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Brussel Leaves and Bacon

It may be a bit more work to disassemble all the brussel sprout leaves, but I enjoy how light it seems when you eat it and less bitter. Of course, the crisp bacon topping just adds to all the flavor. This is great on its own for a light lunch or as a side dish for dinner or Thanksgiving dinner.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb brussel sprouts broken down into individual leaves
  • 2 shallot sliced thin
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 slices bacon, thick cut cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt to taste
  • fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Using a paring knife, remove the core from each brussel sprouts. Carefully, separate all the leaves leaving the middle to either toss or slice thinly.
  • In a pan cook the bacon to your desired doneness. I prefer the bacon crispy since it's being used as a topping. Remove bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Drain bacon grease
  • In the same pan, add oil and saute shallots until almost soft. Add minced garlic being careful not to over overcook the garlic.
  • Add the brussel sprout leaves and saute until bright green and still holding its shape. Try not to overcook. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
  • Serve topped with bacon.

Notes

Many have asked if you can cook everything in the leftover bacon fat.  Yes, you can, but I found it just overpowered the flavor and all I could taste was bacon.  I drain the fat and cook it in the same pan, so the shallots and garlic pick up the bacon pieces left in the pan.
Additional toppings: Toasted bread crumbs, finely grated parmesan, toasted walnuts.
Keyword bacon, brussel sprouts, easy recipe, holiday recipe, side dish, Thanksgiving recipe