Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Parmesan
Remember the time I posted about how I hated veggies but The Beard loved them, and how I changed my mind about cauliflower? Well, we can add another veggie to the list of things that I’ll willingly eat: Brussels sprouts.
Now, I know what most of you are thinking. Brussels sprouts are gross! Society says that only my weird, old aunt should enjoy sprouts! They’re scary! But, I’m here to tell you, they are definitely not the scary food that I believed they were all of my life.
As we were prepping them, The Beard commented, “I hope that I like these,” he said. Now, stop that train right there, my man. He told me he liked Brussels sprouts. I’ve seen him eat them before. He had better like these, we had two bloody pounds of them, and I told him as such. “Well….” he said, “I like them covered in cheese.” As a result, I did what any loving wife would do. I added another tablespoon of cheese to the bowl.
I’ll be the first to admit, I was just as nervous as The Beard was about eating them. He at least likes veggies. I have been known to stop eating an entire burrito at our favorite taco place should I find an errant onion bit hidden in my carne asada, and I was feeling mighty boastful on Friday night when I ate an onion ring. This is way out of my comfort zone, like, so far out it’s not even in the same zip code. However, I was also the first of us to eat a sprout when they came out of the oven, and I piled a big bunch of them on my plate and eat nearly all of them.
I liked them, and The Beard described them as tasting like “grown up peas”. It was a weirdly accurate description of them; the sprouts almost have the sweetness of baby peas. When they’re combined with the saltiness of the bacon and the parmesan, it’s an amazing combination. Additionally, the dish has a great texture to it. You’ve got the sweet, tender leaves on the inside, and crispy, roasted leaves outside, and we can’t forget the crunchy bacon and cheese. It’s a recipe that has definitely changed my opinion on Brussels sprouts, and something we’ll make again.
Preheat your oven to 425°F. You’re going to start with your sprouts. We bought a two-pound bag at the store, but we’ll go smaller next time since it’s just us and we wildly overestimated ourselves. Cut the sprouts in half, picking off any wilted or rotted leaves as you go. Then it’s time for the bacon. If you buy bacon in the 1 lb packs, cut the slab of strips in half without separating them, then cut one of those halves into small bits, then fry the bits. It’s important to note that you don’t want to completely cook up the bacon in this step. You’ll be roasting the bacon with the sprouts, and you don’t want it completely overdone when it comes out of the oven. If you’re anything like we are, you’ll want to hide the bacon in the microwave, or some other place you can’t see it, otherwise you risk eating half of it before you can even use it.¹
Next, put all the sprouts in a large mixing bowl and drizzle them with the olive oil, stirring them up until the sprouts are evenly coated with the oil.² Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese to the bowl, stirring things again to get all the sprouts evenly coated with these new ingredients.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it down with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the coated sprouts evenly in a single layer on the foil.
Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the sprouts, followed by half of the shredded cheese, and cook for 25 minutes in the center of your oven. When time is up, remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese over the sprouts, and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes before serving.
Notes & Variations
¹ My mother does not agree with hiding the cooked bacon to avoid eating it while preparing other ingredients. She suggests cooking extra bacon and not feeling bad if you eat it.
² If you’re looking to really kick up the bacon flavor, you can use the pan drippings from the bacon instead of olive oil.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan and Bacon
If you've bought into the idea that sprouts are a scary, disgusting vegetable, let this dish change your mind. The saltiness of the cheese and bacon combined with the tender sweetness of the sprouts makes a plate that will convince you that sprouts aren't what they're made out to be.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Brussels sprouts
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 2 tbsps grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsps olive oil (see variation in notes!)
- 2 tbsps minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup 3-cheese blend shredded
Instructions
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Cut the sprouts in half, removing any wilted or rotted outer leave while you do it. Leaving the bacon strips stuck together, cut the bacon into small bits and then fry them up. Do not cook it completely, you'll be roasting it in the oven and it will get crispier as it cooks, and you don't want it to be overdone when it comes out of the oven. Set the bacon aside on a paper towel to sop up some of the grease.
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Put the sprouts in a large mixing bowl, then drizzle the oil over them and mix them up, coating the sprouts with the oil. Next, sprinkle the parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper over the sprouts, mixing again to evenly coat them.
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Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray, then spread the sprouts in an even layer in the pan.
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Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the sprouts. Next sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over everything, and cook on the center rack in a 425°F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the sprouts and return the pan to the oven for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Variation: You can substitute some of the drippings from the bacon pan instead of using the olive oil for some extra flavor!
The Tart likes to eat, cook, and bake things. She eats to work out, and she works out to be able to eat.
