The mix of tangy, bitter, cruciferous, salty, and sweet in these Sweet Roasted Brussels Sprouts will make them your new go-to vegetable side dish.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking to yourself, “I HATE Brussels sprouts!” You’re thinking I’m silly to suggest you make some. You’re also probably thinking, “Stephanie, I know you’ve never steered me wrong with one of your recipes so far, but nope. Nope. Nope. Nope!” I know you’re thinking this because I used to have those same thoughts about Brussels sprouts. And then I tried these. And now I’m dreaming of eating more Brussels sprouts. (I seriously DID have a dream about these – I may need a foodie intervention.)
Quite a while ago, I went to an amazing vegetarian restaurant by my house and ordered some “chicken” and waffles. When the dish came to the table it was accompanied by a side of roasted Brussels sprouts mixed with kettle corn. I knew I didn’t really like Brussels sprouts, but I tried them because I knew I “should”. I was shocked that I not only found them tolerable, but really, really, enjoyed the mix of tangy, bitter, cruciferous, and sweet. The complex flavors all seemed to pop when put together. This is something the mushy kind of boiled sprouts I tried at friend’s houses growing up never accomplished. Since then, I’ve been back to that restaurant many a time hoping to find more of these beauties, but haven’t managed to find these on the menu again. That meant I had to recreate them myself.
I seriously loved the dish so much that I snapped this photo before I ate them all. You’ll notice that the sweet roasted Brussels sprouts above don’t have prosciutto, but I’m of the mind that any dish is made better by bacon, especially vegetable dishes. After much trial and error, I have finally figured out the special combo that makes these Brussels sprouts my new favorite go-to vegetable. (I fully expect them to show up at Thanksgiving.) The best kept Brussels sprout secret I learned while trying to create this dish is that they taste better if you cut the bottom ends off and peel off the outermost layer of leaves. Those parts are the most bitter, so removing them lets the sprouts really shine. I hope you are willing to risk trying this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do!
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Sweet Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Prosciutto and Kettle Corn
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50
Description
The mix of tangy, bitter, cruciferous, salty, and sweet in these Sweet Roasted Brussels Sprouts will be your new go-to vegetable side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 handful of kettle corn popcorn or caramel rice cakes, mashed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound prosciutto or pancetta, sliced and diced
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved with outer leaves removed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 Tbsp of juice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan.
- Add the prosciutto and cook until golden brown and crisp.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook until just golden.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove garlic and prosciutto from pan and place on the side.
- Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and toss to combine with residual oil.
- Place sprouts on an olive oil sprayed baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are cooked through and golden brown (25-30 minutes).
- Remove sprouts from oven and toss with the prosciutto and garlic.
- Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Add kettle corn and serve.
Notes
- Gluten-Free: These are gluten-free as long as you use GF kettle corn or rice cakes
- Vegetarian/Vegan: You can leave out the prosciutto and add in your favorite salty umami addition or swap in some vegan “bacon”
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
You had me at “Prosciutto”
I love brussels sprouts – I make an onion, bacon, garlic version on Thanksgiving – I’ll see about adding the kettle corn (might raise a few eyebrows)
Love that you think outside the box and included an ingredient that people might not associate with this dish!
Thanks Kylee! The lemon is really what blends it all together and finishes the dish, so if you try to merge it with your own recipe, be sure to keep that piece. And the kettle corn flavored rice cakes might raise fewer eyebrows than actual popcorn if you have skeptics. I have a whole package of prosciutto left (they came in a pair) and have to decide what to make with it now – more Brussels sprouts or something else fancy.
I still don’t want to try brussels Sprouts, but I do love mixing Kettle Corn with bacon.
Haha. Well, at least I tried! Bacon kettle corn may need to be my next recipe. I’ve already got pumpkin spice kettle corn, cinnamon kettle corn, brown sugar kettle corn, and regular kettle corn. I was thinking about a savory herb popcorn, but bacon is always amazing.
I’ve been looking for a way to try Brussels sprouts and make myself like them haha! kettle corn and bacon seems like the way to go! thanks for sharing
Haha. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that since I’m an adult, it’s okay if I don’t like everything, but I keep wanting to give things a fighting chance. My mom must have taught me well. This recipe definitely changed my mind about Brussels sprouts, but you’re right, kettle corn and bacon can make you love anything!
This seriously just blew my mind. Kettle corn + brussel sprouts?? And Bacon! This is genius. I will be sharing this recipe, and trying it of course. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Erin!! I know it sounds strange, but it’s pretty incredible. Let me know how you like it! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I just recently tried brussel sprouts for the first time, and i am in LOVE! I will be adding this to my recipes to try!
I think this is the first time I’ve decided I was in love with them, so you may make a few converts to team Brussels sprout with these as well! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
I actually love brussels sprouts. Hated them as a kid, but ever since I discovered roasting them, I’ve loved them ever since! Your recipe sounds good. I was a bit surprised I have to say when I saw the kettle corn, but I had a funky fried chicken and eggs and I can’t remember what else breakfast in vegas once and I will never say never again! I would love to try this! Pinning! And thanks for linking it up with us at Foodie Fridays! Hope to see you again tomorrow night!
I know it sounds strange, but I promise the flavor go so well together! Maybe it’s the roasting that I like too. Or maybe my taste buds have grow up a bit as I’ve gotten older. Either way, I was surprised to find myself liking Brussels sprouts. Thanks for hosting such a great party! I linked up again last night. 🙂
Ok. You’ve challenged me. I’ve roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and topped them with balsamic glaze. They were wonderful so now I’m off to buy ingredients for kettle corn to try your version.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
I hated brussels sprouts as a kid, but I’ve grown to like them! Usually I roast them in the oven, the crispy texture is sooo good. You are so creative when it comes to recipes. Who would have thought to add kettle corn to brussels sprouts? I want to try it!
I used to hate them too, but it turns out my mom was just boiling them to death instead of roasting them to the beautiful crispiness you actually want to eat. And thank you! I try really hard to take something average and put a fun twist on it to make it my own. (Though this idea was a copycat of a restaurant recipe I ate once upon a time.) It sounds so weird, but it’s so delicious!