How to properly freeze Brussels Sprouts

When Brussels Sprouts are in season, follow my easy steps on properly freezing them for deliciousness all year round!

Yeah, yeah, I know you don’t like Brussels Sprouts. They’re green and cabbage. Your mother only made them on Thanksgiving—boiled and swimming in a gallon of butter. 

They were mushy, and even the dog turned its nose up at them when you tried sneaking them under the table.  I heard it before because I said it before. But once you learn how to make them properly you will fall in love with them!

Just three ingredients needed to freeze Brussels Sprouts

I’m not sure if 2 of them can even be counted as actual ingredients, but all you need is:

• Fresh Brussels Sprouts off of the stalk
• water
• ice

As I said, I’m not sure if the last two count as ingredients. It’s your call on that one.

Confessions of a former Brussels Sprouts hater – part 1

I HATED these things growing up.  OMG, it was absolute torture for me when I was told, “Lori, you are not allowed to leave the table until you finish everything on your plate. “

The longest I sat at that table in my whole life was 2 hours, and it was hell. 

I had my own pity party. I whined. I then played with my food, which got me in trouble. I begged them not to make me eat them.  Nope. 

A 40-pound Maine Coon Cat to the rescue!

Step in my 40-pound Maine Coon cat.  Yes, 40 pounds.  Folks, this cat was the size of a medicine ball with legs.  He was GINORMOUS but so loveable.  He was, as my Dad would say, ‘lurpy’.  Just very ‘do-di-doh.’  lol

In waddles, this cat rubbed against my legs, purring and eventually standing up on his fat ham-hock legs, pawing at my arm to give him a bite of food.  Yes, you know where this is going. 

So I cut off a piece of that mushy, butter-laden Brussels sprouts and put it in his mouth.  He sniffed it, licked it once, and then stopped.  He looked up at me, almost knowing I wouldn’t eat it, and took one for the team.  That damn, beauteous cat ate all of my Brussels Sprouts!  He went to TOWN!

However, to prove that I ate some and didn’t give it to the dog, I had to take the teeniest bite, as my Mom was going to check my mouth to make sure I at least ate some. 

So, I did this while suffering from certain pending death. Once I/the cat was done eating them, I called into the living room with an angelic “I’m done.”  Mom came out to the kitchen to inspect not the plate, but rather she SMELLED the dog’s breath and checked the garbage and my mouth.

Mom’s ALWAYS Know the Truth

Now I go on my merry way thinking my bestie (my Maine Coon) just did me a solid. Yeah… that lasted oh about 20 minutes until I heard the “LORI ANN! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE…NOW!!!” sound of my dear mother’s voice. 

As I walked down to the kitchen, as angelic as I could, already working up the tears (in case I needed them), my mother stood there, hands on her hip, sternly staring at me. I walked into the kitchen, and she said, “Lori Ann, I will ask you this once and only once. You know the rules—no lying, EVER. Did you feed the cat your Brussels Sprouts?” See part 2 below!

 A quick lesson on Blanching

Blanching is a cooking process in which a food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocking or refreshing) to halt the cooking process. 

You cannot buy Brussels Sprouts and pop them in the freezer without blanching them. Do you know why? 

Blanching helps vegetables keep their vibrant colors and retain nutrients. Additionally, it stops the enzymes in their tracks. These enzymes are the things that lead to spoilage.

Freezing vegetables without blanching them first leads to faded or dull-colored veggies, as well as not-so-pleasant flavors or textures. Trust me, you must blanch them.

I highly recommend you read THIS ARTICLE about blanching when you want to freeze your items and when you want to eat them immediately.

How to Properly Freeze Brussels Sprouts

Today’s recipe teaches you how to buy them in bulk and then freeze them. 

The process is straightforward:

1. Boil for 4 minutes.
2. Strain and then immediately give them an ice bath (this is what stops the cooking immediately but allows it to retain their color)
3. Pat them dry and allow them to dry completely. They must be dry before freezing. You don’t want ice crystals to form.
4. Once they are dry, freeze away!

So I know how your mind works: “Do I thaw them out when I want to use them?” NO, NO, NO. They will get super mushy. Just roast them, pan-sear them, or wrap ’em in frozen bacon. 

Confessions of a former Brussels Sprouts hater – part 2

So when Mom asked me if I fed the cat the Brussels sprouts, the tears started to flow, and of course, my lip quivered.  Man, I could turn that on in a snap (I still can, though it doesn’t work so well at my age).

I looked up at her, and then she moved aside to show me the evidence my cat had ‘left’ on the kitchen floor. My bestie did me a solid but tossed it all backup. Some bestie, huh? 

I put my head down and very softly said, ‘Yes, but Mommy, you don’t understand they are terrible!  They are all mushy and gross.” I didn’t get my butt tapped, but I did get sent to bed early all week, which was TORTURE for someone who didn’t sleep much. 

The worst part is that my cat was ticked off at me, and it took about a week for him to warm back up to me.

I am a Full-Fledged Brussels Sprouts LOVER now!

For years, I refused to eat Brussels sprouts because all I knew about them was that they were boiled, butter-laden, and mushy. Mama, I love you with all my heart, but you seriously made these so wrong. 

About 4-5 years ago, I decided to buy some at the market.  I was bound and determined to make these so they wouldn’t suck. 

Now, you all know my deep love of bacon, so I figured if bacon can’t make them awesome, then nothing would. So I made my first recipe with these, and OMG, it made me do a complete 180-degree view of them. 

They went from mushy and yucky to OMG, and these are AMAZING! And rightly so, I called the recipe “Brussels Sprouts – they actually don’t suck!“

So today, I’m telling you, make one of my Brussels Sprouts recipes.  They honestly will transform any naysayer that says they suck into praising God for creating such a fantastic vegetable!  So okay, what can you make with them???

Candied Bacon Wrapped Brussels Maple Dijon

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts Cranberries

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a garlic butter drizzle and shaved parmesan

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