Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

I never thought in a million years I would ever be posting a recipe for Brussel Sprouts — the smell was always a turn off for me.  But I am here to say don’t let that ever stop you from eating anything because you will miss out on one of the greatest recipes EVER!  I love this side dish, in fact I could eat it as a meal.  It combines the great flavor of a roasted vegetable with the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar and the crunchiness of the pancetta!

Start with fresh Brussel Sprouts.  There is no magic number — just as many as you want to make.

Peel off the outer layers and discard.

The first thing you will want to do is cut up the pancetta into smaller pieces.  Pancetta is simply an Italian bacon made from pork belly meat.  It’s salt cured and spiced with black pepper and other spices.  You could use bacon if you wanted but pancetta is more of a sophisticated taste.   Add a little olive oil to the pan and fry it up, remove and soak on a paper towel.  Do not clean the pan — you want to save all of those flavors for the brussel sprouts.

Cut the brussel sprouts in half and brown them face down in that same pan from the pancetta.  It will soak up some of the grease.   You will also need to dice up the shallots while this is browning.

The browning of the brussel sprouts will take 8-10 minutes.  It should look like this when it’s ready.

Add the diced shallots and a 1/2 cup of water.  Cover over a medium flame so the brussel sprouts can soften.  This will take about 6 minutes.  Remove the brussel spouts and shallots from the pan.  Place in a temporary bowl.  You will add a 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar into the pan and cook down until it thickens.  This takes 2-3 minutes.  Add the brussel sprouts, shallots and pancetta back into the pan and mix.

Your dish will look like this.  Serve warm.  This goes with any meat or just eat it alone.  It’s a great dish you will keep making over and over again!

Print

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• Fresh Brussel Sprouts 20 or so
• 1 Shallot
• Pancetta 1/2 inch thick slice
• Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Water

Instructions

1. Dice Pancetta into small pieces
2. Sprinkle olive oil in fry pan and cook Pancetta over medium heat
3. Remove and let drain on a paper towel
4. Clean the Brussel Sprouts and peel off the outer layer
5. Cut the Brussel Sprouts in half
6. Dice the shallot and set aside
7. Using the same pan from the Pancetta, brown the Brussel Sprouts face down in the pan. Add a little more olive oil to the pan so it doesn't burn. This should take 8-10 minutes depending on how brown you like it.
8. Add shallots and water to pan. Cover pan and let Brussel Sprouts and Shallots soften. This takes about 6 minutes.
9. Remove from the pan and place in temporary bowl
10. Add Balsamic Vinegar to pan and cook down. This will thicken up the Balsamic Vinegar. This will take 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the Brussel Sprouts, Shallots and Pancetta back into the pan and mix.
12. Serve warm

Recipe Notes

This recipe is adapted from the Dinner at Tiffani's TV show.