Cheesy Brussel Sprout and Chorizo Dip

Charred brussel sprouts are the star of these cheesy dip with deep flavors of chorizo and spanish cheese. I wanted to make a brussel sprout dip, but the best flavor from brussel sprouts comes when you char them. I made this once without the charred flavor and knew immediately what I had to do. I seared the sprouts before mixing them into the dip to really bring out that tasty bitter flavor! Once I had that aspect, the rest of the recipe came together easily. I first thought bacon, but the deep fatty flavors in chorizo brought this dip to a whole new level!

The inspiration for this recipe

For my next dip (sounds like a magician), someone suggested cole slaw type flavors. I wanted it to be more of a winter dip than a summer dip, so I thought brussel sprouts would be a good sub for cabbage. A quick sear in a hot pan with some Spanish chorizo, and a little bit of mayo and cheese was all it needed to become an awesome dip!

I seared the chorizo first, then cooked the brussel sprouts in the chorizo fat to really layer on the delicious flavors. The best part of brussel sprouts are when they get burned and super bitter, so I made sure to get them nice and brown in the pan, and then brown them more in the oven!

Prepping the brussel sprouts and chorizo

I was going to do Portuguese chorizo at first, but I found a really nice Spanish one at my grocery store that I was excited to try. Just chop everything up finely.

Pre-cooking the ingredients

I first tried this with everything raw and it didn’t work that well. The next time I made it, I seared the chorizo first, then cooked the brussel sprouts in the chorizo fat! This helped them char and gave them an amazing flavor. You can see the red oil in this pan from the chorizo.

Mixing the cheesy brussel sprout and chorizo dip together

Add the brussel sprouts to a bowl with the chorizo, mayo, and cheeses to form the dip. The cheeses are a mixture of provolone and manchego!

Baking the cheesy brussel sprout and chorizo dip

Pour it all into a baking dish or cast iron pan and let it bake for about a half hour. It gets nice and brown on top and all bubbly and delicious in the middle!

Serving the cheesy brussel sprout and chorizo dip

Put the hot plate of cheesy brussel sprout and chorizo dip down on a towel or trivet and put out a bunch of tortilla chips for dipping!

I used tortilla chips cause I am all about the tortilla chip right now, but you could do pita if you would rather, or a myriad of other dipping options.

So cheesy, so good! The chorizo really adds a great deep flavor to everything. Make sure you don’t use too much chorizo, or the dip might be a bit too intense.

Variations on this recipe

You could make the cheesy brussel sprout and chorizo dip with bacon, and I did the first time I made it, but I didn’t like it as much. But then again, I am kind of a bacon hater. Don’t get me wrong, I like bacon, I just think it’s overrated and overused. The chorizo gives this dip a much better flavor and since there aren’t a ton of ingredients you need lots of flavor from each! You could also do this with cabbage instead of brussel sprouts. I think it would be easier and pretty much the same flavor. You would really need to make sure to dice the cabbage super small.

You could also serve this with any chip you like! No need to stick with tortilla chips. Only thing it the chip needs to be sturdy cause its a hearty dip! Consider serving it with a spoon to help scoop!

If you are looking for more dips, check out my hot cheese dips, or the best onion dip ever.

Make-ahead

You could mix this dip a day or two ahead of when you plan on serving it, just store it in the fridge and then put it into the baking dish and bake it just before serving.