Brussels sprouts and bacon hash combines tender, finely chopped sprouts with browned onion and crisp pieces of homemade salt-cured bacon. The bacon fat cooks the onion and finishes the vegetables, so you do not need a separate measure of butter or oil. This is a savory Full GAPS side for breakfast or dinner.
The texture starts in the saucepan. Cook the sprouts whole until a knife slides into the center easily, drain them well, then chop them before they go into the skillet. That gives you small pieces to mix through the onion while the bacon stays separate until the end.
Our toddlers ate the same meals as the rest of the family when we started GAPS. Keeping one family menu was part of making it work. A vegetable side like this can go beside the main meal, with everyone taking a portion from the same finished batch. It serves four to six, depending on the rest of the plate.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, dry stem ends trimmed
- ½ teaspoon natural salt
- ¾ cup filtered water
- 6 slices homemade salt-cured bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- Additional natural salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Start with the fresh whole sprouts for this method. Pull off damaged outer leaves and trim the dry ends without cutting the heads apart. They are chopped after the covered simmer, when the centers are tender.
The bacon is a prepared ingredient. Use the linked salt-only home cure, made ahead, rather than beginning its curing process when you want to cook the hash. It has no added sugar, chemical curing salt or smoke flavor. For this recipe, the six chopped slices supply both the meat and the fat for the skillet.
The half teaspoon of salt goes into the saucepan with the water. Any extra salt and pepper are for the final tasting. Once the bacon has gone back into the hash, taste before adding more salt.
Recommended Equipment
Have a large saucepan with a tight lid and a separate wide skillet ready. A stainless steel or cast iron skillet works for the bacon and onion. You also need a colander, a knife and cutting board, a slotted spoon, and a spoon or spatula for stirring.
A wide pan makes it easier to stir the chopped sprouts through the onion. Keep a plate beside it for the cooked bacon so you can lift the pieces out and leave their fat behind.
How To Make Brussels Sprouts And Bacon Hash
- Trim the sprouts. Cut away the dry stem ends and remove damaged outer leaves. Keep the heads whole.
- Simmer until tender. Put the sprouts, measured water and initial salt in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, checking that a knife passes into the center without resistance. Drain thoroughly.
- Chop the cooked sprouts. Let them cool enough to handle, then chop them finely. Keep some small pieces and loose leaves rather than mashing them into a paste.
- Cook the bacon. In the separate skillet, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer it to the plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.
- Brown the onion. Add the chopped onion to that fat. Cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes, until the onion is soft and caramelized.
- Finish the hash. Add the drained, chopped sprouts and sauté with the onion for 5 minutes. Return the crisp bacon, stir through, and taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Drain the sprouts before chopping them. Water carried into the skillet will make the mixture wetter and slow the final sauté. A colander gives that liquid somewhere to go without pressing the sprouts into a mash.
The bacon can cook in its separate skillet while the sprouts simmer. Give it time to become crisp before lifting it out. The cooking time depends on the slices and pan. Look for crisp pieces and fat collected in the skillet before you move on to the onion.
When the onion is ready, it should be soft with browned edges. If it is coloring quickly while still firm, lower the heat and keep stirring. The chopped sprouts go in after that onion stage. Return the bacon at the end so it spends less time sitting in the moist vegetables.
Where It Fits On Full GAPS
Use this as a Full GAPS side after Brussels sprouts, onion and the prepared pork have been introduced. The bacon choice matters: this version uses the salt-only homemade preparation, not commercially preserved bacon with sugar, starch or curing additives.
The vegetables are cooked in water first and then finished in the bacon fat. That does not make the complete dish an early Intro recipe. It is also not a No-Plant GAPS option. The GAPS food list and stage guide can help with choosing the other foods on your plate.
As written, the hash contains no eggs, dairy or nuts. An egg served beside it is a separate serving choice, rather than an ingredient hidden in this recipe.
Serving And Storage
Serve the hash hot, soon after the bacon goes back into the pan. It can be a breakfast side with eggs you have already introduced, or a vegetable side beside cooked meat or fish. Make four larger side portions or six smaller ones from the full batch.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container and keep the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or colder. Use cooked leftovers within three to four days, following the FoodSafety.gov cold-storage guidance. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), as listed in its reheating temperature chart. For the crispest bacon, serve the hash freshly made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Simmer Before Chopping?
This method cooks the whole sprouts until the centers are tender, then uses the skillet to combine the chopped vegetables with the onion and bacon. Check a larger sprout with the knife before draining the batch.
Do I Need Butter Or Another Cooking Fat?
No extra fat is measured here. Keep the fat rendered from the six bacon slices in the skillet for the onion and sprouts.
Can I Double The Recipe?
The card’s 2× control doubles every measured ingredient. A double batch serves eight to twelve, depending on portion size. Use cookware with enough room for the larger amount, and finish in batches if the skillet is crowded. Keep the knife-tender sprout, crisp bacon and softened onion cues as your checks.
How Long Does It Take?
The sprouts simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The onion cooks for about 8 minutes, followed by the 5-minute finish with the chopped sprouts. Allow additional time for trimming, boiling the water, chopping and crisping the bacon. Some of the work can overlap between the two pans.
Can I Roast The Sprouts Instead?
For a roasted version, try the separate roasted Brussels sprouts with crispy onions. This hash keeps the covered simmer, fine chopping and bacon-fat skillet finish.
More Full GAPS Breakfast Ideas
The separate homemade bacon recipe is useful for planning ahead, and the roasted sprouts offer another way to put this vegetable on the table. My planned Breakfast Cookbook will bring breakfast recipes together with ways to build the rest of the meal. Follow its release in the WFLI cookbook catalog.
Brussels Sprouts And Bacon Hash Recipe
Brussels Sprouts And Bacon Hash For Full GAPS
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Trim the dry stem ends and remove damaged outer leaves. Keep the Brussels sprouts whole.
- Put the whole sprouts, measured water and initial salt in a lidded saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, checking that a knife enters the center without resistance. Drain thoroughly.
- Let the sprouts cool enough to handle, then chop finely. Leave small pieces and loose leaves rather than mashing them.
- In a separate skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet. This can overlap the saucepan simmer.
- Add the chopped onion to the bacon fat. Cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes, until soft and caramelized.
- Add the drained chopped sprouts and sauté with the onion for 5 minutes. Return the crisp bacon, stir through, and taste for extra salt and pepper. Serve hot.
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