Brussel Sprouts – Bacon/Cranberry/Pecan

Ingredients

  • 12 oz brussel sprouts trimmed – yellow leaves removed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Roast brussel sprouts
  • preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • slice Brussel sprouts in half
  • mix sprouts plus salt and olive oil in a bowl
  • put sprouts on tray, cut side down
  • roast in 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turn over in the middle
  • Bacon in oven
  • baking sheet with foil
  • one layer slices
  • bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes
  • drain bacon grease off to side
  • Pecans
  • parchment paper on baking pan
  • toast pecans for about 5 min at 350
  • Cranberries
  • put cranberries in a bowl
  • pour boiling water
  • stand about 10 minutes
  • drain
  • Assembly
  • toss everything in a big bowl
  • optional – add some more olive oil

Notes

If you would like to ADD SAUCE TO CREATE MORE FLAVOR, here are some easy options:

  1. Drizzle with a balsamic glaze. Make the balsamic glaze by cooking down the balsamic vinegar together with a small amount of honey or brown sugar until the mixture reduces by about half. For example, combine 1 cup of balsamic vinegar + ¼ cup of honey or brown sugar and cook it down. Consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but should not be overly thick.
  2. Drizzle with a very high-quality aged balsamic vinegar made in Italy. Aged balsamic vinegar is often sold in specialized stores or sections of foreign foods at some grocery stores. High-quality Italian-made aged balsamic vinegar is usually expensive but it does not need cooking down. Just use it as is. And, you don’t need to use much.
  3. Or, use your favorite balsamic vinaigrette-based salad dressing.
  4. You can use white balsamic vinegar to brighten this dish!