These 3 minute microwave brussels sprouts, plus a little resting time, are a great way to quickly cook with the minimum of effort and fuss.  The Brussels will be fresh, tasty and have retained all those lovely vitamins and things…. no more mushy Brussels sprouts, or stinky steam for ages.  Just 3 minutes is all it takes.

Christmas Dinner cheats: This is the way I cook Brussels sprouts for my Christmas dinner – microwave sprouts, a UK staple!

Once you know how to microwave Brussels sprouts you’ll wonder why you hadn’t always been doing it this way!  You don’t even need any fancy equipment as one of the most easily accessible and affordable microwave dishes that you can use is a plastic microwave safe takeaway carton – which can be bought in the pound shops in stacks!

There are many vegetables you can cook in a takeaway box – they’re great as they have a lid, which you can “vent” by just leaving one corner undone.  Everybody knows what these boxes are and has access to them, so they make great microwave cooking dishes.

A microwave oven produces tasty steamed Brussels sprouts – you’re not drowning them in gallons of water for half an hour 🙂

How to Microwave Brussels Sprouts:

1. Snip the bottom of the stalk off the Brussels sprouts and remove any particularly manky looking outer leaves.
2. Place the sprouts in a single layer in your takeaway box, with a little room for them to move around, and add a little water to the bottom – just a small bit, about ¼” or ½cm max – the objective here is to create steam, you’re not trying to put in enough water to boil them.
3. Put the lid on the takeaway box, leaving one corner undone, so a little excess steam can escape.
4. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, then let the Brussels steam and rest for 1-2 minutes.  Give the box a jiggle to move them about and microwave again for a further 1 minute.  Let them rest again for 1-2 minutes and then test by sticking a knife in (or have a cheeky scoff of one)!  If they do require a little more cooking to suit your personal preference, then microwave them for another 1 minute or so.

And that’s it!  I used to use a microwave steamer to cook Brussels sprouts, but that became a pain to wash up, so now I cook Brussels in a takeaway box as it’s less washing up 🙂

You can use this microwave cooking method for most other vegetables too, so if you’re on a tight budget then for just £1 you can buy a pack of 6-8 microwave cooking dishes by simply grabbing a pack of takeaway boxes at the market or a local cheap shop and easily be able to cook fresh vegetables even in a bedsit or holiday caravan.

You can even cook some vegetables together in the one box at the same time, helping it become easier to have more than one veg on your plate maybe 🙂

• Cooking Brussels Sprouts & Carrots Together

Leftover Brussels Sprouts:

Can you keep leftover Brussels and reheat them?  Of course you can!

Cooked brussels sprouts will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in a lidded/covered container. To microwave them hot again simply pop open one corner, add a tablespoon of water, then microwave on high power for 1 minute.

You can use leftovers to make a bubble & squeak – again, in the microwave if you wish!

• Microwave Bubble & Squeak.