There are certain things that we all take for granted. We easily forget how blessed we are to have caring people in our lives, to have good food on our plates, and to have opportunities in our future. Little things like a simple conversation with a friend or an embrace with a loved one may seem to always be there. We go through our day to day motions of buying overpriced cappuccinos and putting gas in our cars without a thought. We hardly ever think about how privileged we truly are.
There are days when we even take ourselves for granted. We forget what we love to do, those passions we all have, and get lost in the big world for a moment or two. Often, we put our dreams aside because we’re afraid to fail. We forget to say I love you to those who matter. And sometimes, we just forget to be ourselves. Our pursuit of happiness gets buried somewhere.
And so before we talk about super amazing things with bacon and maple syrup, I thought I’d write you a little inspirational post about how awesome you truly are. Because I think sometimes we all need a little reminder about the things we should never forget.
Never forget you’re beautiful and unique. You aren’t like anyone else on the planet, so don’t even try to be normal. Always, always be yourself. Embrace your quirks and weirdness. Be who you are and then you will find what you want.
Never forget to believe in yourself and those around you. This is life. We’re all just getting along on our journey; figuring it out and taking those uphill battles one day at a time. In some way, we’re all struggling, so offer compassion to those around you. Be encouraging to both yourself and others. Projecting kindness never feels bad.
Never forget to follow your dreams. Don’t be afraid of failure, because it leads to success. Having a passion is daring, but it makes you inspiring and remarkable. Remember that part of life is pursuing happiness. Forget what others think or say, go after what’s in your heart. Life is short and moments are always passing.
Never settle. On love or in life. You deserve something amazing because you are amazing.
Okay, and you should probably never forget to eat your brussels sprouts either. With maple, bacon, and toasted hazelnuts. Hehe.
I know, I know… eating brussels sprouts isn’t apart of the whole being awesome ordeal, but they do happen to be the best brussels sprouts I’ve ever made. Seriously you guys… soooo good!
The flavors from the crispy bacon and sweet maple syrup… are you kidding? My house filled with the aroma of breakfast and my mouth just couldn’t get enough. Just a typical Tuesday… being dramatic when describing food.
I can’t describe the delicious combination in a way that will truly make sense, but the brussels sprouts caramelize beautifully when finished. They were a tiny crisp on the outside from roasting in the oven, and the maple, bacon, and hazelnuts really made them pop.
Extraordinary vegetable flavor in my mouth… is that even a thing? I don’t know, and I don’t care. Just know that these are probably the world’s best side dish. Oh and I even used turkey bacon (I don’t usually eat pork), but you do your thing! I think these would make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving meal.
Let me know if you try these and in the meantime, keep being you!
More side dishes you’ll love:
Spicy Maple Dijon Grilled Brussels Sprouts
Maple-Glazed Carrots with Goat Cheese & Pistachios
Spicy Maple Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Bacon + video
Saucy Stovetop Thai Green Beans
Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon + Toasted Hazelnuts
Crispy maple roasted brussels sprouts made with bacon and deliciously toasted hazelnuts. This easy side dish comes together right in your skillet and is perfect for holidays or weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts
- 3 slices thick cut bacon cut diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Wash brussels sprouts, cut off ends (root) and discard, then cut each sprout in half.
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Place brussels sprouts in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat. Set aside.
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Cook the bacon and hazelnuts in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat until the bacon starts to become crisp and hazelnuts become slightly toasted, about 4-5 minutes.
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Transfer the bacon and hazelnuts to a medium bowl and set aside. Keep heat and add the brussels sprouts to the skillet. Drizzle maple syrup all over brussels sprouts and stir in pan to evenly distribute on the sprouts.
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Cook brussel sprouts in pan for about 5 minutes or until they become a bit caramelized and get a tiny golden brown.
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Put pan in the oven and roast the brussels sprouts for about 30 minutes.
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Add the bacon and hazelnuts to the pan with the brussels sprouts and roast about 10 minutes longer or until sprouts are caramelized and golden. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
39 comments
Truly beautiful post…in every which way…thoughts, prose, photography…and, of course, recipe!..I love Brussel sprouts..and this looks like the best riff I have ever seen on such a delicious, nutritious …yet underused and neglected vegetable!..Thanks for sharing.
