Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, French, Italian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Bacon cooking (ahead of time): 8

Total Time: 43

Servings:

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts are loaded with incredible flavor and texture. Slightly sweet and slightly savory with a nice crunch from the toasted pecans. All the components can be made up to 1 day in advance. Best served soon after roasting.

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Equipment

Baking sheet

Ingredients

½ cup pecans roughly chopped
4 strips bacon thick slice
2 lb Brussels sprouts trimmed, ends snipped, and cut in half, lengthwise
1 fuji apple peeled, cored and thinly sliced
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a baking sheet with foil and place the pecans on the pan. Toast for about 4 to 5 minutes, turning the pan once. Keep an eye on them, don't let them burn! Set aside.
½ cup pecans
On the same baking sheet (with pecans removed), add the strips of bacon and place in the oven, and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Use tongs to transfer cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. If desired, transfer the rendered bacon grease to a small bowl and set aside.
4 strips bacon
Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
Place the trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts and sliced apples in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon reserved bacon grease. (Or 2 tablespoon olive oil, if not using bacon grease). Gently mix with the salt and pepper.
2 lb Brussels sprouts, 1 fuji apple, ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Remove the foil from the pan and spread the Brussels sprouts and apples onto it.
Bake for 20 minutes, re-distributing the sprouts and apple on the pan halfway through the roasting.
Remove from the oven and return to the large bowl. Slowly add the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and half of the crumbled bacon and half of the toasted pecans. Gently mix until well-coated.
3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining bacon and pecans. Serve at once.

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.

Toasting the pecans, cooking and crumbling the bacon, and prepping the sprouts and apples can all be done up to 1 day in advance. Toss the sliced apples with a tbsp. of lemon juice to prevent them from oxidizing (turning brown).

Frozen sprouts can be used in place of fresh, but we strongly recommend going with fresh, if possible.

If you prefer the sprouts with a darker char, leave them in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

This dish is best served warm soon after baking.

For a complete vegetarian version, omit the bacon and increase the olive oil to 2 tablespoon (for tossing the apples and sprouts with).

Taste before serving. We like to sprinkle coarse sea salt over the prepared dish, but that's a matter of taste.

Leftovers will keep for several days in the refrigerator. This dish doesn't freeze very well. But, usually, there are very few leftovers to figure out what to do with!

Nutrition