Why didn't the brussels sprouts cook in my Shepherd's pie?

Question

They were in the oven at 375ºF in the bottom of the casserôle dish for half an hour, but they're still a bit tough. I hope they cook up properly in the microwave!

Answer 1

Brussels sprouts are really dense little veggies- they take quite a while to become tender. When I steam them in the microwave I cut a 1cm deep 'X' into to bottom of them after cutting off the base to increase surface area and speed along the cooking process.

A sure-fire way to ensure they cook next time is to chop them into halves or quarters!

Answer 2

The reason they didn't cook is because the density of the brussel sprouts is denser than the Shepards Pie, it would take alot longer to cook the sprouts than the pie alone.

Before adding them to your pie, pre-cook them. When you bake the pie in the oven with the sprouts in it, they will not cook much more than what they were when they went into the pie.

Answer 3

Use FROZEN Brussels Sprouts next time and put them in frozen. Because of the water tied up in the freezing process when the heat is applied the water will assist in cooking up the dense little sprouts. Better yet slice them in half for such a casserole.

Answer 4

Maybe next time you should cook them in the microwave or boil them for a bit first before you put them in to pie with everything else. Then when the pie comes out the oven it should be all good :)

Answer 5

WHY would you put brussels sprouts in a Shepherd's pie? Consider it culinary karma!

Answer 6

In the future, slice them from the top to the middle, halfway down. They'll stay together and cook ok.

Answer 7

were they fresh or frozen?