These Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta aren’t your mom’s Brussels sprouts!
I’ve always had a natural curiosity when it comes to the kitchen. Whenever I see a new type of food, I often look at it and think, “Hmmm…I wonder if I can make that at home?” Sometimes it works. Sometimes it takes several attempts before I’m satisfied. And sometimes, a food is so decadent that I’m perfectly happy enjoying it and not even attempting to recreate it. (That happened more than once when we were sampling lots and lots of chocolate truffles in Belgium.)
This same natural curiosity extends into the garden for me. I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions how we grow all sorts of fruits and veggies in our backyard. When we bought our house here in upstate New York several years ago, I spent that first summer clearing the back corner of the yard and building several raised beds for our garden. (I used the planks from the old back porch that we took out to build the beds…it was a fun project!) The next spring, we planted all sorts of veggies. I researched the types of plants that grow well in upstate New York, and I pretty much planted all of them. That first year’s garden was a bit of a jungle. Let’s just say I learned my lesson about overplanting.
One of the many veggies we grew in the garden that year was Brussels sprouts. That same curiosity from the kitchen carried into the garden. I told my wife, “Hey, Brussels sprouts apparently grow well up here. Wanna plant some?” She was game, so we popped those sprouts into the garden and watched them grow. Truthfully, we had to Google what Brussels sprouts plants looked like…that’s how clueless I was about them. Sure enough, by the end of the season, we had a big plant full of sprouts. And we grew ‘em. How cool is that??
It turned out that Brussels sprouts take up a lot of garden space and overshadow other nearby plants. We decided that the amount of realty is too much for how many sprouts you get off of each plant, but it was still a fun experiment! Now we just pick up sprouts in the grocery store whenever we need them for a recipe. One of my favorite ways to eat Brussels is actually just simply roasting them up in a cast iron skillet. It’s a quick and tasty side dish that can easily be made on a weeknight.
These Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta aren’t your mom’s Brussels sprouts. “You can’t get up from the table until you eat your Brussels.” Nope, you won’t hear that around this roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. Instead, you’ll be asking if there are any more in the skillet. These sprouts are golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside, and they partner well with the crispy, flavorful pancetta. If you want to mix it up a bit, consider adding shaved Parmesan or a couple small spoonfuls of goat cheese (trust!) to the Brussels before serving. Both variations work, and both add a new twist on this classic side dish. Enjoy!
The recipe for these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta was also published on Food Fanatic. Click over to check it out!
I made Roasted Brussel Sprouts yesterday, posting later this week. Great minds think alike!! I love it when our greedy curiosity takes the lead, beautiful, tasty creations like this are born! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your Holiday!!
Haha…tell me about it, Tonya! Brussels are now one of my favorite side dishes…who would ever have thought?? I can’t wait to see your version later this week. Happy (early) Thanksgiving! 🙂
Brussels Sprouts plants are some of the weirdest looking ones – at least IMO – but, gosh do I love BS – especially when they are mixed with pancetta! And I had no clue they overtook the yard – I’ve never grown them myself – guess I better Google how well they’d do here in the south!
I totally agree, Shashi! Brussels sprouts plants are so odd…Google them to see what they look like! Oh, and I’m sure they would probably grow well down there. Everything grows well in the humid south! But just yourself plenty of space for the plants…they’re much larger than you might have though! 🙂
I love roasted Brussels too! I tried to grow some in my garden and sadly it didn’t go so well. That’s so cool that you repurposed your old porch wood to make some raised beds! How very green of you! Anyway, these roasted Brussels with pancetta are perfect for a weeknight and also elegant enough for a holiday!
Haha! I guess it is indeed green for me to repurpose that old porch. At the time, it was more like “I need wood for raised beds. There is a whole pile of wood there. Score!” Yeah, we only grew Brussels that one time…they took up way too much garden space for the yield. I guess if we had acres and acres of land for growing, then maybe…but I’ll stick to other plants for now. Either way, Brussels are delicious! Happy (early) Thanksgiving, Rachelle!
Beautiful pictures David! I love Brussels sprouts!! and this is a favorite for me!! wish I had them here for lunch!
Thank you so much, Gaila! I didn’t love Brussels as a kid (I mean, what kid does love Brussels?), but now I can’t get enough of ’em. I’m seriously tempted to grab some more sprouts and make these again today! 🙂
You are speaking my language with these roasted brussels sprouts! Now I want some!
Thank you so much, Kristen! I’m happy to share…well, I would have been happy to share except I ate all of these bad boys already. So I tell you what. I’ll just make another batch, and then I’ll be happy to share those with you. Deal? 🙂
I’ve just recently starting eating Brussels sprouts so this recipe will have to go into my recipe box for future use. Yum, yum, yum!
Definitely put this recipe into your recipe box, Tamara…it’s a really darned good one! No more boring Brussels like Grandma used to serve. These bad boys get all nice and caramelized in the cast iron skillet, and they’re like candy! Well, not candy…but they’re still delicious! 🙂
You’re so right, David – sometimes you don’t need to recreate any food but just enjoy it. That’s why I’m going to send you a list of food from your blog I’d love to try:) This sprouts are the perfection, and I’m mot buttering you up cause I know how the perfect sprouts should look!
Haha…thanks, Ben! These sprouts did indeed turn out well, and I’d be happy to share them with you if I hadn’t already eaten them all. 🙂
Hi David! Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables, especially roasted! Add pork and it’s a win/win! Some of my best recipes are ones I’ve recreated from restaurant dishes! 🙂
I’m with ya there, Dorothy! We get so much inspiration from restaurant menus. In fact, I actually find it fun trying to recreate (or even improve upon) restaurant menu items here at home. Yay for delicious Brussels! 🙂
I totally agree, sometimes the dish is so good that I don’t even want to attempt to make it at home. How cool you grow your own brussels sprouts! Roasting is the WAY to eat them!
Roasted brussels are absolutely my new favorite side dish! I swear I could eat these bad boys every.single.night and not get tired of them! Thanks, Manali!
Never was a big fan of the Brussels sprouts until a few years ago. LOVE them roasted and you know me , if there’s bacon or pancetta I am all over it. Great combo! When I first saw them on a long stalk at a Farmer’s Market I was quite surprised. Too bad my dogs would eat the plant prior to me getting the goods though!
Hah…it sounds like your dogs know a good thing when they see it, Kevin! Or maybe they just think Brussels are a chew toy. 🙂 Either way, I’m like you. I didn’t like Brussels until a couple years ago, but now they are one of my favorite side dishes!