Baked Brussels Sprout Tater Tots

If you are like me and face serious difficulties resisting the deliciously crispy, salty, potatoey little nuggets of amazingness that are tater tots, then these healthy baked Brussels sprout tater tots are for you. Not only do you get to eat your greens (and enjoy them), but they totally satisfy any cravings for more classically-prepared (read: fried) tater tots.

You need just 5 ingredients for this Brussels sprout tater tot recipe: russet potatoes (please don’t try using another variety!); Brussels sprouts; salt; aquafaba (the cooking liquid from chickpeas or other beans) and just a touch of oil.

Two of my favorite eateries to dine at in Baltimore, Sticky Rice and Golden West Cafe (both of which offer abundant, clearly-labeled vegan options :)), happen to have excellent tater tots on their menu served with special vegan sauces. I have this problem that involves ordering the tater tots as a starter, and eating too many of them to finish very much of my entree at all. I can’t stop.

Until sometime in 2015 I hadn’t really contemplated the idea of making healthier baked tater tots at home, but then I saw these fabulous looking zucchini tots from She Likes Food. Soon enough I was tinkering around with different vegetables to use as the base and I settled on Brussels sprout tater tots as one of my favorites. I love the deep, nutty roasted flavor the shredded sprouts take. And unlike some other veggies, there’s no need to squeeze any liquid out of the Brussels sprouts before mixing them, making prep even easier.

I actually ate these as an entree because.. uh, vegetables? About half of the batch made for a satisfying, somewhat-light meal for me and the leftovers reheated nicely in the toaster oven. Normally I like my tater tots with barbecue sauce, tahini sauce, or some kind of spicy aioli. But I think these Brussels sprout tater tots pair better with something that plays off of the sprouts’ slight bitterness. I recommend spiking ketchup with a bit of mustard to this end. Or try mixing up a maple mustard sauce like the one served with my beer-battered Brussels sprouts. The Brussels sprout tater tots are actually wonderful on their own as well, without any sauce needed!

Let me know if you give these Brussels sprout tater tots a try 🙂

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5 Ingredient Baked Brussels Sprout Tater Tots

Brussels sprout tater tots that are baked, not fried, and made with just 5 ingredients. Vegan and gluten-free/grain-free recipe.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine vegan, vegetarian

Keyword brussels sprout tater tots

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 36 tater tots

Calories 168kcal

Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 large russet potatoes peeled
• 1 tsp sea salt (plus to taste)
• 3 tbsp aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid, see notes)
• 12 oz Brussels sprouts trimmed and shredded
• 1 to 2 tsp olive oil for brushing

Instructions

• Place the peeled potatoes in a saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling until the potatoes are just barely cooked through (important!), about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Grate the potato into a mixing bowl using the largest holes on your grater.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the aquafaba and sea salt with a fork. Add about half of this mixture to the grated potato and stir.
• Add the shredded Brussels sprouts to the bowl along with the rest of the aquafaba mixture (this is just to ensure the salt and aquafaba are distributed evenly), and stir to combine with the potatoes. Taste a pinch of the mixture and add more salt if desired (it won't taste great at this point because of the raw sprouts, but it's safe to eat).
• By hand, form the mixture into small balls or tater tot shapes, squeezing each one gently to compress it a little bit, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until the mixture is used up. The baking sheet should be large enough that none of the tots are touching. If needed, use a second baking sheet rather than crowding the first one.
• Brush the tops of the Brussels sprout tater tots with a very light coating of olive oil. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired. Bake for 15 minutes, then very gently flip over the tater tots. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
• Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container once completely cooled, and are most successful when reheated in the oven or toaster oven.

Notes

For variations: add other seasonings to taste; I especially like a bit of garlic powder and paprika, or Old Bay seasoning.

Other varieties of potato are unlikely to be successful in this recipe because of varying starch content.

Aquafaba is the cooking liquid from beans. For this recipe I used chickpea aquafaba, and I simply used the liquid from a BPA-free can of chickpeas. You can also use homemade aquafaba from cooking beans, but make sure it is reduced enough to be slightly viscous. It acts as a binder in this recipe. Please note that aquafaba is NOT the same thing as soaking liquid.

It should be easy to form the mixture into intact shapes. If they aren't holding together, the potatoes were probably cooked too long. To salvage the tater tots, try adding potato flour/starch or another light flour a little bit at a time, just until the mixture holds together.

Nutrition

Serving: 18tater tots | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 962mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 140.3mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2.3mg

(Recipe adapted from She Likes Food)

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