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Blackberry Bacon Brussels Sprouts Recipe

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I’ve been dipping my toe in the meat pond.

The combination of crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet blackberries and salty bacon make a unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors.

I wish I was talking about the Hubby, but a ten month old baby does dampen one’s ability to participate in monkey loving. Perhaps that’s why I’m now suddenly back into animal products. I need to get my meat fix one way or another.

My point is this recipe has bacon. 

I suppose I could have opened with that and saved you all an awkward mental image, but I’m a stream of conscious type writer, with the maturity level of an eight year old boy and almost no filter. I’m pretty sure it’s why my regular readers stick around.

Anyway, back to the beef, or pork if you want to get all technical about it.

The combination of crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet blackberries and salty bacon make a unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors.

In all honesty, I didn’t set out to make a recipe for my carnivorous friends. I just so happened to have leftover bacon in the fridge, courtesy of my mother-in-law who provided breakfast one day, a batch of blackberries because they were on sale and a bundle of Brussels sprouts that were on their last legs. If I was going to salvage them, I needed to make them stat.

When I told the Hubby we were having sprouts for dinner, he wasn’t too thrilled. In fact I’m pretty sure he groaned and even grumbled, which is out of character for him, so I tossed in the bacon to keep him happy. I snagged the idea to incorporate the berries from this recipe, which I’ve made a multitude of times. It combines my glorious green orbs with blueberries. Needless to say, and yet I’ll say it anyway, the pairing is on point.

The combination of crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet blackberries and salty bacon make a unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors.

Now that you know the back story, let’s talk about the actual recipe. It’s easy, a signature of mine, and utilizes only a handful of simple ingredients. My humble sprouts, when roasted, turn into baby cabbages of delight. Coupled with the tart sweetness of the blackberries and the salty crispness of the bacon, it’s a unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors. 

The bottom line is this recipe is almost as good as sexy shenanigans…from what I can remember that is.

The combination of crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet blackberries and salty bacon make a unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors.

Blackberry Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4
The combination of crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet blackberries and salty bacon make an unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 3/4 lb. of Brussels Sprouts, approximately 3 1/2 to 4 cups, quartered
  2. 1/2 cup Blackberries, divided
  3. 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  4. 1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
  5. A pinch of Salt and Pepper, approximately 1/8 tsp. of each.
  6. 2 pieces of cooked Bacon, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place Brussels sprouts and 1/4 cup of blackberries into a metal baking dish. Toss with EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper making sure to coat everything.
  3. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, stirring once at the 15 minute mark. The sprouts will be slightly crispy and starting to brown when done.
  4. Remove the oven, add the remaining blackberries and the cooked bacon. Serve warm.
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The combination of crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet blackberries and salty bacon make a unique, yet perfect pairing of flavors.

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What’s your take on Brussels sprouts? Love them or hate them?

Comments

  1. You had be a bacon.
    And monkey loving.

    This looks divine….. I have never thought to combine blackberries with bacon/sprouts but I can’t imagine that not tasting good. Then again you could probably add bacon to just about anything…. and it was taste decent.

    The babe is already TEN MONTHS>! WHAT.

    Reply

  3. Have you been a vegetarian for a long time? I’m sure you’ve had a post or maybe many in the past that I missed 🙁 I guess you and everyone else will probably hate me for saying this but I feel so sad that you’re eating bacon. Pigs are treated with absolute torture and live lives of total misery. They’re so smart and emotional! I’ve been on the veggie spectrum (I don’t like the strict labels – if everyone just ate less meat vs no meat than animals wouldn’t be tortured in factory farms) and sometimes I’ve gone back to meat, but I always end up feeling so sad thinking that an animal was squealing in pain so I can have five minutes of pleasure eating a pulled pork sandwich. I’ve tried eating local stuff, but a lot of times I just don’t believe that the animals are actually treated well. It’s too hard for me to justify giving my cats lives of luxury and then turning around and saying to perhaps an even smarter animal, sorry buddy, you’re going to be tortured from birth.

    Reply

    • I could never hate you and I appreciate your honesty. We all have differences of opinions and that’s ok.

      I understand how you feel about it. It’s a hard pill to swallow, especially for animal lovers. I also abhor factory farming and all it represents, and I try to only buy meat that was raised ethically. That being said, I don’t eat much meat and I never really have. I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve eaten meat in the last seven years…until lately that is. I’ve been craving it for some reason (maybe it’s the nursing and crazy mommy hormones) and I don’t like to deny cravings, so I’ve been indulging in small quantities, although meat will never be a large portion of my diet. It’s just not my thing. Thanks for being so open and honest. I appreciate it.

