Easy and Delicious Creamed Brussels Sprouts With Bacon

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Last Updated on December 16, 2023

I had avoided Brussels sprouts until I went Paleo because my first memory of the vegetable was quite unpleasant. I actually gagged when I tried it the first time. Two years ago, however, I went with Mr. Bejelly to one of our favorite seafood restaurants and the side dish was Brussels sprouts with bacon. I didn’t realize it when I took the first bite, but oh man, they were good!

Bowl of creamed Brussels sprouts with bacon

I decided I needed to have them again, and came up with this delicious recipe after experimenting a bit. It’s super simple and now that Brussels sprouts are in season we have this once-a-week with butternut squash with apples.

Ingredients to make creamed Brussel sprouts with bacon

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon Sea salt
  • 2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Black pepper to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Brussels Sprouts With Bacon

To make a delicious meal of Brussels sprouts with bacon, you need to follow the following steps:

Brussels sprouts cooking in a pot of water

1. Put a pot of water to boil on the stove, and add the sprouts for a cooking time of ten minutes.

2. Rinse your raw bacon strips with cold water. This is to keep it from shrinking when you cook it.

3. Rub a mix of black pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice, and pure maple syrup onto the bacon.

4. Place your spiced bacon on a prepared baking sheet, and put it in a hot oven for about fifteen minutes on medium-high heat.

Cut Brussels sprouts browning in a cast iron skillet

5. Cut the sprouts in half and roast them flat down on a large skillet pan glazed with ghee for eight minutes until browned on one side.

6. Take out the bacon when they are nice, crispy, and golden brown, then place them on paper towels or parchment paper to cool.

7. Pour some whipped cream into a large bowl, add sea salt, and whisk until well blended.

Skilled filled with Brussels sprouts and heavy whipping cream

8. Pour the whipped cream and salt mixture over your Brussels sprouts and make sure it is cooked for about a minute to reduce the cream.

9. Slice up your crispy cooked bacon.

10. Add the bacon to your Brussels sprouts. The diced bacon finishes the meal as a topper.

11. Serve immediately.

Tips to Better Your Cooking Process

Here are a few tips to help make your meal taste even better, make your cooking process easier, or cater to your specific tastes:

Taste and Texture

  • Pre-cooking the Brussels sprouts will soften them and make them tender, but it might also make them lose their vibrant green color. At the end of the day they might turn out a bit gray in color, but this is not bad.
  • Your sprouts should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
  • You can make your bacon even better with balsamic glaze. You can use store-bought balsamic glaze or make it at home with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Balsamic vinegar cooks to a honey-like consistency when heated, making it a perfect glaze. When brown sugar is added to balsamic vinegar, it introduces some sweetness.
  • You can add maple syrup to your Brussels sprouts to caramelize them and make maple bacon brussels sprouts.
  • You can make crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon grease. The bacon grease will give them so much flavor.

Making Cooking Easier

  • Even if you are using a rimmed baking sheet, using a prepared baking sheet will keep the bacon from sticking to the pan. You can also use parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  • If you are making one pan of bacon, then putting it on the middle rack in the oven will help it cook evenly.
  • Smaller sprouts can be halved, but extra large ones should be quartered.
  • Your bacon should ideally be crispy so make sure to keep an eye on it while it’s in the oven. Take note of the time when it finally turns crispy so that when you want to make crispy bacon in the future, you know exactly how long it takes.
  • If you cook with a preheated oven, it saves you time in the kitchen.
  • You can store your leftovers in an airtight container, and they will last in the refrigerator for up to three days.
  • The secret to making your roasted Brussels sprouts crunchy is to ensure that they are dried of excess moisture before you try to cook them and make sure that you don’t overcrowd the pan when you put them in to roast. They need space for each one to become crunchy on each side.

