Until I made this recipe, I didn’t see what the “big deal” was about eating those little green leafy balls. This Pan-Roasted Caramelized Brussel Sprouts with Bacon Recipe is super easy to make and it’s done on the stove with minimal prep work.
The first time I ate Brussels sprouts was 20 years ago in Berlin, Germany. Just a month into my exchange year, my host family served a bowl of steamed, unseasoned sprouts with boiled weiners. Oh man. I think I turned green just looking at the food in front of me. Of course I ate the meal, mostly out of politeness, but I did not eat Brussels sprouts again for a good 15 years after that.
Lately, I’ve been wanting to try them in a way that could possibly be tolerated by my kids –some of them anyway. Immediately, I looked for recipes that included bacon, since bacon is typically a loved flavor by everyone in the house.
“Hey look!” It’s got BACON!!” I pointed out a few times. Still, they (my 3 wonderful children) looked at me like I was speaking another language. “I cooked it with butter….” nothing.
“Well, y’all are missing out!” I said. And off I went to eat one serving, then two, then quite possibly a third of these wonderfully caramelized sprouts. Never in my life I imagined that they could taste this delicious!
I will try serving them again with the kids tomorrow; but in a different way. I used the leftover Brussels sprouts in this quiche recipe (minus the salsa and cheddar). In case you have leftovers, I wrote out the recipe for the mini quiches below as well.
Bacon Caramelized Brussel Sprouts Recipe
- Yield: 6
Ingredients
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup blue cheese (optional)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chopped bacon. Once bacon is cooked but not yet crispy, add in chopped onions. Continue cooking, for another 3 minutes, until onion is golden and translucent.
- Add in Brussels sprouts, and toss to combine. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often until Brussels sprouts have softened. Reduce heat to low, cover and allow them to steam for about a minute.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle blue cheese on top, drizzle balsamic vinegar, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Bacon Brussels Sprouts Mini Quiches
In case you are left with a serving of bacon Brussels sprouts, now you can turn the leftovers into delicious bite sized quiches.
- Yield: 24 mini quiches
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked caramelized bacon Brussels sprouts
- 6 eggs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Roughly finely chop your cooked caramelized bacon Brussels sprouts on a cutting board into small pieces (the size of petite diced tomatoes).
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add chopped bacon Brussels sprouts and add blue cheese (optional).
- Distribute egg mixture evenly into a greased mini muffin pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Allow mini quiches to cool in the pan before carefully removing with a small knife or spatula.
I will be making these this year!
let me know how you enjoy them Justin!
Brussels sprouts are such an under appreciated vegetable. I really think it’s because people have experiences like your first time eating them and turn off them for good. So glad you got to have them again and recognize they’re awesomeness 😉
You are right Liz. Had I tasted them like this the first time, I would have made them part of my meals much sooner!
I see you have butter with the ingredients yet you don’t say when to use it….could you please specify when to use it? thank you
my apologies Frances. I’ve revised the recipe. Enjoy!
we are trying the brussel sprout thing this year and found your recipe we hope its good
We made this too this year. I hope your family enjoyed it.