      Reply

  4. Whoooooa now. This I have never seen before. But that sweet and salty thing gets me every time. I want to make this for Dan for our next brunch date.
    Thank you for including the cup measurements for the sprouts (my fave little green dudes, btw). I don’t use a scale but these kinds of recipes always just have the weight measurements so then I have to guess. Bless you.
    Cora recently posted…Is It Dangerous To Dream? (Thinking Out Loud)My Profile

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  5. You’re not gonna believe me but I’ve always loved sprouts. My mom used to microwave them in in those little frozen packages filled with butter. And then when I grew all up myself, I went out and bought the fresh ones, baptized them in olive oil and sea salt and roasted them, and I’d eat the whole pan and then spend the rest of the day on the toilet. Totally worth it though. Andrew cooks his with bacon! I’ll show him this post though. He’d love the blackberries and balsamic elements. He’s all artsy with his food too.
    Suzy recently posted…The Adventure of HappinessMy Profile

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  7. I’m not a bacon fan, never have been, BUT this recipe is gorgeous. The combo of unique flavors is something I imagine to be a harmonious tantalizing dance on the tongue. Sweet, savory, and crunchy cruciferous goodness!
    Brittany recently posted…Green Wedding CatsMy Profile

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  8. You don’t need to sell sprouts to me, I adore them! I eat them at least twice a week and would eat more if I could. I usually add a drizzle of balsamic when I am roasting broccoli but I have never added it to my sprouts, next time for sure.
    Gotta love a pimped up sprout – and if anyone is going to do an amazing job of pimping up a veggie it’s you!
    Jen @ Chase the Red Grape recently posted…5 simple tips on making life easier #5TTTMy Profile

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  9. Lord have mercy I’ll salivating over here!! Keep talking like that and I’ll be hot and bothered LOL. Yup this is the most exciting thing I’ve read in a while. New mommy life le sigh lol. Seriously though I’m all over this school thanks doll. Love it! I already love my tiny cabbages but this just seems like another level of worship. Yay.
    Danielle recently posted…WIR sleep less play moreMy Profile

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  12. Brussels sprouts are one of my favourite vegetables. I may or may not be overly protective of the sprouts bowl on the Christmas dinner table every year …
    There you are riding the bacon train again; ) – I still remember you telling me that if you ever dipped your toes back into the meat pond it would be for bacon. You do you and while I don’t see myself ever eating meat again it’s great you’re listening to your cravings. As you’ll know bacon isn’t my thing but I like the addition of berries and balsamic all the more.
    Miss Polkadot recently posted…Reflections + recent happeningsMy Profile

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  14. I would have those sprouts any day, for any meal! They look scrumptious! My brain won’t even let me imagine how delightful they must be!

    If I wade back into carnivorous territory it’s gonna be for the bacon. I feel if my body suddenly begins s c r e a m i n g at me for anything, really, then it’s got a pretty good reason for it. I don’t ask a lot of questions, feel guilty, analyze, or god forbid let its beginnings (or worse, end) enter my mind. I just feed myself what my body is calling out for and enjoy it in that moment.

    It doesn’t happen often at all, and even at 5, I just didn’t love animal protein. The other oddities I have a rare craving for are canned salmon and tuna, so I purchase line caught, skipjack, for tuna, lowest in mercury, and probably once or twice a year I crave like crazy my dads meat loaf. Now he is long gone, rest his soul, but I Usually order it out so I don’t have to handle the raw stuff. This from a girl who watched every manor of wild game processed in complete fascination as kid.

    Reply

    • This says it all so well: “I don’t ask a lot of questions, feel guilty, analyze, or god forbid let its beginnings (or worse, end) enter my mind. I just feed myself what my body is calling out for and enjoy it in that moment.”

      I’m the same way and I like to honor my cravings. As a child I didn’t eat much meat either, although bacon was always my exception.
      Meghan recently posted…Week in Review: The Short and Sweet Edition (#70)My Profile

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  15. Haha my John grumbles and complains whenever I serve brussels sprouts as well. I should really start serving them with bacon to see if that makes them more appealing to him! I’m not a big fan of just eating bacon on its own with breakfast, but I love it added into dishes as an accent, like this one! Or in the chicken caesar wrap I had at a cafe yesterday – man I forgot how much I love those!
    Chelsea A recently posted…Separating Self Worth From Food ChoicesMy Profile

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  17. YUM!! Brussel sprouts have become one of my weekly veggies and I have to stop myself from licking the pan clean each time…(because burns on the tongue are no fun) 😉 I skipped over your blueberry recipe because they aren’t my thing but I never thought to simply change it up by adding a different berry.

    Also, how is Ave 10 month already?! That seems like crazy talk to me.

    Reply

  18. did you see my blackberry nachos recipe? it’s like we were meant to be foodie lovers. Bacon.. bring home the bacon baby! Gonna try this next. And my husband LOVEs brussels. I’m lucky

    Reply

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