Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Blue Cheese

Roasted brussels sprouts tossed with crunchy bacon pieces, sweet dried cranberries and creamy blue cheese crumbles for a decadent side dish your family will be fighting over! Only 171 calories! (5 SP) 

Brussels sprouts are quickly becoming my favorite vegetable. (Not that the competition was all that stiff…but they are the only vegetable I actually find myself craving.) If you haven’t had roasted brussels sprouts before, I would highly recommend you try them ASAP!

We eat roasted brussels sprouts pretty routinely, but I decided I wanted to spice the party up a little bit with some new flavor guests. I was looking through Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings Cookbook and found a recipe for brussels with bacon, blue cheese, cranberries and walnuts. Because I love all of these things (except walnuts) I decided to try this dish out!When I first made these brussels, I was in the middle of my 12 week weight loss challenge, so I wanted to make the dish slightly healthier. I tweaked the original recipe just a bit, and it was still absolutely amazing, indulgent, and flavorful beyond belief. Tipsy Caitlin actually craved it for a late night snack! Vegetables. She craved vegetables, guys. Not tacos. Vegetables. This is clearly a serious dish.

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BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON AND BLUE CHEESE

171 calories per serving

5 SP

Have you ever noticed that bacon makes everything taste better? Of course you have. Have you ever noticed that blue cheese makes everything taste better? Of course you have. Unless you’re one of those freaks who don’t like blue cheese. (Which unfortunately is the a larger percentage of my social circle than I care to claim.) In this case I suppose you could leave the blue cheese out of this recipe or substitute it for a more inferior cheese, but to me blue cheese and bacon is an unstoppable duo. 

Additionally, if you want to save some extra calories, you can stop at just the brussels sprouts. They’re delicious enough on their own, the other ingredients just bump them up a notch (or five hundred).

Before we start, let’s dig into a little brussels sprouts lesson!

how do i choose brussels sprouts?

• You can buy brussels sprouts on the stalk or loose. And if you’ve never seen them on the stalk, I encourage you to Google that right now because it’s pretty nifty.
• Sprouts on the stalk will be richer in flavor and will last longer.
• Brussels sprouts are very similar to broccoli in that you’re looking for ones that are heavy for their size, a bright green color, and tightly packed. They should also feel hard when pressed.
• Smaller brussels sprouts will be sweeter and more tender, while the larger ones will taste more like cabbage

How do i store the sprouts until i’m ready to cook them?

• Store in a tightly sealed bag or bowl in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
• Try to store in the coldest part of your fridge, preferably in the back of the top shelf.
• If you bought them on the stalk, remove before storing (unless you have room to store a giant stalk! In which case you can store it in a container of water and break the sprouts off as needed.)
• Brussels are best if eaten within a few days, but will last for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

Tip: You can find more tips on seasonal produce selection and storage, plus tons of recipes from fellow food bloggers in my Monthly Seasonal Produce Guides! 

welp, i’m sold, so how do i make this recipe?

To start this recipe, you’ll need 1.5 lbs of brussels sprouts, with the ends cut off and sliced in half lengthwise. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with foil and drizzle them with 4 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar and 3 Tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of garlic powder and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Bake the brussels sprouts at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until they turn brown and are a little tender. Meanwhile, cook 4 slices of bacon and chop into small pieces. Allow the brussels to cool slightly (so they don’t turn the cheese into a melty mess), then add to a serving bowl and mix in your 4 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon, 1/4 C of blue cheese and 1/4 C dried cranberries. Serve immediately and try not to devour the entire batch in one sitting!

Enjoy! 🙂

Each serving is about 1/6 of the total batch (a good practice in self control!). Leftovers can simply be reheated in the microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and should be consumed within 3 days. 

 

If you liked this dish from Chrissy’s cookbook, you should check out these other recipes from Cravings:

• Dump and Done Ramen Salad
• Zucchini Lasagna Bolognese
• Cheesy Guacamole

Or if you’re looking for more brussels sprouts (you know you love them!!) here are a few more recipes:

• Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Dried Cranberries
• One Pan Harvest Chicken
• One Pan Healthy Chicken Dinner

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**Recipe adapted from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings Cookbook

What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? I look forward to reading your opinions! 🙂