Cheesy Pancetta Brussels Sprouts Bake is a comfort food through and through. It’s a great side dish but it’s also hearty enough to be a whole meal!
I miss my mom.
I don’t think I realized how much cooking connected us until she passed away .
There’s no question that I cook just like she did. From the style of food I make and the choice of ingredients, to the way I work in the kitchen and even the cooking utensils I love. It all threads back to her.
Comfort Food Dishes
Like my mom did, I often cook with whatever just happens to be in the refrigerator. And the result of “throwing things together” is usually a one pot, comfort food meal, that’s richly flavored, hearty and relatively healthy. And that’s exactly how my Cheesy Pancetta Brussels Sprouts Bake came to be.
(And no, the “cheesy” isn’t necessarily the healthy aspect of the dish — but that’s okay!)
The only thing I do differently than my mom did in the kitchen, is write down exactly what I do. And then I remake it with the notes to be sure it’s accurate. And that’s because it’s my job. Otherwise, my measuring spoons might just stay in the drawer. 😉
My mom could never make the same thing twice. It could be similar, but never exactly the same. Unless she was baking, she never measured anything, and would often throw in random leftovers from other meals, or even that she’d brought home from a restaurant.
Can love be an ingredient?
Yes, yes it can!
There was always so much love in my mom’s food! That was the one ingredient that she was able to repeat in every recipe.
I could smell the love (usually the sautéing onions), in my mom’s kitchen as soon as I’d approach the house. This was the case when I was a kid walking home from school, when I was in college coming home for a visit, when I brought my now husband to dinner for the first time, and when I’d bring my little boys over to play. There was always the scent of a scrumptious meal brewing.
I hope my boys smell the onions as they approach our house. The love, that is.
I hope you enjoy this Cheesy Pancetta Brussels Sprouts Bake as much as we do — it’s made with love and bundle of other super delicious ingredients!
Here are a couple more of my favorite brussels sprouts recipes that happen to be great for Thanksgiving:
This is a comfort food through and through. It’s a great side dish but it’s also hearty enough to be a whole meal!
- olive oil for the pan
- 2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 cup pancetta, cut into a small dice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts, washed and dried, root ends cut off, halved or quartered into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated, divided
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 375°F, and adjust a rack to the center.
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Lightly coat the bottom of a large, oven-proof skillet with olive oil and place it over medium-low heat. (A 12-inch cast iron skillet is perfect.)
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Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and slightly golden, about 10 minutes.
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Add the garlic and pancetta and sauté until it’s beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Then add the paprika and thyme, stir to blend and cook until it’s very aromatic, about 30 seconds.
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Gradually stir in the brussels sprouts and turn the heat to medium-high, and add a bit more oil. Sauté, stirring often until they are tender and becoming golden along the edges, about 10 minutes.
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Deglaze the skillet with the vegetable stock, using a flat-edged spatula to scrape any bits of stuck food off of the bottom of the skillet, and back into the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Please note that the pancetta is salty, you you wont need too much!)
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Mix in the cream and 1 1/2 cups of the Gruyère. Sprinkle the Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyère on top.
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Place in the preheated 375°F oven and bake until it’s sizzling along the edges, about 10 minutes.(If the top isn’t as golden as you’d like, you can place the skillet under the broiler for about 30 seconds.)
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Serve!
Eha says
Being one of those ‘odd’ people who cannot understand why anyone should object to Brussels sprouts, I am more than happy to collect recipes to mull over looking at the latest purchase! This is tasty . . . . well, I just may not ‘find’ quite the amount specified for one ingredient but . . . ? !! Now up to look at how you have treated the unctuous little balls before . . .
valentina says
Thank you! 🙂 I hope you’ll try this one, one day. We love it! I can’t understand why anyone would object to Brussels sprouts either. ~Valentina
Jillian says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
valentina says
Thank YOU!
Tisha says
I can not wait to make this dish! It looks so good!
valentina says
Hope you love it!
Natalie says
WOW looks so delicious and perfect for dinner!
valentina says
Oh it is! Thanks.
