Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Hazelnuts & Smoked Paprika

Crispy Brussels sprouts get dressed up with bacon, toasted hazelnuts, smoked paprika, lemon zest, and shallots. Oh, and wine. WINE! This dish feels fancy but is quick and easy.

Chapi’s Kitchen is heading down under!

In case you’ve been following along on my travel journey (check out my travel page for posts by country, or Instagram for real-time updates), we’ve spent the last three months in Asia, celebrated Christmas in Jakarta, and are now finishing our time in Indonesia before moving into Australia and New Zealand! Both places are new to me and I’m sooo excited!!

I’ve booked a lot of Airbnbs (as opposed to hostels and guest houses which comprised most of our accommodations in Asia), and I’m thrilled to have a kitchen again! Naturally my list of potential things to cook is already four times longer than what we’ll have time for. I’m looking forward to homemade food. We’ve eaten out almost every meal for nearly four months. Yikes.

Want to know a recipe that’s easy enough to make in an Airbnb kitchen? These Brussels.

Steps for making restaurant-quality Brussels sprouts:

Want to know what makes Brussels sprouts from a restaurant so delicious? Five sticks of butter. (Or well, a lot of butter.) We’re going to skip that part and make some sprouts that are healthier and still darn good.

After cooking the bacon and leaving some fat in the pan, place the Brussels in a single layer with the cut side down. This will make sure each one gets some beautiful brown color.

Be careful not to mix too much. Just a little bit to prevent burning. After pouring in the wine there’ll be a bit of steam to help cook the center of the Brussels sprouts.

Once the Brussels sprouts are cooked to your preference (I like mine not too soft), then just toss some bacon and hazelnuts on top and it’s ready to serve!

5 from 1 vote

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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Hazelnuts, and Smoked Paprika

Crispy Brussels sprouts get dressed up with bacon, toasted hazelnuts, smoked paprika, lemon zest, shallots, and wine! These look fancy but are actually quick and easy to prepare!

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, cut in half
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces Or more if preferred!
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw hazelnuts Or more if preferred!
• 1/3 cup white wine I used a slightly sweet Riesling.

Instructions

To toast hazelnuts:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line hazelnuts on an ungreased metal tray and toast in oven approximately 10 minutes, until lightly brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool. (This step can also be done in a toaster oven.)

For Brussels sprouts:

1. In a large sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Drain and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pan. 

2. Put pan back over medium heat, and lay Brussels sprouts (cut side down) in a single layer in the pan. Once all of the Brussels halves are neatly layered in the pan, toss the extra Brussels leaves, minced shallot, lemon zest, paprika, and salt on top. Do not stir. Cook over medium heat for approximately three minutes, without stirring. The Brussels should be getting nicely browned.

3. After three minutes, stir well to mix in spices. Add wine, and cook uncovered until wine has simmered off, about 3 minutes. Test one of the Brussels to see if they're done. If not, cover the pan with a lid to cook for a few more minutes. Then, turn off heat.

4. Coarsely chop toasted and cooled hazelnuts. Toss hazelnuts and bacon into pan with Brussels sprouts, stir, and serve.