I was just thinking of this combination the other day…way to make my dreams a reality! It looks incredible.
I can't wait to try this recipe. Have learned to love Brussel Sprouts in my old age.
Me too! They taste like health.
Can't wait to try this…..
Lovely post! It is so important to remember those things, it was just the boost I needed today 🙂 I love roasting brussels sprouts, even converted my little bro to them, but these, these look like dangerous territory! Maple bacon, mmmmm, I seriously can’t wait to try it. Plus hazelnuts are totally underused in savory dishes, so love that you used them! Cheers, Petra
Minus the bacon, these look dreamy. Some great flavors you are working with.
I enjoyed this very thoughtful post. There are a lot of things we (including me) forget on a daily basis and unfortunately, sometimes it takes tragedy to remember just how lucky we are in our own way. Your recipe looks delicious – I LOVE Brussels sprouts and the combination of bacon, sprouts and hazelnuts sounds perfect! Thanks for a meaningful post and great recipe!
I absolutely adore Brussels Sprouts. Even more with bacon, maple & hazelnuts!
LOVE this post — and these brussels sprouts are making me salivate like no other. Definitely going to have to get this on my kitchen table STAT.
NEVER liked brussel sprouts until I made these last night – proving once again that everything IS better with bacon 😉 I used Agave nectar instead of syrup.
I grew up hating them as well Tina-totally avoided them as an adult!! Tried them again recently roasted & yummy!! They are so good for you 🙂
I grew up hating them as well Tina-totally avoided them as an adult!! Tried them again recently roasted & yummy!! They are so good for you 🙂
Tina…we have good Brussels sprouts recipes in our KDO cookbook…:)
NEVER liked brussel sprouts until I made these last night – proving once again that everything IS better with bacon 😉 I used Agave nectar instead of syrup.
I had made sprouts with prosciutto and honey and pecans, a few years ago. Marvelous! Lost the recipe but this will be very similar Looking forward to having them this year. Thanks.
ummmm, yuuuuuummmm! Sounds delish!
I'm looking forward to this too! 🙂
send Jeeves around to get me before dinner, will you please?
Yummy! I'll have to try this. Did I tell you we had 5, 30 inch stalks of Brussels Sprouts this year? They are almost gone.
that's a lot of them little cabbages!
Yep, it was! Think we'll finish the last of them tomorrow at dinner w/ Jess and all.
good
I too hated these as a kid, since they were usually boiled to death. However, recently tried them roasted like this, and have found a new love!
The little heads were delicious, even though I omitted the bacon. But even better were your beautiful words, something I needed to read yesterday and have bookmarked, so I can read them again when I roast more sprouts.
I made these for Easter and people LOVED them. I left them in the oven for 3 minutes longer than suggested and was worried that I overlooked. Everyone said they were perfect. Thanks for making our Easter a success!
So awesome to hear!
Trying to figure out if this recipe is worth spending the time to tweak. They tasted OK so flavor profile was OK, but way overdone.
Strange, I’ve never had the issue with them being overdone. I would be sure to only cook the brussels sprouts on the stovetop until they get just a tiny bit golden brown. Then they should be fine going in the oven!
Is it possible to cook these ahead of time? Up to the part where they go in the oven? Trying to have food somewhat prepared for a gathering, so it would be easy to just put them in the oven and then add bacon and hazelnuts.
I’m sure you could!
I really enjoyed the note you added to this page. I want to try these brussel sprouts. The dish looks delicious! However, I did not notice how many servings you get from the recipe. I thought maybe 6-8, but wanted to make sure. I would like to make them for just my husband and I first but don’t want to much left over. Would you let me know?
Thanks,
This should serve around 6 as a side!
I have to leave a five star review here because I’ve been making this recipe since you posted it in 2012 when I hosted my first Thanksgiving and I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without it! Just delicious. A definite holiday tradition in our home! I couldn’t recommend it enough!
Amazing! Love that 🙂 an OG Ambitious Kitchen Thanksgiving recipe!
This will be my favorite veggie recipe for thanksgiving this year. Thank you
Perfect! Enjoy!
I’ve served this dish at several family gatherings, and people who never previously liked brussels sprouts loved this dish! I’ve always loved brussels sprouts and the rich maple and hazelnut flavors add a delightful twist. 🙂 Thanks so much!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