Brussels sprouts are having a moment. Almost any good restaurant has them on the menu, often offered as an appetizer. I’ve always turned up my nose to Brussels sprouts because the first time I tried them as a child they were awful. My mother boiled them just the way she boiled corn and peas. Bless her heart for trying to get those veggies into us, but they were truly horrid, soft, mushy and bitter. No amount of butter could make them taste good, and butter can make even your sneakers taste good.
I recently gave them another try at one of my favorite restaurants and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious they were. I knew I had to try making them at home, but not the bitter, mushy version from my childhood. Plus it had to be an easy recipe or I knew I would never make them after the first time.
I know me, I want amazing 5 star foods but I don’t always want to spend hours and hours in the kitchen preparing great tasting food. So I am always on the hunt for easy recipes that produce outstanding results. This recipe checks all those boxes.
Begin by frying up the bacon. You know this recipe is going to be good when the first step is to cook up some bacon! If you are unsure of the best method to use check out my post on all the various ways you can cook up bacon here. It’s part of my Cooking 101 series that will provide you with the basics to cooking up bacon just the way you love it best.
While the bacon is cooking, it’s time to prepare the Brussels sprouts.
Trim ends and remove any tough outer leaves.
TIP: Leave just a tiny bit of the core so that the leaves of the Brussels stay intact. If you cut off the entire core all the leaves will separate and fall off.
Try to cut them into equal sized pieces, either halves or quarters.
In a large plastic ziplock bag combine Brussels sprouts with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Folding down the top of the bag makes it easier to add all the ingredients.
Seal bag and mix everything together. Use your hands to gently massage the bag until the Brussels sprouts are evenly coated with the with oil, lemon juice and spices. Refrigerate 3 hours or as long as overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread Brussels sprouts onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast Brussels sprouts for 15-20 minutes in a 4oo degree oven. Turn them over 1/2 way through roasting to ensure they cook evenly.
Be careful to not over cook them! You want them to still be a bit crisp, to have a little bite to them, not mushy.
To serve, toss roasted Brussels sprouts with the cooked bacon.
Top with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese to step it up another notch.
The tangy lemon marinated Brussels sprouts coupled with the crunchy, smoky saltiness of the bacon is a flavor explosion in your mouth! These were delicious!
These Brussels paired beautifully as a side with Steak Bites, Wild Rice & Sautéed Mushrooms. Click here for the recipe. While I had the rice going and I was cooking up the mushrooms and steak bites on the stove top, the Brussels were roasting away in the oven. It was easy to get everything on the table nice and hot, all at the same time.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 1 lb brussels sprouts cut in half or quartered
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 4 strips bacon cut into 1 inch pieces, cooked crisp, drained on a paper towel
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese grated or shredded
Instructions
- In a gallon size ziplock plastic bag combine the first seven ingredients.
- Seal the bag squeezing out as much excess air as possible. Toss everything around until Brussels are well coated.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- When ready to roast, preheat oven to 400, place Brussels on baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- With a spatula, turn over half way through cooking time to ensure they cook evenly.
- Remove from oven and toss with cooked bacon and top with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese to serve.
- Serve with garlic Aioli if desired.
I encourage you to give these a try. You are going to love them! The fresh lemon juice gives them a lovely tangy fresh burst of flavor. And the bacon…well nothing needs to be said about bacon! I mean what’s not to love about bacon…right?
I promise you that these are NOT the bitter, mushy, unappetizing Brussels from your childhood.
These were fantastic! Best Brussels sprouts I ever had!
This looks absolutely delicious and I will try it the next time I make Brussels spouts as a side dish. Thank you for sharing!