Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon

Looking to try a new vegetable this year? Try our kid friendly, Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon! Our dogs love them as scooby snacks too! 🙂

A few months ago, my sister and I made a pact to eat more vegetables. Now I know this may sound silly — two adults vowing to eat more veggies — but we were feeling a bit yucky and our dinner time “rut” was making us a bit bonkers. Our kids were on a mission to try as few new vegetables as possible, and if we saw one more carrot, celery stalk, ear of corn or pea pod – we were going to scream.

However, if your kids are super picky eaters, adding new vegetables to their diets can be really overwhelming, especially after a long school day peppered with after-school activities. So what were two, cranky moms supposed to do? We turned it into a game and called it the “Try New Foods Quest“. The kids got on board, after coming up with some ground rules, and we were off to a new start.

In the beginning, they picked from a regular selection of “safer” vegetables, but we were pretty impressed with their deductive reasoning skills.

• “Well, I like carrots, and those sweet potato things are orange, like carrots, so maybe I’d like them.”
• “I saw broccoli at Aunt Daniele’s house once, so I guess I can try it.”
• “Asparagus makes your pee turn green?!?! Awesome! Let’s try it!”
• “Coconuts are cool. You can smash them to bits with a hammer and milk pours out. Let’s get Dad to smash it open!”

We didn’t really care why they chose the vegetables (and fruit) that they chose – we were just happy to see them taking an interest in what they were eating. We’ve had some pretty epic fails since we started, but it keeps them guessing – and laughing – and being a part of their own meal plan.

Brussels Sprouts ended up on the menu because the only time I’ve ever eaten them was when my sister-in-law served them at Thanksgiving one year. I was nervous to try them, but too polite to refuse them, and she cooked them up with bacon, so what could go wrong? From my first bite, until my last, I knew these little cabbage-like veggies were meant for me.

Sadly, I never tried to make them on my own. I was convinced that you needed some sort of magic to make them crispy and not squishy, and full of flavor versus bland as all heck. But after chatting away with our Facebook friends about their favorite vegetables, I knew I had to give it a go. To make sure I didn’t doom my family to a plate full of limp “baby cabbages”, I made them for myself for lunch first. All I can say is, “Yum!!!”

OVEN ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

Serves 4 family members as a side dish, or 1 person and her 2 dogs at lunchtime. (Yes, dogs LOVE brussels sprouts and they’re good for them too!)

Ingredients:

• 1, 10 ounce bag of baby brussels sprouts (I like Ocean Mist.)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 4-6 slices bacon, or how ever many you want – I won’t judge (bacon just makes everything better!)

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. You need a hot oven to get them crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside!

Step 2: Wash brussel sprouts and trim off the core (the hard, white bottoms). Cut any large heads in half through the core.  Reserve any leaves that fall off in the process – these cook up nice and crispy and you won’t want to waste them

Step 3: In a large bowl, toss brussel sprouts with olive oil. Season thoroughly with salt, pepper and paprika.

Step 4: Dump the brussel sprouts onto a large baking sheets covered in tinfoil. Try to keep the brussel sprouts from overcrowding and nestle bacon in between the brussel sprouts. (The bacon will get super crispy in the oven!)

Step 5: Roast the brussel sprouts in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. Carefully move the brussel sprouts around to prevent sticking and then roast for another 10-15 minutes. Brussel sprouts are done when golden in color and bacon is crisp.

Step 6: Serve immediately. No one likes cold brussel sprouts…except for my dogs.

Enjoy,

Denine

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