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A close up of caramelized brussels sprouts with maple bacon on a platter with a spoon.
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5 from 6 votes

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

These caramelized brussels sprouts are super quick and easy to make and are the perfect side dish to your festive holiday meal this Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, British
Servings: 4
Calories: 185kcal
Author: Sasha Hooper

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
  • Prepare the brussels sprouts by trimming off the base and peeling off the outer yellow and damaged leaves. Cut in half lengthwise.
    1 pound brussels sprouts
  • In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, wholegrain mustard, garlic powder, rosemary, salt and pepper.
    1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Add the prepared sprouts and pancetta and toss to coat everything really well.
    3 ounces diced smoked pancetta
  • Spread the sprouts and pancetta out onto a baking sheet, making sure the sprouts are facing cut side down. Transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until caramelized and the sprouts are tender.

Notes

Peeling - trim only a little from the base of the sprout and peel and remove the darker or damaged leaves from the outside. When you slice the sprout in half be careful not to cut it in a way that it will release leaves as it roasts. Otherwise you’ll end up with lots of easily burned loose leaves.
Baking sheet - I recommend using a shallow sided baking sheet and not lining the baking sheet with anything as contact with the sheet will allow better caramelization. As much as I think it’s helpful to have a liner for cleaning purposes, the burned on mix washes off easily with just a little soaking in soapy water for 5-10 minutes.
Prepare ahead - this recipe is perfect for prepping ahead of time and roasting just before you need it. Simply prepare the sprouts and store in a ziploc bag for later (you can do this the day before or up to 2 days in advance). You can also prepare the marinade in advance and store in a jar until needed. 
Cut side down - placing the brussels sprouts cut side down on the baking sheet aids caramelisation as it means you have greater surface contact between the sprouts and baking sheet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.9g | Protein: 7.1g | Fat: 10.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.7g | Sodium: 1147.4mg | Potassium: 478.5mg | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 43.3IU | Vitamin C: 96.4mg | Calcium: 61.4mg | Iron: 1.7mg