This Brussels sprouts recipe is an absolutely must in my house. Why? Well, I love Brussels sprouts. I think they’re delicious, and I always have. My husband, on the other hand, isn’t really a fan – or at least he wasn’t a fan. I always try to make meals we’ll both enjoy, but I really didn’t want to give up my Brussels sprouts.
So that’s where this Brussels sprouts recipe came in. Splitting the Brussels sprouts into leaves seems to soften their taste, so that even people who think they don’t like sprouts can enjoy them. And adding garlic and bacon, well, that’s just delicious.
This recipe really is great. It doesn’t just make them edible to those Brussels sprouts haters. It turns them into a side dish that they love, and are excited about when they find out it’s on the menu.
Here it is!
Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
Preparation Time: 15m Cooking Time: 25m Total Time: 30m
Servings
Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
5 slices bacon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/2 tsp butter
salt to taste
Instructions
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In a large pan over medium to medium high heat, cook the bacon until it’s done to your liking. Crumble or chop up the bacon, and reserve half a teaspoon of the bacon grease.
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While the bacon is cooking, split the Brussels sprouts into leaves. Slice an 1/8 of an inch off the base, peel off the leaves, and repeat, until the core is too tight. Then, thinly slice the core.
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In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and bacon grease. Add the garlic, and cook for about a minute, until it starts to be nice and fragrant.
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Add the Brussels sprouts leaves and cores, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often. The sprouts are done when they’re starting to brown.
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Add the bacon, and cook for just a bit longer, mixing everything really well.
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If needed, add a bit of salt.
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Serve, and enjoy!
Tips
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I like to add a bit of salt to this Brussels sprouts recipe. I find it helps bring out the flavors better. But bacon is pretty salty, so you really don’t need to add very much. It can go from perfect to way too salty really quick. So start with just a teensy bit, and only add more if it doesn’t taste perfect yet.
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Splitting the Brussels sprouts into leaves can be kind of time consuming. I usually cook the bacon ahead of time, and split up into leaves then. That way I don’t have to deal with it when I’m in the middle of all the other dinner preparations.
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Instead of splitting them into leaves, you can just thinly slice the sprouts. It won’t taste quite the same – splitting into leaves seems to make the Brussels sprouts less overpowering. But it’s definitely faster, and everything tastes good with bacon, anyway!
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For a healthier version, you can use some sliced ham or prosciutto, and forget about the bacon grease. It’s actually still really yummy, and probably a little more refined. But baconless.