Roasted Brussel Sprouts: No One Said Eating Your Vegetables Could Be This Good...

Confession...I actually have children who love to eat their vegetables. This is not a bragging spot though, this is in actuality that I'm still in shock that I got lucky enough to have two of these little people who enjoy eating veggies (I'm in being completely honest my kids just enjoy food as a whole lol, they get it from their mama). And what I realized is that it is all in the presentation and the prep of the vegetable. Now this recipe I'll admit is slightly cheating because it has bacon AND cheese in it and who doesn't love those two items enough to eat anything attached to it with such deliciousness. But to be fair to lower sodium and bc the hubby doesn't eat pork I usually substitute turkey bacon in a lot of my recipes that call for bacon ( I am a lover of the original more than the substitute but sometimes we all have to make dutiful sacrifices...inserts sarcasm here..). My children love anything roasted and tossed in a vinegar of sorts, it brings such a different flavor profile to the vegetable that even on days when I don't feel like really cooking I just throw whatever veggie I have on hand on a sheet pan tossed with oil and vinegar and roast for 20 mins and serve that to them for dinner. This recipe though can be used for holiday meals when you're thinking of sides to prepare as well as just weekday dinners with a nice roasted piece of meat/ fish. I promise you, this may very well get your kids to eat their brussel sprouts 😉...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half through the core

4 ounces turkey bacon, 1/4-inch-diced

1/4 cup good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tablespoons syrupy balsamic vinegar

3 ounces of goat cheese crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Add the turkey bacon, olive oil, half of the balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, toss with your hands, and spread out in a single layer. Roast the Brussels sprouts for 20 to 30 minutes, until they're tender and nicely browned and the bacon is cooked. Toss once during roasting. Remove from the oven, drizzle immediately with the balsamic vinegar, and add the crumbled goat cheese and toss again. Add more salt as you see fit and serve immediately.