Growing up, I wasn’t a fan of Brussels sprouts, but my mother loved them. Yet even a younger me can’t turn down these delicious pan-roasted Brussels Sprouts with bacon.
What are Brussels Sprouts?
Brussel Sprouts are cruciferous vegetables in the cabbage family. In my family, they were always boiled, and it seems to be a tradition to overcook sprouts, leaving them with a very bitter flavour. However, they can also be roasted, steamed, or stir-fried. Their distinctive taste has taken on a reputation akin to Marmite’s in that people either love or hate them.
These pans roasted brussels sprouts are combined with crispy streaky bacon to create a delicious side dish. They’re perfect for Christmas and offer something different from plain, boiled Brussels sprouts.
Ingredients for Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Brussel Sprouts, obviously – Cut them in half to reduce the cooking time and ensure a nice balance between crunchy Brussels sprouts and a delicious, charred flavour.
Streaky Bacon – Streaky bacon is key to making the perfect pigs in blankets, but they also work with these brussels sprouts. It’s a type of bacon cut from the belly of the pig, and its high-fat content helps it turn golden and crispy when baked or fried. Its name comes from the alternating layers of meat and fat, said to resemble streaks.
Butter – If you’ve ever wondered how restaurants achieve the perfect charred-like colouring compared to homecooked versions, then one of their secrets lies in butter. Butter helps caramelise the sugars in food, resulting in a delicious golden-brown exterior.
How to Cook Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Add the chopped streaky bacon to a cold pan and slowly bring the heat to medium-high. The temperature change will cause the fat to slowly melt and leak into the pan, in a process known as rendering. This fat will help cook the bacon, negating the need for oil or butter, and then it will help flavour the sprouts.
Cook the bacon until it turns crispy. Set the bacon aside, but keep the rendered fat in the pan.
Add butter to the pan and gently melt over a medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and season with a liberal pinch of salt. Cover the pan and cook the sprouts for 10-12 minutes or until tender and charred well. Stir occasionally to ensure an even colouring.
Stir the bacon through the cooked Brussels sprouts and season with black pepper. You can add salt if you prefer. However, bacon contains a lot of salt, and the Brussels were cooked with salt. Therefore, I caution against adding too much salt to the dish.
Pan-roasted Brussels with Bacon
Ingredients
- 500 g Brussels sprouts Halved
- 6 Rashers of Streaky Bacon Chopped
- 50 g Butter
- Salt / Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the chopped streaky bacon to a cold pan and slowly bring the heat to medium-high.
- Cook the bacon until it turns crispy. Set the bacon aside, but keep the rendered fat in the pan.
- Add butter to the pan and gently melt over medium-high heat.
- Add the Brussels sprouts and season with a liberal pinch of salt.
- Cover the pan and cook the sprouts for 10-12 minutes or until tender and charred well. Stir occasionally to ensure an even colouring.
- Stir the bacon through the cooked sprouts and season with black pepper. Serve Hot.
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