Bacon Brussels Sprouts

The Bacon Brussels Sprouts make the BEST side dish recipe for the holidays. They're tossed with honey and brown sugar and are drizzled with balsamic glaze and crispy bacon!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

2 lbs. Brussels Sprouts washed/dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
6 strips thick-cut bacon
½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth. See notes
5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Balsamic glaze for serving.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Note: A cast iron skillet is ideal for this recipe
Cut the woody bottom off of the brussels sprouts (if not already trimmed), and peel/remove the loose outer layer. Cut them in half from top to bottom.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the brussels spouts and season lightly with salt/pepper. Sauté until the sides have started to brown, about 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat slightly/add a little more oil if needed. Remove and set aside. They’ll finish cooking in further steps.
Cut the bacon into thirds and arrange them on the bottom of the same skillet, overlapping slightly if needed. Cook over medium-low heat until crispy on each side. Remove and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Roughly chop once cooled. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of bacon drippings and set aside.
Add the wine and the smashed garlic cloves and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet, this will add more flavor to the dish. Reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the brussels spouts back along with the reserved bacon drippings. (Use butter if you don’t have enough drippings.) Cover and let them cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Add the honey and brown sugar and toss to coat. Sauté until desired doneness is obtained. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle with chopped bacon. Taste and season with salt/pepper as needed. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:

Maple Syrup can be added instead of honey/brown sugar as well!
Cook the bacon slowly over medium-low heat for even, crispy results. You also end up with plenty of drippings this way. I like to use thick cut bacon.
Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are my go-to dry white wines for this recipe. My next recommendation would be non-alcoholic white wine, which is widely available. While the wine does really elevate this, chicken broth can be used instead.
Drizzling Balsamic Glaze on top really adds nice flavor and flair, I use Filippo Berio Glaze.
Bacon Brussels Spouts pair well with other sides like Buttermilk Biscuits, Corn Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Sausage Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy, and more!
Oven Method: Check out my Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe if you prefer to use the oven.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/bacon-brussels-sprouts/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-60966":{"type":"food","name":"Bacon Brussels Sprouts","slug":"wprm-bacon-brussels-sprouts","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Bacon-Brussels-Spourts-f.jpg","rating":{"count":1,"total":5,"average":5,"type":{"comment":1,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"2","unit":"lbs.","name":"Brussels Sprouts","notes":"washed\/dried","converted":{"2":{"amount":"2","unit":"lbs.","unit_id":12955}},"unit_id":12955,"id":9940,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"lbs.","timestamp":1778512454000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"lbs.","unitParsed":"lbs."},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"2","unit":"lbs.","unitParsed":"lbs."}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"olive oil","notes":"","converted":{"2":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unit_id":12930}},"unit_id":12930,"id":3645,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1778512454000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"","unit":"","name":"Salt\/Pepper","notes":"to taste","converted":{"2":{"amount":"","unit":""}},"id":3681,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"","unit":"","timestamp":1778512454000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"6","unit":"","name":"strips thick-cut bacon","notes":"","converted":{"2":{"amount":"6","unit":""}},"id":12588,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"6","unit":"","timestamp":1778512454000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"6","unit":"","unitParsed":""},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"6","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"cup","name":"dry white wine","notes":"or chicken broth. 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