Cliona Keane says
What a delicious way to do brussels sprouts! I think this would convince even the pickiest of eaters to give them a go!
valentina says
Thanks! It did at my house. Although my boys aren’t too picky anymore, the didin’t love brussels sprouts until this. 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This looks and sounds so delicious. What a great way to use brussels sprouts.
valentina says
Thanks so much!
Ron says
Brysselkål (brussels sprouts) are very popular over this way and we’re getting the first batch of frost sweetened sprouts in our market now. We’ll be having our annual “Thanksgiving in Sweden” dinner on the 24th and this one just made it to the side dish entree list for our event.
valentina says
I hope you love it as much as my family does if you try it. And Happy (early) Thanksgiving! 🙂
David says
What a sweet post, Valentina. We think very similarly about our mothers and our kitchens. Food made with love tastes so much better… is it because we know this? Feel this? Taste this? My mother has now been gone 30 years – literally half of my life, as I just turned 60. Yet, she is in my kitchen every day, reminding me not to “overdo” things; simpler is sometimes better.
Love the Brussels sprouts with pancetta and cheese… so full of flavor and, no doubt, love.
valentina says
That’s sweet and love that you can relate. I can “hear” my mom’s comments in the kitchen too. 🙂 (Happy belated!)
David @ Spiced says
I hear ya on the connection to Mom when it comes to cooking. I grew up around my Mom cooking all sorts of things in the kitchen, and I credit that to my love of the kitchen today. What a wonderful post! As far as the recipe, I love it! I don’t think I’ve ever added cheese to my Brussels, but I’m totally going to try that out now. Gruyere is an excellent choice here!
valentina says
Thanks so much! Love it, and hoping we can all pass our cooking love on to our kids. 🙂 Hope you love the recipe.
Nancy Buchanan says
Valentina this is such a fabulous recipe and sooo perfect for the holidays! I also cook just like my Mom – my fascination with ethnic food comes from her. I KNOW your boys can “smell the love” – mine definitely do! It’s so funny that they are already talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!!!
valentina says
Love hearing that about your boys! Bet they can’t wait to get home to your kitchen. And family, of course! 🙂
sippitysup says
I love cruising the blogs this time of year but this is also how my Thanksgiving table goes from 3 or 4 “must-have” side dishes to 12 or 13! GREG
valentina says
Ha! I do the same thing. I wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving. xo V
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
I miss my mom too. All the holiday food traditions come flooding back this time of year. Make sure and take time to enjoy your family as the super busy time of year arrives. This Brussels Sprouts recipe is scrumptious and could easily be a make ahead holiday side dish.
valentina says
Thank you for your heartfelt words. Much appreciated. And yes, those holiday food traditions are filling me with memories these days. Fond ones! I wish you and your family a wonderful (and delicious!) Thanksgiving.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Valentina, I’m going to take this to our son’s home for Thanksgiving as I know the big group of friends he is having will enjoy this dish. Even if they are picky eaters, how could they not like Brussels sprouts with pancetta and cheese. I’m pinning.
valentina says
I’m excited about this Karen! I hope they all love it! I’m with you — the pancetta and cheese make many things irresistible. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for visiting and checking our my recipes! 🙂
Christina Conte says
Awww, such a lovely post, Valentina. I can’t imagine how much you miss your mom! She’s with you everyday as you cook for your family, though, and I hope that brings you comfort.
This dish sounds wonderful as I’m a huge brussel sprout (and CHEESE) fan! YUM!
valentina says
Thank you, Christina. Yes, she definitely is with me, always. 🙂 xoxo
Brian Jones says
Haha your cooking process and that of your Mum sounds very similar to what mine used to be… It was only when I started my site that I started writing things down and making notes. It has definitely improved me as a cook and helped me make things that people loved a second time 😉
These sprouts sound delicious, definitely up there with my favourite winter vegetables, I must make this.
valentina says
Thanks so much, Brian. I still prefer my mom’s method of “winging it” but it sure is nice to repeat things. I agree. 🙂 Hope yo love these sprouts. 🙂