Cheesy brussel sprouts, with balsamic, garlic, bacon, and pine nuts. If you think you don't love brussel sprouts, this cheesy bacon brussel sprouts recipe will change your mind! You can prepare this dish in one pan in under 30 minutes! Serve with sumac chicken, smoked tri-tip, or crispy panko shrimp!
Serve these delicious pan-roasted Brussel sprouts with your Thanksgiving meal, or any night of the week. And don't forget to drizzle them with lots of balsamic vinegar glaze!
Yesterday I baked ham for dinner. Normally I would serve it with mashed potatoes and honey mustard sauce. But, since Scott has decided to join me in eating low-carb, I needed to come up with another side dish.
Feeling a little creative, I decided to come up with a new recipe. I took out the Brussel sprouts from my fridge, fully knowing that Scott hated Brussel sprouts.😉
In order to disguise the Brussel sprouts, I decided to include ingredients that I knew Scott couldn't resist; cheese and bacon! The result was this delicious Cheesy Brussel Sprouts recipe. And in case you're wondering, Scott asked for a second helping!
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🧐 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Cheesy brussel sprouts are way better than plain brussel sprouts!
- This is an easy recipe that anyone can master.
- The recipe can be adjusted to fit your personal preferences.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Brussel Sprouts: Choose fresh, blemish free brussel sprouts.
- Bacon: Bacon adds so much flavor and crunch.
- Cheese: I like Asiago cheese but you can use your favorite cheese including mozzarella cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, or parmesan cheese.
- Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are expensive but add a wonderful flavor to this dish. You may leave them out, if you wish.
- Butter: You may substitute olive oil.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves, never bottled!
- Balsamic Vinegar:
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🧀 How To Make Cheesy Brussel Sprouts
Step 1: Slice Brussel sprouts in half, and place in a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and enough water to cover them completely.
Step 2: Soak for 30 minutes. (Soaking the Brussel sprouts in salt first helps eliminate the bitter taste).
Step 3: Fry bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from pan, and drain on paper-towel lined plate. Leave one tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan.
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Step 4: Fry the pine nuts in the bacon grease until slightly browned, then remove from the pan.
Step 5: Melt butter in the same pan. Drain and add the Brussel sprouts. Crumble bacon and add half to the pan along with the garlic, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine, then cook over medium heat for approximately five minutes or until fork tender.
Step 6: Mix the remaining bacon with the pine nuts, and shredded cheese. Mix into the Brussel sprouts just before serving. Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Low Carb Cheesy Brussel Sprouts are the perfect side dish! They go perfectly with beef, for example, smoked brisket.
Don't have a smoker? No problem! You can serve Brussel sprouts with any of the following entrees: grilled jerk chicken, and Instant Pot ham.
However, this dish is so filling and satisfying, you can actually have it as a meal instead of a side dish. Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, or not?
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Trimming Brussel sprouts couldn't be simpler! Start by slicing off the brown end of the stem. Next, remove any outer leaves that are discolored, brown, or unattractive. Boom, you're almost done!
If you're looking for crispy edges and caramelization, it's better to cook brussel sprouts in a cast iron skillet instead of boiling the brussel sprouts. Boiling actually makes the brussel sprouts flavor and scent less favorable.
If you would like to blanch brussel sprouts before using them in a recipe, they can be blanched whole if they are small, or sliced in half, if they are larger.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Be sure to wash, then trim the brussel sprouts prior to cooking. To trim, slice the brownish end of the stalk off and remove any outer yellow leaves. Keep the brussel sprouts whole, or slice in half or quarters.
- Before cooking brussel sprouts, soak in salted water for approximately 30 minutes to extract the bitter flavor.
- Brussel sprouts can be eaten raw and are fantastic when shaved into slaw, or salads.
- To roast brussel sprouts in the oven, set the oven temperature to 400 Degrees F. Drizzle the brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
🥔 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
- 1 lb Brussel sprouts
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (to soak Brussel sprouts)
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic (slivered)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 oz asiago cheese (shredded)
Instructions
- Wash Brussel sprouts, and remove the rough end of the stem.
- Slice Brussel sprouts in half, and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and enough water to cover them completely. Soak Brussel sprouts for 30 minutes.
- Fry bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1½ teaspoon of bacon grease from the pan.
- Fry the pine nuts in the remaining 1½ teaspoons bacon grease until slightly browned, then remove from the pan.
- Melt butter in the same pan. Drain and add the Brussel sprouts. Crumble half of the bacon and add half to the pan along with the garlic, salt, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine, then cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes or until fork tender.
- Stir the remaining bacon with the pine nuts, and shredded cheese. Mix into the Brussel sprouts just before serving. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar glaze, if desired.
Notes
- Be sure to wash, then trim the Brussel sprouts prior to cooking. To trim, slice the brownish end of the stalk off and remove any outer yellow leaves. Keep the Brussel sprouts whole, or slice in half or quarters.
- Before cooking Brussel sprouts, soak in salted water for approximately 30 minutes to extract the bitter flavor.
- Brussel sprouts can be eaten raw and are fantastic when shaved into slaw, or salads.
- To roast Brussel sprouts in the oven, set the oven temperature to 400 Degrees F. Drizzle the Brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on 3/21/17 and updated on 11/8/19 with detailed photos, cook's tips, and FAQ’s. Salt and bacon-grease amounts were also reduced by half.
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