A quick saute of brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots makes for a quick and flavorful side dish.
Oh the places you’ll go — and the foods you’ll eat when you subscribe to a CSA or produce co-op! Our family has really experienced a range of new-to-us fruits and vegetables. Lately it was brussels sprouts.
When I was a child, my mom served these baby cabbage-like guys once in awhile. From a box. From the freezer section. Sometimes with cheese.
I wasn’t a fan.
About five years ago one of my children requested brussels sprouts. I can’t even remember where he heard the word because it was not something hubs and I would have talked about. We weren’t fans.
So, on a whim I bought a box to cook that night for dinner. From a box. From the freezer section. I was so proud of my box for wanting to try something so new and foreign. And this boy was my pickiest eater at the time!
Needless to say, it was a train wreck. No one cared for these hard, cabbagy clumps, and so we retired brussels sprouts from our kitchen. Over the years, two close friends both insisted that fresh brussels sprouts were entirely different. And I nodded and said okay. But, I was certainly not going to buy any.
But a produce co-op has a way of forcing itself — and unwanted vegetables — on you. And because I hate waste more than I hate any vegetable, I’ll give it a go. (Though I must confess, when the butternut squash supply took on a life of its own, I gave one back. Same with the rutabagas.)
Anyway, FishBoy14, my food adventurer, and I did some research on brussels sprouts, busted out some bacon, and had a go at it. What resulted was a very pleasant surprise.
- Most of my kids tried them.
- Most of my kids liked them.
- Bacon proved itself once again as being able to make all things good.
This is a quick and easy recipe for brussels sprouts that could make a lover out of a hater. Even hubby was a little disappointed that he missed it. I served them for lunch on a workday.
Try ’em. You’ll like ’em.
Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
- 5 slices bacon
- 1 tablespoon butter or ghee or olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
Instructions
- Peel the outer layer off the brussels sprouts, trim the ends and cut them in half. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and chop coarsely.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan. Add butter and melt together.
- Saute the shallot in the pan and saute until starting to go clear.
- Add the brussels sprouts and continue to cook on medium-high heat, until tender and starting to brown, about three to five minutes. Add the chopped bacon and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
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lol…I never liked brussel sprouts either. Recently we tried them roasted in the oven…delicious!
We’ve been doing something similar but using the leeks that are in the box!
I have never had the frozen sprouts, but would love to try these. Bacon makes almost anything better. Unfortunately our stores only have really big (usually not so great) overpriced ($2.49/#) sprouts right now. I usually load up when they are cheap so might have to wait till fall to do this one. Sigh.
I went through a Costco sized bag of them over the weekend…I love them roasted with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt…you should try them shredded in a Caesar style salad…and shredded and stir fried quickly…so yummy! I also separated the leaves off of a few and put it on a pizza-the edges were so crisp and it really made for a yummy pizza night!
You can also steam or roast these and then slice them in half and put them in a skillet with a little Olive Oil and five spice powder and they are absolutely delicious. Instead of bacon , we sometimes sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts in.
You all please feel free to eat my family’s supply of sprouts. Not happening over here, even though the bacon would get picked out and eaten before they hit the trash.
We did like roasted cauliflower though!
If you really want to experience the wonderfulness of Brussels Sprouts and have (or someone in the family has the time) to separate the sprouts into separate
leaves – I KNOW, It’s labor intensive but well worth it. The flavor is so delicate, and completely different that the usual Brusssels Sprouts/mini-cabbage taste.
Fun! My kids would totally go for that.
So can you use the frozen ones (without any sauce) and cook them this way with edible results, or should frozen ones be ignored altogether and only fresh ones ever used?
@Sandi, the frozen ones we had were horrible. So, I would bypass the frozen altogether.
We received some brussel sprouts with our CSA this weekend and I had no idea what to do with them since I’ve never had them. Thankfully, I ran across this recipe and was wowed! I substituted a red onion for the shallot since they are impossible to find in North Texas. I was really thrilled with the outcome of this and even my 3 year old son ate some.
Thank you for posting!
Yeah! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made these Brussels sprouts tonight but used a sweet onion (because that is what I had), and added a chopped up peeled apple (Braeburn). It is sooooo good and added a twist of sweetness! I had used the “apple peeler-corer-slicer” gadget earlier in the day and had an extra left over apple…just sitting there starting to turn brown! Didn’t want it to go to waste!
Brilliant. Love it!
You doing the Pantry Challenge, too? 😉
I hesitate to say I am doing the Pantry Challenge….I did inventory our freezers and pantry, and I am more conscious of using what we have for meals!!! Does that count??? 🙂
Totally counts. 🙂