Greek Bulgur With Brussels Sprouts

Greek Bulgur With Brussels Sprouts
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 1 hour
Rating
4(160)
Notes
Read community notes

I love the way the bulgur swells and fluffs after you let this comforting, nourishing dish sit once it’s cooked. In fact, I liked the leftovers even more than the freshly made dish. I also love the lemony flavor, the result of just a small amount of lemon juice added at the end of cooking. This is one of the few times I am happy to allow brussels sprouts to cook until they are quite soft.

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6
  • 1pound brussels sprouts
  • ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1medium onion, chopped
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 1teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 114.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, or 1½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 1cup coarse bulgur
  • 2cups water
  • ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼cup chopped fresh dill
  • Juice of 1 lemon (more to taste)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

219 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 671 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Trim brussels sprouts and quarter, or if very small just cut in half.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a deep, lidded skillet or a wide, lidded saucepan. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often, until coated with oil and beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add paprika and tomatoes and cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes, until tomatoes have begun to cook down and soften a bit. Season to taste.

  3. Step 3

    Add bulgur and stir to coat with the tomato mixture. Add water, more salt to taste, parsley and dill and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until water has been absorbed.

  4. Step 4

    Remove from heat, uncover and quickly stir in lemon juice. Place a towel across the top of the pan. Return lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve hot, with the remaining olive oil drizzled over the top.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: I like this even better the second day, because the bulgur gets even more fluffy. Reheat in a medium oven, on top of the stove or in the microwave. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
160 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

To make this a bit more satisfying as main dish I made a few adjustments: increase the tomatoes as others suggested (I used fresh) and the paprika; decrease the water (due to added tomato juices); add a carrot and a can of chickpeas; I used oregano in place of dill; sprikle either sliced almonds or crumbled feta (or both!) on top and serve!

My husband and I enjoyed this. I used leeks and doubled the tomatoes, as suggested. The lemon juice gives the dish a nice piquancy - very nice undertone. We're mostly vegetarian and this was a nice hearty meal.

This was nice as a SIDE dish with glazed salmon (brown sugar and dijon mustard). I added more garlic than called for and added feta at the end when serving as suggested. I used canned tomatoes. A fine way to cook brussels sprouts for the fall when they are in season and plentiful.

I cooked this as indicated, my only change was to double the garlic (standard practice chez nous!). Tasty and satisfying in the way of a healthy soup. This is a great new use for brussels sprouts, which go great with the nutty toothsomeness of the bulgur. I wouldn't double the tomato - I think it would become overpowering. I love this for a satisfying weekday lunch as it reheats easily, though perhaps it's not a knock-your-socks off dinner main.

What a wonderful vegetarian dish (vegan if you omit the feta -- but I wouldn't!)! Definitely do add the can of chickpeas to make a heartier main as opposed to a good side.

It was ok, the best part was the brussel sprouts but I found the whole thing too "stewed tomatoey" flavor and a wet / overly moist texture which if you like then this is the recipe for you. I was just hoping for a light fluffy bulgur with more of a fresh / light tomato flavor.

I used shredded Brussels sprouts and canned tomatoes. It’s got a great flavor. Will try some of the other ideas listed - feta, more tomatoes, etc.

Great recipe! Used canned tomatoes and less water and came out fantastic.

We loved this! Hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but we paired it with the One-Pan Roasted Fish with Cherry Tomatoes. Both wonderful dishes. This takes a bit of extra work, but I thought it was worth it. Next time I might add a little more garlic per others' recommendations.

Easy, and makes a huge amount of food. Good as leftovers. A little bland; maybe I can jazz it up a bit next time,

Can easily double. Serves as a good base for steaming a delicate white fish - e.g. sole, for a great “one pot” meal.

I cooked this as indicated, my only change was to double the garlic (standard practice chez nous!). Tasty and satisfying in the way of a healthy soup. This is a great new use for brussels sprouts, which go great with the nutty toothsomeness of the bulgur. I wouldn't double the tomato - I think it would become overpowering. I love this for a satisfying weekday lunch as it reheats easily, though perhaps it's not a knock-your-socks off dinner main.

I made this with additions suggested by Zoe because it was going to be a one dish meal. it was great. We'll definitely have this again.

Prepared this almost exactly as written and found it to be excellent. Didn't have sweet paprika so used smoked variety. It was a great complement to salmon a la Mark Bittman.

To make this a bit more satisfying as main dish I made a few adjustments: increase the tomatoes as others suggested (I used fresh) and the paprika; decrease the water (due to added tomato juices); add a carrot and a can of chickpeas; I used oregano in place of dill; sprikle either sliced almonds or crumbled feta (or both!) on top and serve!

As MUP suggested, I doubled the tomatoes. Good idea, but it took 32 minutes for all the liquid to be absorbed by the bulgur. It's too early for dill in my garden so I used my fresh oregano instead. With lots of crumbled feta it made a great main dish.

This was nice as a SIDE dish with glazed salmon (brown sugar and dijon mustard). I added more garlic than called for and added feta at the end when serving as suggested. I used canned tomatoes. A fine way to cook brussels sprouts for the fall when they are in season and plentiful.

My husband and I enjoyed this. I used leeks and doubled the tomatoes, as suggested. The lemon juice gives the dish a nice piquancy - very nice undertone. We're mostly vegetarian and this was a nice hearty meal.

I doubled the tomatoes, used leeks instead of onions and did add the feta. I thought it was great but my husband thought it was nice as a side dish only.

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