IDK about you, but roasted brussels sprouts are my absolute favorite thing to find on a restaurant menu. Whether they are crafted with a balsamic glaze, an orange glaze, a szechuan glaze, or any other sort of glaze, I am down for all of it. When crafting this pan of brussels in my own kitchen, a simple glaze and accents of bacon, blue cheese, cranberries and pecans just felt right.
Speaking of brussels sprouts, I took a trip back to my homeland of Minnesota last weekend and went to the spot in town that has my absolute favorite brussels sprouts. Guess what they took off the menu. I shed a little tear and proceeded to enjoy some incredible food, but it was even more motivation to whip up some bacon brussels sprouts when I got back home 😉
Accents of Bacon, Blue Cheese, Cranberries & Pecans
How to Make Brussels Sprouts Better… Add Bacon
I started working on this recipe a couple weeks ago and made a much more simple version with just cranberries and blue cheese, to later realize that adding onions, pecans and bacon would make it even better. Who doesn’t want bacon brussels sprouts?! That being said, if you don’t have onions, cranberries, pecans, blue cheese or bacon, you can easily drop one of those items or sub in something else. I keep my recipes simple for you guys, intentionally, but sometimes the addition of just a few more ingredients can be a total game changer!
But look at that bacon. How could you not want to add that goodness to this recipe?! If you want to make it a little healthier, swap some turkey bacon! The beauty of all the extra additions in this recipe is that they don’t just add flavor, they also add some protein. Quite the satisfying side dish!
This savory brussels sprout side dish is packed with nutrients and irresistibly delicious with flavor pops of bacon, blue cheese, cranberries and pecans!
- 4 cups halved brussels sprouts
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Dash of salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup cooked bacon bits (~3 medium slices chopped into small bits)
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Spread your brussels sprouts and sliced onion on a greased or lined cookie sheet.
In a small container (with a lid) combine the avocado oil, white wine vinegar, orange juice, honey and salt & pepper – shake to combine and pour over the brussels sprouts and onion slices.
Sprinkle with dried cranberries and pecans.
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
As the brussels sprouts roast, cook your bacon on the stove until it reaches your desired crispness, then chop into small bits.
When done, top with crumbled blue cheese and cooked bacon bits.
PER SERVING
226 cals ~ 14g fat ~ 19g carb ~ 6g protein
The Oven’s Already Hot…
And you’re in the mood to continue roasting? Whip up a batch of these Honey Balsamic Roasted Peaches for dessert and pair them with some vanilla bean ice cream!
