Roasted Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Want to know a fun and maybe funny fact? I can’t stop thinking about these bacon and balsamic glazed brussels sprouts. I want to make sure I share these with you before you plan your holiday dinner menu because I think they should make it on there! They’re the perfect side dish and will turn anyone who is against this green veg towards it thanks to thick-cut bacon and sweet balsamic glaze!
During the holidays we seem to make these a lot. I love cooking vegetables that are in season and so fresh brussels sprouts always make an appearance. They pair well with any roasted meat in my opinion, be it turkey, chicken, or even pork chops.
I actually opt for these over green beans, probably because these are roasted, make a delicious side, and don’t involve creamed soup! To me balsamic bacon brussel sprouts are a great side dish this holiday season to turn people past green beans and on to this dish with it’s savory bacon and sweet glaze.
Simple as Can Be
To make this easy recipe you simply need a baking sheet, some thick cut bacon, brussels sprouts and your seasonings. Of course the more flavored your bacon is, the more flavor you’ll find in these. I like using a premade balsamic glaze as its a delicious addition to any vegetable, but making your own balsamic reduction is also an option here. I’d check some recipes to make sure you do it correctly, but essentially all your need for a reduction is regular balsamic vinegar cooked down until it’s thick and sweet.
If I were you, buy the premade glaze and know you’ll enjoy it over roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and really any vegetable you’re planning to roast during a sheet pan weeknight dinner this winter! My family really loves roasted onions and potatoes and I know I could use it there too. Since you may not use a full package of bacon think of using the reserve in another roasted vegetable dish.
I like to make sure the bacon is on top of my vegetables so the rendered bacon fat will flavor all of the vegetables. This really is a no fuss fantastic side dish. Consider it for Christmas dinner, or even New Years! It’s hands down my favorite way to serve brussels sprouts, be it an everyday dinner or special occasion.
Cooking Tip
When you’re getting ready to make these my advice would be to rinse all your vegetables and then as you clean and halve them put them into a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and drizzle with your olive oil or avocado oil. Now when you place them on your sheet pan arrange them in a single layer. Top with your bacon, and you’re ready to cook!
Serving Size
This serves a crowd though it can easily be halved if you are having it for dinner with a smaller group. While there are many delicious recipes out there, we’ve found this version to be one of our favorite recipes. It works well too because with the high oven temperature it’s a great dish to throw in at the end when the turkey is resting as it only takes 25 minutes of cooking time!
Depending on the size of your sprouts timing may change. It’s good to have tender vegetables so they really do taste sweet and not bitter or tough as some may assume them to be. When you’re preparing them be sure to trim the tough ends, have, and remove any outer leaves if they look dirty or wilted.
This really couldn’t be more simple. Is it even a recipe? I suppose so given ratios and cooking times, but as always be sure to make this your own. You could add yellow onion here if you’d like to roast those up with these as well and that would be delicious. Another way to personalize this would be adding chopped pecans at the end. How about toasted carmelized pecans? Who could say no to these once you’d
Any leftovers can be saved in an airtight container and enjoyed later, though there’s something about the crispy burssels sprouts warm out of the oven that really is the best!
Roasted Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Equipment
- 2 sheet pans
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of brussels sprouts halved
- 8 slices of thick bacon chopped
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- one jar of balsamic glaze drizzled to your liking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400
- Start by slicing off the ends of the brussels sprouts and then trimming them in half. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange them between two baking sheets.
- Slice your bacon and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
- Bake for 20 minutes then turn the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer the vegetables and bacon to a large casserole dish and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
- Serve warm!
