Roasted Bacon Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

at a glance
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 large servings

Every item on this page was chosen by The Fed & Fit team. The site may earn a commission on some products (read more here).

Just a few more weeks of winter! Let’s take advantage by gobbling up one of the most underrated winter veggies – the Brussels sprout!

(By the way, did you know they’re spelled BrusselS sprout? My whole life I thought it was just “brussel sprout.” I was convinced the Internet had it wrong until I consulted my spelling champion of a mom.)

Brussels sprouts get a bad wrap and I grew up contributing to this. I thought they were the bane of all vegetable existence. I thought they looked like strange little green brains; my stance was a firm, “no thanks and ew.”

Brussels are in fact members of the cabbage family. They contain huge amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and are believed to protect against colon cancer.

Like other forms of cabbage (collard greens, broccoli, kale), if you boil or inflict some other form of cooking assault on the poor little vegetable, it will retaliate by stinking up your house.

Stinky cabbage reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984:

“There was the usual boiled-cabbage smell, common to the whole building, but it was shot through by a sharper reek of sweat, which-one knew this at the first sniff, though it was hard to say how was the sweat of some person not present at the moment” (Pt. 1, Ch. 2).

…he painted a clear picture.

My recipe will turn Brussels sprout haters into eaters and believers.

DSC_0316

What’s my trick for making crispy, craveable, healthy Brussels the family will beg for? A combination of crispy bacon, sauté-to-bake cooking method, and a balsamic finishing glaze.

These suckers are tasty.

Give Brussels one more try. You’re going to fall in love.

DSC_0036

DSC_0169

DSC_0161

DSC_0166

DSC_0179

DSC_0229

DSC_0029

DSC_0301

Roasted Bacon Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

By: Cassy
No ratings yet
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 large servings
Just a few more weeks of winter! Let’s take advantage by gobbling up one of the most underrated winter veggies – the Brussels sprout!

Ingredients  

  • 12 ounces Fresh Brussels Sprouts
  • 4 Pieces Thick-Cut Bacon chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic ~3 cloves worth
  • 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
  • 2 teaspoons Aged Balsamic Vinegar if you can’t find aged, regular works great too

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Clean and chop the Brussels sprouts in half.
  • (Note: to avoid a lot of free-floating Brussels leaves, I recommend cutting along the stem of the smallest/most outer leaf.)
  • In an oven-friendly frying pan, cook the chopped bacon just until they start to foam and crisp. This will take about 4 minutes on medium/high heat.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and stir. Cook for about 1 minute.
  • Add the Brussels to the pan and stir until they’re all evenly coated with the bacon grease.
  • If the pan seems too dry, now add the EVOO and stir evenly.
  • Cook on the stovetop with the Brussels for about 4-5 minutes.
  • Separate each Brussels half in the pan so that they are not on top of each other.
  • Bake the entire pan for approximately 20 minutes at 375 F.
  • Keep an eye on your pan. If it looks like they’re starting to brown too quickly, take them out sooner. (I recommend you start checking at 12 minutes and go back every couple after).
  • Let cool for a few minutes and then plate.
  • Finish with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Roasted Bacon Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Amount per Serving
Calories
419
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
33
g
51
%
Saturated Fat
 
10
g
63
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
16
g
Cholesterol
 
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
 
521
mg
23
%
Potassium
 
826
mg
24
%
Carbohydrates
 
18
g
6
%
Fiber
 
7
g
29
%
Sugar
 
5
g
6
%
Protein
 
15
g
30
%
Vitamin A
 
1310
IU
26
%
Vitamin C
 
146
mg
177
%
Calcium
 
84
mg
8
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Meet the Author
Cassy Headshot

Cassy Joy Garcia

HOWDY! I’m Cassy Joy and I am just so happy you’re here. I’m the founder, Editor-in-Chief, and Nutrition Consultant here at Fed and Fit. What started as a food blog back in 2011 has evolved now into so much more.
Get to know Cassy

Show us!

Did You Make This Recipe?

Share a photo and tag us! We can’t wait to see what you make!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. GiGi Eats Celebrities says

    GiGi Eats Celebrities —  02/28/2013 At 22:32

    SO GORGEOUS!! YUM 🙂 I had some delicious sprouts last night at this restaurant. They were so good that I ordered another bowl for dessert 😉

  2. 365daysofbacon says

    365daysofbacon —  03/01/2013 At 17:27

    great recipe and great pics!

    • fedandfit says

      fedandfit —  03/01/2013 At 19:00

      Thank you!!

  3. andrea weaver says

    andrea weaver —  11/27/2013 At 20:23

    Sounds delish!! Making it for the family on Thanksgiving.

  4. Jenn says

    Jenn —  10/27/2015 At 03:55

    These were awesome! Didnt need the EVOO and added the balsamic right at the end and still baked them a little longer. Thanks!

    • Kelly says

      Kelly —  11/02/2015 At 13:41

      So glad you liked them Jenn! Thanks for trying them out 🙂