Brussels sprouts. A food with a seriously bad reputation. Well, I’m here to turn that around and hopefully convince you to give these highly nutritious little guys a try.
Here’s the thing, if you’ve only had boiled Brussels sprouts, you’re justified in being a little gun shy. Boiled Brussels sprouts are not delicious. Matter of fact, they make me gag. Truth.
But roll them around in a little olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper and roast them for awhile and now you’re talking a different story. A delicious story that begs to be told.
And then we take it a step further. We cook up some thick slab bacon. Bacon has a way of making everything taste that much better. Don’t you think?
After the bacon is done cooking and the fat has been drained off, we add some maple syrup and apple juice to the pan. Yup. Now we are really cooking.
After just a few minutes the mixture reduces down and thickens up. Can you see where we are going with this yet? It’s a happy journey.
The sprouts go from the oven into the pan of maple-apple goodness.
A sprinkle of that thick slab crunchy bacon is the crowning touch. The lowly sprout transformed into a glorious king of veggies. Sweet smoky sticky, yeah these are not your Mama’s sprouts y’all. It’s a new day.
Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Maple Bacon Glaze
2 lbs Brussels sprouts
2 slices thick cut bacon
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/3 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400°. Toss sprouts around in oil, salt and black pepper. Roast for 15-18 minutes.
Dice bacon. Cook until crispy. Drain and set aside.
In a saucepan, heat maple syrup and apple juice over medium high heat until bubbly. Reduce to medium heat and cook for four minutes.
Pour sprouts and glaze into a bowl and toss to coat. Add bacon. Serve piping hot. Enjoy!
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I am HUGE Brussell Sprout Fan and OMGoodess those look amazing – I am so doing that for tomorrow’s dinner thanks Melanie – your shots made me want to pick one off the screen and eat it : )
I’m so glad you like it. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Your food photography is really great! Yum.
Thank Jodi! All those books and workshops are slowly sinking in. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.
I was waiting for this post! I saw brussel sprouts in your cart and thought “Ooh, maybe she’ll share a yummy brussel sprouts recipe,” and you did! Thank you
You can’t tell me that your family didn’t like these??
See? I read your mind!! Lol. They are entering into season, so they are going to be all over the place soon. I have some other great Brussels sprouts recipes that I’ll share down the road. And yes, the kids liked this one because of the smoky sweet component. That always works for them!
I must agree that your food pix are completely awesome Melanie!! I must also admit that I was served boiled Brussels sprouts as a child and I hated them and still do. Now, you have shown me that there is another path I must evaluate, taste and maybe savor. Your recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to try these delicacies!!
Blush. Thank you. Give them a try. You just might like them! It’s never too late to give something a second chance!
I audibly uttered, “Oh yeah, baby!” while reading this post. My husband is sitting next to me and looked over to see what I was gushing over. This is definitely going on the menu for next week. YUM.
I love, love, love Brussels sprouts, and I can’t wait to try them this way! Thanks for another great recipe and keep them coming!
I can’t wait to get some fresh sprouts and try this recipe. I recently bought some fresh maple syrup from a farm in Bridgewater, so this will be something special to use it in rather than just on pancakes and Belgian waffles.
I used to volunteer at BSC on the school newspaper and often would take supper at the college. One night they had Brussels sprouts on the menu. Only 2 of us were eating them and the cafeteria lady kept filling up our plates. I was in sprout heaven. All they did was cook them in tons of butter, but they were really fresh and sweet.
I must say that I’ve never been a fan of Brussels Sprouts, but my oh my do these look good!
Will you adopt me?
I don’t really like Brussel Sprouts but yours look delish! The bacon is a great addition!
I’ve never once in my 38 years had brussel sprouts. They don’t look as bad as their reputation in those pictures. I just may have to try them.
And ditto on your food photography. I’ve only ever tried it once for the heck of it, and it was much harder than I expected. I’m sure I would have needed to remake the recipe a few times to get all the shots I wanted. Pouring while taking a pic…impressive!
Oh my goodness! Got to run out and get some brussel sprouts and try this recipe! It looks so good!
Dang girl, I have done the sauteing with bacon (yes, bacon makes everything heavenly0 but never maple syrup!