Sweet Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts just kinda sound puny. They get a bad wrap as a gross vegetable that kids are forced to eat by their parents. My parents never bought them, and I'd never tried them until last night.

Give them a try. They're naturally sweet, so when you roast the fire out of them, the sweetness comes out. Pair it with some crisp bacon and a touch of syrup and they're delicious!

I've been trying to use fresh produce as much as I can lately, so grab a package of fresh sprouts from the produce section. Give them a good rinse, and let dry for a bit while preparing your bacon.

Cook up 4 slices of your favorite bacon.  I cooked mine until it was almost done, because it will cook a bit more in the oven with the sprouts. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the grease.

Chop the pieces up until they look good. This is not a fine science, trust me.

Lop off the ends of the sprouts and cut them down the middle. The baby ones can stay whole, but most of them need to be split. It helps with the browning and releasing of their natural sweetness.

In a bowl or measuring cup, mix together extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup and the reserved bacon grease. This is what dreams are made of.

Mix the sprouts and bacon together, and pour the oil mixture on top. Stir together well and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Use a pinch more salt than you think you need.

Roast the fire out of these puppies in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, turning them once halfway through. The recipe I adapted these from only called for them to be cooked 15 minutes, and while getting dinner ready I left them in for about 20. They really need to be nice and brown, so I would suggest keeping them in a bit longer. You want them fork tender and really looking nice and lovely. Be sure to turn them halfway, as this will help with the roasting process.

Serve these up with a juicy steak and baked potato for a yummy dinner. (Thanks to Dad for grilling the lovely steaks in the dark!)

If you're like my mother, you'll spoon a few sprouts onto your plate because you are skeptical and don't think they will taste very good. Then you'll sheepishly ask for the bowl back to get a bigger helping.


I was pretty skeptical about these guys, but they really did turn out lovely. I would've preferred them cooked a touch longer, but they really released a lot of natural sweetness. I was impressed!

And now for a new feature I'm starting: ready to print recipe cards! Just click on these, save them to your computer and you can print them out for easy access. I hope you like them as much as I do!

Go forth and enjoy your brussels sprouts cuz they're good for you! Well, minus the syrup and bacon grease. :)

-Jenn (With 2 N's)