Does anyone else find themselves already craving the veggies we know we’re all gonna be putting on our meal plans come New Years resolution time?
I love my sweets as much as the next gal (ok, probably considerably more) but the balance gets a little off at this time of year. I’ve eaten Nanaimo bars for breakfast, butter tarts for lunch, and half a dozen assorted cookies for afternoon snacks. While I’m certainly not complaining, I am ready for a heaping plate of vegetables by dinner.
Brussels sprouts came into my life last year for the first time, and they’re never leaving again. I’ve developed a strange fascination with these funky little cabbages. My family puts up with a lot when it comes to new foods, but this is not something they support. My 6-year-old will politely and with great cheer inform me from time to time, “Mom, I don’t actually like this, but I’m eating it anyway without complaining!” But the line is drawn at Brussels sprouts. I did the same thing as a kid and my mom never forced the issue, so I’m taking a page from her book. It’s not the first time, and certainly won’t be the last – I dream of my children turning out as well-adjusted as me (ahahahahaha ;)).
These roasted veggies make everyone happy – Brussels for me, carrots for everyone else, and bacon for my main squeeze. While you can pick out your favourites, I really think it tastes best all together. For me, this is a perfect dinner on its own with a couple slices of really good bread, and it’s also a perfectly simply side dish to add to your family dinner plans. The pictures are pre-baking…everything’s going to shrink to about half size after the roasting, so grab the biggest baking sheet you can find. You can also prep the whole works the day before and have them ready to go in the fridge – perfect convenience for hosting or when you’ll have lots of other things on the go at dinnertimes. Any leftovers are downright fabulous on sandwiches, in soups, or on pizza.
Healthy, versatile and just super pretty. That’s my kind of food.
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer leaves removed, halved (quartered if very large)
- 5 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices
- ½ a red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons Italian dressing (or your favourite oil-based dressing)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet or two smaller baking sheets with Parchment paper.
- Toss vegetables, bacon and dressing together and spread evenly on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake 33-35 minutes, until vegetables are tender when stabbed with a fork, stirring mixture halfway through cooking time. When done, transfer to a large warm bowl or platter, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Adapted from Kraft What’s Cooking magazine.
A good dose of veggies is much needed right now – I feel like I’ve been eating junk for the past two weeks straight! Roasting vegetables is my favourite way to eat them. They’re so flavourful!
I’ve eaten so much junk it’s ridiculous…I don’t think my body can handle it like it used to :) Roasting is my favourite way to eat veggies too!
This looks like something I tried at a restaurant, but 100x better! I would love to try this!
I’m with you – by dinner I am totally craving something healthy and packed with veggies! Love this medley! Especially the brussels sprouts – I just can’t get enough of them!
I’m new to Brussels sprouts as well, so I don’t have many recipes for preparing them. This looks great, especially since bacon makes EVERYTHING better. And carrots for the kids — you think of everything! Genius.
Love that you tossed some bacon in, it always makes a difference! I adore roasted vegetables too. I can eat just plain roasted vegetables for dinner!
Yum! I would have like a cooked picture too or did they go too fast:) As for forcing the issue, my mother never did and I was sure I would only eat corn, raw carrots and canned peas for the rest of my life. I was adept as any child at finding and picking out the minutest pieces of onions, mushrooms and anything I could tell just wasn’t on the acceptable list. Don’t remember it happening, but now I LOVE veggies of all kinds. You girls were the same growing up, and the change happened too , so I trust it will also happen with your kiddies :) I think forcing them to eat something just turns them off forever because they become convinced they hate it.