Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

I’ve been making and eating this Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon dish a lot lately, because it’s somehow become comfort food for me. Hot or cold, I’m surprising myself with how often I want to eat this it – to the point that I have to stop myself from absently eating the whole thing when I make it. I always intend it to be a side dish, but I’ve mostly been eating it as a meal.

I’ve tried making it with roasted new potatoes instead of Brussels sprouts, as well, and it turns out all right; something about the way the onions caramelize and the sprouts roast is more delicious. Though I’ll note that the flavours in the vinaigrette come through better with potatoes, without the vinaigrette the sprouts aren’t as delicious, and it in itself is really great – I’d recommend it for salads as well, and will probably make a separate post for it at some point.

What I love about this, I think, is that it’s simple and quick, but also flavourful and filling. I bet if you left out the bacon, it would still be good – the caramelized onions are pretty decadent on their own – but there’s something comforting about the smell and taste of bacon, for me, and in times like these we take our comfort where we can get it.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

6 servings, 10 minutes prep, 50 minutes roasting time

Ingredients

5 cups Brussels Sprouts
2-3 medium-sized yellow onions
5-6 pieces of raw bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F
2. In a casserole dish, lay out 5-6 pieces of raw bacon.
3. Place casserole dish in the oven, and bake bacon on one side for approximately 10 minutes.
4. While the baking is cooking, prepare veggies – slice onion into rings, and cut Brussels sprouts in half, removing stems.
5. Flip bacon so that the underside is facing up, and bake for another 10 minutes or until it’s starting to look cooked (it will continue to cook after it comes out). Do not drain the bacon grease.
6. Remove dish from oven, setting aside bacon for later.
7. In casserole dish, combine onions, Brussels sprouts, bacon grease, olive oil (may not be necessary if your bacon is very greasy – use your judgement), and salt and pepper.
8. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar (a one-cup mason jar works perfectly), shake to combine, and set aside.
10. When Brussels sprouts are well-roasted, remove casserole dish from oven, and crumble pieces of bacon oven the dish.
11. Wait for mixture to cool slightly, then shake vinaigrette again to combine, and pour over the dish, stirring to coat.
12. Serve and enjoy!

There are many more recipes on my Family Recipes page!