Caramelized Onions and Bacon Brussel Sprouts

I made this dish on Thanksgiving. The bacon is optional. In my original recipe I did not include it but my sister insisted on her brussel sprouts having bacon. I wanted to please everyone on Thanksgiving and, hey, every dish is better with a little bacon in it. In the picture below you see that I combined the bacon with the caramelized onions before cooking them separately. Don’t do that. I could not get the bacon crispy enough without burning the onions. Otherwise, enjoy!

Serves 4 as a side dish

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 onion, cut into slices  

-1/2 teaspoon sugar

-1/2 teaspoon salt- note: salt speeds up the caramelization process

-5 slices of thick bacon, sliced into ½ peices Healthier choice: do not include bacon

-1 (10 ounce) bag brussel sprouts

-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

-1/2 cup dried cranberries

-1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium/ large pan heat olive oil over medium flame. Add onions and cook for about ten minutes. Add sugar and salt to the pan. Cook for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The onions should be golden brown in color and fairly caramelized. Transfer onions onto a plate. Add bacon to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon onto a plate with a paper towel. Remove oil from pan but do not wash. If you would like, carefully blot the pan with a paper towel to remove excess oil. We do not want to wash the pan because the bits of onion and bacon with add flavor to the dish.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and prepare a bowl of ice water. Once boiling, add spouts and cook for 5 minutes.  Drain sprouts and immediately transfer them into the ice water. This will shock the sprouts to stop the cooking process and keep their green color.

Add onions and bacon back into the pan. Add vinegar. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add sprouts, cranberry and pumpkin seeds. Stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how well you like your sprouts cooked. I personally like them fairly crunchy. Add salt and pepper to taste.