Loaded Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts. Another innocent vegetable that's gotten a bad rap. True, there are monsters who try to force unseasoned boiled or steamed sprouts on their culinary victims, but it doesn't have to be that way!

My Loaded Sprouts are seasoned, then oven roasted, and finally topped with bacon and melted cheese. If you're a victim of bland, boring mushy sprouts you owe it to yourself to try this easy delicious recipe. (Actually my wife's recipe, but I get credit because I run the page! )

Ingredients

12oz Bacon

1 lb Brussels Sprouts

Drizzle of oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

8oz Shredded Mozzarella

Scallions or Chives (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°

Cook 12oz bacon until your preferred doneness (I like it a little chewy for this recipe) and crumble or chop it small. (See my recipe for Sheetpan Bacon if you don't feel like standing over a hot skillet getting popped with hot oil.)

While the bacon is cooking, prepare your sprouts. Peel off any outer layers that look wilted or otherwise unappetizing. (Left picture below) Trim the stems, and cut sprouts in half lengthwise. (Right picture below)

Drizzle oil over the sprouts and toss to coat. A small Drizzle is all it takes, as we're roasting not frying these. Season liberally with salt and pepper or your favorite spice blend.

Arrange sprouts, cut-side-down, on a parchment-lined sheetpan. Leave a little space between sprouts to allow even cooking. Roast in 375° oven 30 minutes then remove from oven.

Rearrange sprouts on pan to close up the space between sprouts. Top with 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella, crumbled bacon, and the remaining cup of mozzarella.

Return to oven 10-15 minutes until the cheese had melted to a beautiful bubbly golden brown.

Remove from oven and top with thinly sliced scallion or minced Chives (optional).

Tips/Add-Ins

Replace the salt and pepper with your favorite seasoning blend. Slap Ya Mama, Tony Cachere's Creole seasoning, Montreal Steak seasoning, or Lawry's season salt would all yield delicious results.

These sprouts would be phenomenal cooked in the fat you drained off of the bacon instead of vegetable oil. But some people (*cough* my wife *cough*) have suggested this might be "too baconny"