This medley of roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes is tossed in sweet brown butter with fresh sage and thyme. Ready in just 35 minutes!
This cozy dish is perfect for fall or the holidays. Some of my favorite dishes to serve with it are roasted chicken and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Check out all of my holiday recipes!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
This dish comes together so easily in just 35 minutes! We start by sautéing the brussels sprouts while the sweet potatoes are roasting. After 15 minutes, everything is combined and roasted another 15 minutes.
As much as I love my veggies, I have to say that the sweet brown butter is my favorite part! You won’t end up with a heavy pool of syrup, but just enough to spoon over the top of the veggies as you serve them.
The broiling step at the end is a must if you like crispy, slightly charred edges on your sprouts!
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make this dish:
- Brussels sprouts – rinsed and cut in half
- Sweet potatoes – peeled and diced
- Salted butter, cut into cubes
- Fresh sage leaves
- Fresh thyme
- Brown sugar – light or dark is fine
- Sea salt and black pepper
Measurements are in the recipe card.
Substitutions
Here are some ideas for switching things up. There are so many possibilities!
- Shredded brussels sprouts – you can certainly use them instead of whole sprouts. Just watch them closely as you’re roasting them and skip the broiling step at the end.
- Butternut squash – can be used in place of the sweet potatoes. They take about the same amount of time to cook.
- You can also substitute carrots for the sweet potatoes
- Maple syrup or honey can be substituted for the brown sugar.
- Substitute the thyme and sage with a combination of warm spices like nutmeg, cloves, coriander or allspice.
Variations
Here are some other fun ways to serve these brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes:
- Rice or quinoa bowl – make a full, healthy meal out of this dish by serving it over quinoa or brown rice and adding a protein like grilled chicken, roast pork or a vegan-friendly meat-substitute.
- For more smokiness add some crispy pieces of bacon or sausage!
- Adding apples or dried cranberries make this an even cozier fall dish.
- Blue cheese crumbles add a sharp, rich taste that complements the sweetness of the potatoes.
Step-by-step directions
I always like to give an overview of steps with photos. There’s also a recipe card at the bottom of this post that lists all ingredients, measurements, steps and nutritional info.
Steps 1-4: Preheat oven and prep the vegetables
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Grease a 12×9 inch baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Wash the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the greased baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Brown the butter
- Place the butter, thyme and sage leaves in a large skillet. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Keep whisking until the butter stops foaming and turns deep brown. This takes about 5-7 minutes. You’ll see lots of brown specks at the bottom of your sauté pan.
Step 6: Sauté the brussels sprouts
- Add the brussels sprouts to the sauté pan, raise the heat slightly and and toss them in the brown butter. Sauté until the cut sides turn golden brown then turn the flame off.
Step 7-9: Combine everything and roast
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a 9×13-inch casserole pan or glass baking dish. Make sure to drizzle any olive oil that’s left on the baking sheet over the sweet potatoes.
- Transfer the brussels sprouts, brown butter, thyme and sage from the skillet to the baking dish with the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle them with black pepper, another pinch of sea salt and gently toss until everything is coated.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes and then place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the edges of the brussels sprouts become crispy. Let the baking dish cool slightly and serve.
Recipe FAQs
You can store these leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
The best suggested method is to reheat leftovers in the oven at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
Browning the butter can be a little scary if this is your first time. Remember to watch it closely. It’s ok if it turns deep brown in color, you just don’t want it to turn black! You’ll know if it’s burning.
Broiling at the end is optional but recommended if you like your brussels sprouts crispy.
Tips & Tricks
- Reminder: grease the baking sheet with cooking spray before you bake the sweet potatoes otherwise they’ll stick!
- As the recipe states, it’s important to catch any drippings from the roasted sweet potatoes and sautéed brussels sprouts. This is what makes the delicious candied sauce!
Other recipes you’ll love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & consider scrolling down and leaving me a review if you REALLY liked it. Thanks!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds brussels sprouts
- 8 tablespoons salted butter cubed
- 6-8 fresh sage leaves
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease a 12x9 inch baking sheet with cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes.
- Wash the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the greased baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Place the butter, thyme and sage leaves in a large deep sauté pan. Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Keep whisking until the butter stops foaming and turns deep brown. This takes about 5-7 minutes. You'll see lots of brown specks at the bottom of your sauté pan.
- Add the brussels sprouts to the sauté pan, raise the heat slightly and and toss them in brown butter. Sauté until the cut sides start to brown then turn the flame off.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a 9x13-inch casserole pan or glass baking dish. Make sure to drizzle any olive oil that's left on the baking sheet over the sweet potatoes.
- Transfer the brussels sprouts, brown butter, thyme and sage from the skillet to the baking dish with the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle them with black pepper, another pinch of sea salt and gently toss until everything is coated.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then place them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes - until the edges of the brussels sprouts become crispy.
Notes
- Reminder: grease the baking sheet with cooking spray before you bake the sweet potatoes otherwise they'll stick!
- Browning the butter can be a little scary if this is your first time. Remember to watch it closely. It's ok if it turns deep brown in color, you just don't want it to turn black! You'll know if it's burning.
- As the recipe states, it's important to catch any drippings from the roasted sweet potatoes and sauteéd brussels sprouts. This is what makes the delicious candied sauce!
- Broiling at the end is optional but definitely recommended if you like your brussels sprouts slightly crispy.
Lisa Monteiro-G. says
I made this with butternut squash. This was really flavorful and delicious. I’ve never put anything sweet on Brussel Sprouts, but it worked. A wonderful combination of flavors. Will definitely make this again now that fall is approaching. OBRIGADO Crystal!
Crystal DaCruz says
Hi Lisa! Thank you for the awesome feedback! I’m so happy you liked it, thanks for giving the recipe a shot! Question, was the roasting time in the recipe sufficient for the squash, or did you find that you had to cook it longer?
Lisa Monteiro G. says
Apologies for just seeing your question Crystal. Yes I had to precook the squash a bit. I typically cook my squash by poking various holes in the skin to allow steam to escape, then microwave my butternut squash before I peel and cut it and microwave again. My lazy way of cooking squash. So, here I did that first in this recipe, but not as long. I then cut it up according to your instructions. It was yummy.