring frequently.
Lower the heat to medium heat.
Quickly toss the Brussels sprouts quarters in a small bowl with the last tablespoon of olive oil.
Quick note: If your Brussels sprouts are really wet, pat them dry with a paper towel before adding the olive oil so you don’t end up having the popping that comes with adding water to oil.
Add the Brussels sprouts quarters into the pan with the sautéed onions and cook about five minutes until they start to get a light golden brown color.
While they’re cooking, be sure to flip the Brussels sprouts so each cut side (there are two) gets to sit on the pan.
Cut the prosciutto into small pieces.
Stir the prosciutto into the pan. Cook about five minutes until the prosciutto is warmed through. You want to stop cooking before you end up with crispy prosciutto. It should still have a little softness to it.
Add the salt and lemon pepper (or black pepper, if you don’t have lemon pepper, but lemon pepper adds an extra pop of flavor), then stir until combined.
Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto: Frequently Asked Questions
Blanching the Brussels sprouts, which is what you’re doing when you cook them in boiling water, speeds up the time you need to sauté them later.
Another benefit of that is since the Brussels sprouts are cooking for less time, they’ll retain more of their green color rather than turning a light yellow-ish green.
And finally, blanching Brussels sprouts removes some of the bitterness of the vegetable, which makes them more appealing.
Adding a little oil to the pan when you’re cooking will help the Brussels sprouts to cook through. The oil heats up and distributes evenly through the Brussels sprouts, helping them to cook through and the final results are really tasty, crispy sprouts. If you skip the oil, then only air is heating the sprouts. Air doesn’t get as hot as oil, so you don’t get the browning that you do when you use oil.
Also, a little bit of fat makes things taste better because of how fat interacts with your tongue. So, in general, vegetables cooked in a little bit of oil taste better than those without. You can learn more about that in this video (skip to the 4:40 mark).
You don’t want these Brussels sprouts to get crispy, just a little golden. But, if they’re not getting golden, your heat is probably too low. Turn the heat up a little bit and that should start to brown the Brussels sprouts quicker.
Prosciutto adds a nice saltiness to this side dish. If you can’t find any in your stores, you can substitute bacon instead. The bacon fat that comes off while cooking adds a nice flavor to the dish overall, but it does get a little saltier than with the prosciutto. So, if you’re using bacon, just season with lemon pepper at the end, not extra salt.
We actually have a Bacon And Brussels Sprouts recipe if you would rather just follow that next time.
If all you can find are frozen Brussels sprouts in your grocery store, you should be able to use them instead of fresh ones, but I actually haven’t tried that.
I do use frozen ones in our Creamy Cheesy Brussels Sprouts With Bacon recipe, but that’s because I only pan fry them and don’t blanche them first. I haven’t actually ever used frozen Brussels sprouts in a recipe I blanche first, so you’ll have to try it and let me know.
I love using red onions in salads, like our Classic Greek Salad, but I don’t love it in this recipe. Red onions have a mild but sweet flavor, similar to yellow onions, but red onions don’t get as soft as yellow onions when they’re cooked. So a red onion adds an undesirable texture to this dish. The only bite you really want is the Brussels sprouts and even those are just barely al dente.
Wait until the side dish has cooled to room temperature, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. You’ll want to eat them within about three days for the best flavor.
You can easily reheat them on a large baking sheet in the oven or in a single layer in the air fryer when you’re ready to serve leftovers.
Brussels Sprouts With Caramelized Onions And Prosciutto
If you’re looking for a side dish that feels fancy, but is easy enough to make on a weeknight, our Brussels Sprouts With Caramelized Onions And Prosciutto recipe is for you. It comes together in just about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 3 oz. prosciutto
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
Instructions
- Add a pinch of salt to a pot of water and bring it to a boil.
- Trim off the stem end of the Brussels sprouts. Discard any wilted outer leaves that fall off.
- Add the Brussels sprouts to the boiling water and cook for seven minutes.
- Drain the Brussels sprouts and shock them in a bowl of ice water.
- When they’re cool to the touch, but not cooled completely, cut them in half and then half again to make Brussels sprouts quarters.
- Slice your onions into thin slices.
- Add the onions and half the olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 17 minutes until the onions are almost completely caramelized, stirring frequently.
- Lower the heat to medium heat.
- Quickly toss the Brussels sprouts quarters in a small bowl with the last tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the Brussels sprouts quarters into the pan with the sautéed onions and cook about five minutes until they start to get a light golden brown color. While they’re cooking, be sure to flip the Brussels sprouts so each cut side (there are two) gets to sit on the pan.
- Cut the prosciutto into small pieces. Stir the prosciutto into the pan. Cook about five minutes until the prosciutto is warmed through. Add the salt and lemon pepper, then stir until combined.
Nutrition Information
Yield
5Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 117Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 12mgSodium 990mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 7g
Have you made this Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto recipe yet? Let us know how it went in the comments.
April J Harris
Sunday 7th of July 2024
I love Brussels Sprouts and this recipe sounds like such a delicious way to serve them! It's nice idea cutting them in quarters too. It really makes the dish look wonderful.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Saturday 6th of July 2024
I love brussels sprouts and this sounds so good!! I need to try it.
EsmeSalon
Friday 5th of July 2024
I am a huge Brussels Sprouts lover. Then with all those extras, this is just amazing looking.
Jennifer Wise
Saturday 29th of June 2024
I agree--it really just depends on how the brussels sprouts are prepared and served. This sounds wonderful. I think the carmelized onions would really add so much!
Joanne
Friday 28th of June 2024
What a yummy and delicious sounding dish!