Catering to Your Specific Tastes

  • If you don’t want to use ghee because of the saturated fat content, you can toss your sprouts in olive oil. Olive oil is much less fatty than butter, mayo, dairy fat, and margarine. Research suggests that using olive oil lowers the risk of heart failure and cardiovascular disease. So if you want a healthier option, use olive oil.
  • You can also use garlic butter instead of ghee if you want a more spicy taste.
  • Salt and pepper are the most basic of spices necessary for this dish. If you don’t do well with spices you can cut out the garlic. A single layer of melted garlic butter can also be used as a glaze for bacon.

The Health Benefits of Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are a very healthy side dish. Research has shown that a compound in Brussels sprouts has the ability to prevent cancer and stop new blood vessels from growing in tumors. They can also help you stave off high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol, in addition to being good for your eyes.

Nutritional Information

One cup of Brussels sprouts contains:

  • Calories: 56
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 11 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin K
  • Folate
  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Potassium

Health Risks

Although Brussels sprouts are great for the body and have great benefits, not everyone can eat them just like that.

If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), then you need to speak to a doctor before you try out Brussels sprouts because they might not be for you. Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable and have a carbohydrate component that your body will struggle to break down and can cause gas, constipation, belly pain, or diarrhea.

It is also advisable to contact your doctor first if you take blood thinners. Brussels sprouts like many in the cruciferous family are high in vitamin K, which could make your blood thinners stop working properly if you consume it too much.

Skillet filled with creamed Brussels sprouts with bacon

The Difference Between Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Boiled Brussels Sprouts

Different dish recipes call for Brussels sprouts to be either roasted or boiled, and the results vary depending on the way you choose to cook them.

In comparison to boiled Brussels sprouts, roasted Brussels sprouts:

  • are easier to make than boiled brussels sprouts.
  • taste better than boiled brussels sprouts.
  • have a better texture because they don’t become mushy.
  • smell better and not like sulfur.
  • are delicious with just salt and pepper, while plain boiled sprouts need a lot more seasoning.

The Best Way to Serve Brussels Sprouts

  • Roasted Brussels sprouts are the best side dish to go with a meaty meal like garlic butter fried chicken, and taste fantastic with pasta as well.
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts will also make a great addition to your spread during Christmas or Thanksgiving with the whole family.
  • You don’t need to cook Brussels sprouts to incorporate them into a meal. You can add Brussels sprouts shavings to soups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to questions you might have about brussels sprouts.

Why Are They Called Brussels Sprouts?

The leafy cabbage-like vegetable was named after the city where it is believed to have originated in the 13th century, Brussels, Belgium.

What Do Brussels Sprouts Taste Like?

When cooked properly, Brussels sprouts have a nutty flavor with hints of sweetness and only a little bitterness. If overcooked, the bitterness takes the forefront, however, and can be gag-inducing. The taste can be enhanced with sweeteners such as maple syrup during or after the roasting process.

How to Get Rid of the Bitterness of Brussels Sprouts

To get rid of the bitterness, you can either salt the sprouts before cooking or roast them. Cooking retains bitterness in the vegetable while roasting masks it.

What Sort of Bacon Can Be Used for This Recipe?

While the recipe above calls for pork bacon, you can use turkey and even beef bacon instead.

Bowl filled with creamed brussels sprouts with bacon
Yield: 4

Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

There's nothing better than creamy, delicious Brussels sprouts smothered in savory bacon. It's the perfect side dish for any meal, especially during the holidays.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb . Brussels Sprouts
  • 1/2 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 Tablespoon ghee
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 2 slices of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled.

Instructions

  1. First pre-boil the Brussels sprouts for 10 minutes to soften them.
  2. I then cut them in in half and place them flat down in a skillet with the ghee and cook until nice and browned one side, roughly 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Pour the whipping cream in to a bowl and whisk in the sea salt.
  4. Pour over the sprouts. Cook for 1 minute to reduce the cream.
  5. Top with crumbled turkey bacon.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 230Saturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 693mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

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Conclusion

As adults, we learn to stop avoiding greens for the sake of our health, and as such, simply bear the bitterness. However, who said vegetables have to taste bad? With this recipe for creamy Brussels sprouts with bacon, you don’t have to wince and gag through your meals anymore. Try out my recipe and begin to enjoy Brussels sprouts from today!

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