Easy roasted Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon and served with a fresh garlic paste. This keto-friendly vegetable dish is ready in just 30 minutes and perfect for any holiday dinner.
These keto Brussels sprouts are perfect for low-carb and high-fat diets, helping you stay on track over the holiday period. They’re crunchy with a bitter-sweet taste and are best enjoyed as a side dish for your holiday dinner.
Much of the flavor here comes courtesy of the bacon, infusing our vegetables with salt and fat, helping you skip any sugar or carb-heavy seasonings.
From preparation tips to serving suggestions, here’s how to cook the best Brussels sprouts from scratch.
How to Make Keto Brussels Sprouts
To roast your brussels sprouts to that golden perfection, follow these steps:
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Prep the baking sheet with a light coating of cooking spray.
- Wash and slice the brussels sprouts in half (or slice four times if they are the big type), removing the hard bottoms.
- Place the sliced brussels sprouts in a large bowl, add olive oil, and sprinkle some salt and pepper.
- Cut the slices of bacon into ½-inch pieces. Then, in your previously prepared baking sheet, put in the sliced brussels sprouts. The sliced part should face down, with the bacon pieces in between them. Make sure the bacon pieces touch the sheet directly. Also, add in the unpeeled garlic cloves.
- Place the sheet into your pre-heated oven and bake for at least 10 minutes. After 10 minutes are up, flip one sprout to see if it’s turned golden brown (it should be). After confirming the color change, flip them over and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
- After the bacon is done, remove the garlic cloves, peel them gently, and crush them to make a paste. Spread the paste on your finished brussels sprouts.
Expert Tips
- Don’t blanch Brussels sprouts before you roast them. To get the best out of them, roast them directly. Blanching increases their water content, making them mushy and increasing their cook time.
- Brussels sprouts typically last three to four weeks when stored correctly in the refrigerator. But unrefrigerated, they last three to four days. Raw or cooked brussels sprouts have a lifespan of up to a year when frozen.
- Although it’s possible to freeze roasted brussels sprouts, defrosting them can be challenging. They’ll lose their crunchy texture and will turn mushy.
Side Dish Ideas
Brussels sprouts can be prepared as a main dish or as a side dish. The following are some side dish ideas you can complement with keto brussels sprouts for a wholesome meal:
- Cheesy bacon with roasted brussels sprouts. Bacon is a great choice as it goes well with just about anything while complementing the taste.
- Chicken stew with air-fried brussels sprouts. The crunchy texture of brussels sprouts complements the softness of chicken stew.
- Creamy garlic parmesan with roasted brussels sprouts. This is a celestial combination of cheese, garlic, cream, and of course, bacon-roasted brussels sprouts. You can never go wrong with bacon.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb brussels sprouts
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 6 slices bacon chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 5 cloves garlic unpeeled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Coat a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
- Wash and slice the Brussels sprouts into halves and remove the hard bottoms. Place them in a large bowl and drizzle in olive oil.
- Toss to mix then sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper
- Place the Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet, with the sliced ends facing down. Arrange bacon pieces and garlic cloves around the sprouts.
- Bake for 10 minutes before flipping over the Brussels sprouts. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes
- Peel the garlic gently and transfer the cloves to a small bowl. Crush the garlic into a paste.
- Spread the paste over the Brussels sprouts. Serve and enjoy immediately
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions about keto brussels sprouts:
Are Brussels Sprouts Okay on a Keto Diet?
Yes. Brussels sprouts have about 4.5g net carbs per cup and are excellent low-carb veggies to add to your diet. They are also gluten-free and loaded with nutrients and vitamins. In addition, they are rich in fiber which slows down the absorption of sugar. They are highly versatile and can be included in keto-friendly dishes.
What Pairs Well With Brussels Sprouts?
Brussels sprouts can pair with just about any protein. The most commonly used should be bacon because of its greasy and salty nature. But other proteins like steak, pancetta, pork chops, salmon, sautéed garlic, and walnuts also go well and are often paired with brussels sprouts.
Can Brussels Sprouts be Eaten Raw?
Brussels sprouts can be consumed raw. They don’t contain some of the common antinutrients. (Antinutrients, such as lectin, hinder the digestion of nutrients and obstruct enzymes responsible for digestion.) However, although you can use them in salads, they taste bitter and comprise an indigestible fiber called raffinose. You would get gas when your body tries to process this fiber.
