Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts
Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts swaps out pasta for shredded Brussels sprouts in this low-carb take on the Italian classic.
Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts
Cacio e pepe translates from Italian to “cheese and pepper” and traditionally is served as a pasta dish. In this lighter version, the pasta is swapped with shredded sprouts and tossed with a generous amount of grated cheese, black pepper, lemon, and even some toasted nuts for a nice little crunch.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Tieghan’s new cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple (affil link). Her cookbook is filled with the most gorgeous photos and mouthwatering recipes! This recipe called out to me because I love using shredded Brussels sprouts as a pasta swap with meat sauce, so I knew this would be good! Tieghan says this dish is also for the cheese lover who wants to love Brussels sprouts, but doesn’t . . . yet!
To save time, buying pre-shredded Brussels sprouts makes this dish come together in minutes. It’s a great side, or you can serve it as a main, alongside a fried egg. Mmmm!
How To Make
More Brussels Sprouts Recipes You Will Love:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Shallots with Balsamic Glaze
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower Soup
- Brussels Sprouts and Sausage Parsnip Spiralized Pasta
Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- 14 ounces shredded Brussels sprouts, see Note
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the olive oil, pepper, and red pepper flakes together until toasted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, without stirring, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Season with the salt, and cook until the Brussels sprouts just begin to char, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the Parmesan, lemon zest, and hazelnuts.
- Serve warm, topped with more fresh Parmesan, if desired.
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Such a easy recipe that is delicious. This could be used as either a side dish or main dish. I used it as a main dish. I did not have hazelnuts- I used slivered almonds which was still really tasty. This is a perfect light recipe for dinner. Will be making throughout the fall.
Whipped this up tonight but put a little Mexican fusion spin on it since we are having grilled pork loin in pipian sauce. Swapped out the red pepper flakes for ~ 1 tsp of chipotle I always have on hand in the fridge. No lemon so went with lime zest. Did add the parm. omg. I don’t see how this could serve 6 since I am not sure the pan will even make it to the table with how many nibbles I’m taking out of it. YUM!! Didn’t add any nuts because of the seeds in my sauce. But did taste it with some slivered almonds and wow! I will make this again as intended and also with my twist. So happy to have a delicious new way to enjoy B. sprouts! Thanks, Gina!
I used cashews because it’s all I had on hand, and this came out delicious! My new favorite way to make Brussels sprouts.
Made this and they came out salty. Half the amount of salt, pepper and Parmesan would have been enough. I did like the texture of the brussel sprouts, so I’ll make it again.
The sprouts were really delicious. They taste much nicer than boiled. Even my kids ate them.
I just made these with my daughter and they were awesome. I added too much hot pepper but my fault. She loved it and said already, lets make again.
Enjoyable! Easy and so flavorful! The lemon zest was quite refreshing. The parmigiana cheese made it creamy and filling. Thank you! ♥️
These were easy and flavorful!
These are delicious! I couldn’t stop eating them!
This is my new favorite way to eat brussel sprouts! I use my food processor and do a large shred, so they do break down a bit more than the photos but are still delicious. We usually have it with roasted chicken and crusty bread, but I could just eat a giant bowl of these sprouts and be happy.