Brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic is an ultimate side dish and full of flavor. I love how easy it is to make and prepare a one pan dinner or lunch. Classic warm side dish for Thanksgiving or Game Day.
Brussels sprout are actually low calorie, but not so tasty on their own. With the addition of bacon and balsamic, it will be much more appealing and delicious. Pretty more good with addition of cheese and nuts.
I love pan fried Brussels sprout with bacon, because this is truly a good dish to make in less than 15 minutes! These Brussels sprouts are perfect for lunch or dinner. By the way, this is a great easy recipe, if your oven is busy. We prefer to serve this as warm side dish or Brussel sprout salad. I think you will make this Brussel sprouts and bacon dish more than once!
Even if you’re fan of roasted Brussels sprouts, you’ll love this easy one pan dinner! Oven roasted sprouts actually will take about 25 minutes (preheating the oven not included in this time). On the other hand, these Brussels sprouts and bacon in a pan will be ready in only 6 minutes!
How to prep Brussels Sprouts
- Wash every Brussels sprout, rubbing with your fingers, leaving no dirt on them.
- Pat dry with a paper towel.
- To make these vegetables more tender, you can cut the stem off. But just a little bit, so the leaves won’t fall during the cooking process.
- Remove all the yellow or brown outer leaves. Removing outer leaves will make sprouts more tender.
- Cut sprouts in half.
By the way, choose smaller size Brussels sprouts, these are more tender and sweeter. Also try to cook them as soon as possible, as their bitter taste will become stronger after couple days in your pantry. No matter if you plan to make roasted Brussels sprouts or this easy recipe, better use it in couple days after buying.
The sauce for Brussels sprouts
To add more flavor to the dish, mix olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar together. The dressing also includes the fat from the bacon, so Brussels sprout will infuse all these sweet and savory and fatty flavors! Add sauce to the hot pan with bacon fat and cut sprouts in half. Cook small cabbages in this delicious sweet – sour sauce with honey and balsamic vinegar.
You can also bake bacon and Brussels sprout meal in the oven. For more sprouts recipes check our Frittata for breakfast.
Include more Brussels sprouts in your diet! I think Brussels sprouts are great addition to almost any meal, especially with bacon and cheese it makes the difference.
Benefits of Brussels sprouts
A cup of cooked Brussels sprouts has only 56 calories, 4 grams of fiber and the same amount of protein, and 12 grams of carbs. So as you can see, Brussels sprouts can be easily included in low-carb and low-calorie diet.
Moreover, Brussels Sprouts are very rich in vitamins K and C. A cup of cooked vegetables will bring you more than 150% of recommended daily intake of these vitamins!
According to National Library of Medicine, vitamin K is needed for your bone health and blood clotting. Vitamin C, as you already know is crucial for our immune system and also tissue repair and other processes.
Brussels sprout also have vitamin A, folate and manganese. What’s more, it is one of the best vegetables that includes Omega-3 fatty acids. A cup of Brussels sprouts provides 24 % of recommended daily intake for women and 17% for men.
By the way, a study found that that eating 2 cups of Brussels sprouts a day may decrease cancer risk.
Brussels sprouts peak season is from September to February, so enjoy them in baked, roasted or sauteed. Much better with honey balsamic glaze, bacon and cheese.
How to cook Brussels sprouts with bacon and cheese
As I already mentioned, the prep and cooking requires only 15 minutes! First cook the bacon for 2 minutes or to your preferences. It will release all the fat in few minutes, that will mix with sauce and bacon. Meanwhile mix honey, balsamic and olive oil.
Remove the bacon from the pan. Add mixed sauce in a pan with bacon fat. Place Brussels sprouts cut side down in the sauce. Cook 4 minutes, then flip on the other side and add bacon. Cook 2 minutes on the other side, stirring with bacon.
Don’t cook it more, as Brussels sprout can become gray, soft and develop too strong flavor.
By the way, if you like your bacon crispy, cook it further with Brussels sprouts. I like serving sprouts with crunchy nuts and soft cooked bacon. But cooking the bacon is up to your preferences!
At the end of the cooking add salt and pepper, cover sprouts and bacon with grated cheese. Cover the pan with a lid and remove from heat. Let the cheese melt and enjoy, served with peanuts or pecans. Also serve salt and pepper so everyone can add more, if they want! I recommend using Himalayan or Kosher salt.
By the way, you can make this dish with frozen Brussels sprouts, too. Cook them about 8 minutes.
You can leave Brussels sprouts in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you plan to leave some in the fridge, don’t add cheese. Reheat in a pan with olive oil for 1 or 2 minutes, add grated cheese, let it melt and serve. It is a great dish to serve with boiled or roasted chicken breast.
Interesting note. I always knew that these small vegetables have their name from the capital of Belgium. According to Food Timeline, it was the first written mention of Brussels sprouts cultivated near Brussels in 13th century. It was very popular in Europe in 16-17th centuries. However cabbage was native in Ancient Rome and Mediterranean cultures.
Hope you will prepare these bacon Brussels sprouts and enjoy your meal!
If you plan to make this recipe for Thanksgiving table, I suggest to add few tablespoons of pomegranate seeds on top. Pomegranate will make the dish look more festive and delicious. Fresh or dry cranberries will be good as well!
If you prefer roasting vegetables, check our Pumpkin stuffed with vegetables.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- large pan
- mixing bowl and spoon
- 250 g brussels sprouts
- 100 g bacon
- 10 g cheese grated
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 1½ tbsp olive oil for cooking
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- Cut the stems of Brussels sprouts and remove yellowish outer leaves. Cut every sprout in half lengthwise. Cut bacon in small stripes, about half inch or 1 cm.250 g brussels sprouts, 100 g bacon
- Cook bacon 2-3 min in a large pan, remove from pan.
- Mix balsamic, honey and olive oil. Add to the same pan, where you cooked bacon.2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp honey, 1½ tbsp olive oil
- Put sprouts cut side down in a pan. Cook 4 minutes, then flip on the the other side, add bacon and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add salt and pepper on top, stir, sprinkle cheese on top. Remove from heat and cover with the lid. Cheese will melt in few seconds.1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 10 g cheese
- Serve hot, with crushed peanuts on top.1/2 cup peanuts
