Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts make the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. These Brussels sprouts contain the most delicious balance of sweet, savory and smokey flavors. This recipe is super simple but will be sure to please your guests or even elevate a simple weeknight dinner! Paleo, gluten free. So last year for Thanksgiving, Nick and I drove to Pensacola to spend the holiday with my sister and brother in law. It was our first time doing it without the "adults" cooking all the food...which made me realize that we are the ones becoming the adults now!
As the reigning foodie/cook of the family, I was in charge (or rather I put myself in charge...#controlfreak) of all the food. With my sister as my sous chef, we roasted a turkey and made giblet gravy, pimento mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, bacon deviled eggs, peanut butter cup pie and today's recipe for maple bacon Brussels sprouts.
And you know what our favorite dish out of all those was? The maple bacon Brussels sprouts!
That was also such a wonderful trip because my sister and I got our sister tattoos. These Sanskrit tattoos stand for "Life is Beautiful" which is our mantra :)
I still have a lot to learn from my family about cooking an epic Thanksgiving meal, but I do know these maple bacon Brussels sprouts will always be a part of the menu!
Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
2 cups of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2-3 slices of bacon
3 T pure maple syrup
Sea salt to taste
Instructions
Start by trimming the Brussels sprouts and cutting in half, set aside.
Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. While the skillet is heating up, place the bacon on the skillet (I find the bacon gets more crispy when you start them in a cold skillet and allow them to cook as the skillet heats up).
Once the bacon is thoroughly cooked and crispy, take off the skillet and place to the side to cool down.
Add the Brussels sprouts to the iron skillet and cook them in the bacon fat for 8-10 minutes. While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, dice the bacon.
Once the Brussels sprouts are cooked and are slightly browned, add the maple syrup and add the bacon back into the skillet. Stir to combine. Add salt to taste and serve!
