Thanksgiving is coming up in less than a month. I’ve already started brainstorming side dishes to make for Thanksgiving. One of the vegetables I am hoping to incorporate into Thanksgiving this year is Brussels sprouts. Earlier this week, I was at an education conference and had some Brussels sprouts for lunch. I don’t typically cook Brussels sprouts and did not eat much of it growing up. When I was at the grocery store shopping for groceries this week, I saw some Brussels sprouts on sale and decided to pick up a package to cook for dinner. I had some leftover bacon in the refrigerator and immediately thought to combine the Brussels sprouts with the bacon. My inspiration for combining the two ingredients came about after a conversation I had with Kevin. Several weeks ago, Kevin had participated in a Spartan Race in Nashville. After the race, he went to a local restaurant with some of his friends and had a side of Brussels sprouts with bacon. Kevin tends to be picky when it comes to eating vegetables, but he did describe the dish as pretty good for vegetables. I don’t usually hear Kevin praising a vegetable dish, so when he does, I’m going to run with it. I started on the Brussels sprouts once I got home from picking up groceries. I cut up several strips of bacon and crisped it in a pan. Bacon already has a lot of saltiness on its own so there wasn’t a need to add more salt to the dish. I just added some olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper to the Brussels sprouts and bacon, cooked it for several minutes, and then the dish was done. The side dish was very flavorful. It may just end up on my Thanksgiving dinner menu.
Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 6-8 slices of thick cut bacon, sliced into small pieces
· 25-30 Brussels sprouts, sliced in half vertically
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
1) Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the bacon pieces and cook until bacon pieces are crispy, about 5-8 minutes. Add in the sliced Brussels sprouts. Cook until Brussels sprouts are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.
Takeaways: The bacon adds a wonderful smokiness and saltiness to the Brussels sprouts. I may omit the bacon next time and replace it with lap cheong for a Chinese spin to the dish. Any salty meat can be used in place of bacon for this dish.