Spice up this Thanksgiving by giving your average brussels sprouts a kick of flavor no one will forget!

Brussels sprouts are a tricky thing, some people love them and some people hate them. I’m here to share my recipe that makes the haters, hate them a little less.

My trick? Bacon and pomegranate seeds. Now, here’s the part where you make a weird face, but don’t knock it until you try it. Not a pomegranate fan? Switch it up with dried cranberries or just stick to only bacon.

Tip: I lay out my bacon on paper towels to help soak up all the extra grease.

If bacon doesn’t suit your fancy, try this recipe with turkey bacon or tofu bacon. If you choose not to go with the bacon grease, coconut oil is an amazing alternative!

Brussels sprouts come in different shapes and sizes. I like to cut mine into halves but you will most likely come across one that is much bigger than the rest, those I cut into quarters.

Serve this side dish on Thanksgiving to your friends and family or with a simple chicken dish during the week! I hope you all try out this recipe and fall in love with it ! If my dad liked it, (he’s not a fan of pomegranate seeds)  I am sure you will too!

For more on this recipe, I uploaded a short video on my youtube channel on how you can achieve this recipe.

Brussels Sprouts with a Twist 

Ingredients:

• 1lb of bacon ( I used Jimmy Dean hickory smoked, but you can always use turkey bacon)
• 1 large pomegranate
• 1lb of brussels sprouts
• about 1/5 cup of bacon grease (depending on how large brussels sprouts are)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Prep your food, placing into separate bowls. Wash and cut the brussels sprouts into halves (or even like pieces), remove pomegranate seeds from the pomegranate, and follow the directions on the back of the bacon package to cook until crispy. If you are using Turkey bacon cook them until they’re just about to be crispy and then remove.
3. After the bacon is cooked chop it into tiny dice-like pieces.
4. DO NOT DISPOSE OF BACON GREASE! In a measuring cup add the tablespoon of  garlic . Slowly and carefully, pour about 1/5 cup of bacon grease into measuring cup and mix.
5. Place Brussels sprouts evenly onto a baking sheet.
6. Pour garlic grease mixture over the brussels sprouts into even sections then toss to ensure that all of the sprouts are evenly covered.
7. Place the baking sheet into the oven for 12 mins.
8. Pull out the baking sheet and flip over the brussels sprouts. Place the baking sheet back into the oven for another 12 minutes. ( if you are using turkey bacon, pull out the brussels sprouts at 8 mins and toss turkey bacon pieces in with the sprouts. Place the sheet back into the oven for an additional 4 minutes)
9. Remove the brussels sprouts from the oven. Toss bacon, pomegranate seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in with the brussels sprouts. (I used about 1 cup’s worth of bacon pieces in my dish but you can add as little or as much as you’d like. Same goes for the pomegranate seeds.)
10. Mix the ingredients together and serve to your guests!

Thanks for reading ! Let me know if you tried this recipe or have any other brussel sprout recipes you enjoyed! Comment below and don’t forget to follow !