Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

These Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts (and seasonal aromatics like nutmeg, rosemary, and citrus) are a simple yet stunning and delicious side dish for your Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration.

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Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Hey folks! Have are you doing? I am doing also well, thanks for asking.

As you can see, I am jumping into the festive season, and I am SO excited about that. Yes, it may sound like a little too early for that. But I just love the festive ambience in food photography, so it’s hard for me to stop. To make this clear, I made and photographed my first recipe for this season sometime around Canadian Thanksgiving (one month ago.) Also., retail stores start celling Christmas staff sometime around end of September (and I saw some items being on shelves right after Labour Day!) Lastly, some recipes I am going to share would be a perfect fit for American Thanksgiving.

That is a win-win-win, in my book. (And it is not like I need to have any of those excuses anyway.)

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Who loves Brussels sprouts, please raise your hand? That’s one of my favourite seasonal veggies, if you ask me.

I already have another festive recipe – Festive Brussels Sprouts – with chestnuts, ham, prosciutto, cranberries, and some other good things.

This time the method is slightly different, though. I found it in one of the Gordon Ramsey’s holiday edition videos, and I wanted to give it a try. According to it, the Brussels sprouts get quickly blanched first then tossed in a pan with other ingredients for a couple of minutes. It is a super quick way of cooking sprouts, and it is also hard to overcook them; they will have a nice firmness / crunch. (Of course, if you prefer softer sprouts, you can cook them in the pan a few minutes longer.)

Other flavourful ingredients include pancetta, chestnuts (use cooked vacuum-packed to save time), rosemary, nutmeg, and orange. Do you already feel the taste of Christmas?!

More Festive Savoury Recipes

Looking for more festive savoury ideas for Thanksgiving or Christmas? You have chosen the right place then! :)

Parsnip Chestnut Soup

Mini Pistachio Nut Roasts

Cheese Chestnut Biscuits

Chestnut Marsala Wine Soup

Christmas Veal Meatballs

Christmas Duck Stew

I hope you like these Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts, and you will give them a try soon. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Recipe by Ben | HavocinthekitchenCourse: Sides, Main
Servings

4-6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes

This Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts (and seasonal aromatics like nutmeg, rosemary, and citrus) are a simple yet stunning and delicious side dish for your Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration.

Ingredients

  • about 2 lb. Brussels sprouts

  • 1 tsp. olive oil

  • 150-200 gr. pancetta

  • 150-200 gr. cooked chestnuts, crumbled (I used vacuum-packed)

  • juice and zest of one medium orange

  • 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced

  • 1/2 whole nutmeg, grated

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  • Trim the ends of Brussels sprouts and discard any tough or discolored outer leaves. Rinse under cold water. If they are large, cut in half or quarters. If they are small, leave them whole.
  • Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Place Brussels sprouts in water and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Remove Brussels sprouts from the heat and transfer to cold water to halt the cooking process then let them drain in a colander. Set aside.
  • In a meantime, in a large pan heat the olive oil over low-medium heat, add the pancetta, rosemary, and nutmeg, and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
  • Stir in the drained Brussels sprouts and cook, tossing occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, depending on their size and desirable texture. This is a good time to season them with salt and pepper (keep in mind the saltiness of pancetta.)
  • Add the chestnuts and cook one minute.
  • Stir in the orange zest and juice. Let it cook for a minute or so and off the heat. Enjoy.

21 thoughts on “Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

  1. Eva Taylor says:

    Brussels sprouts and bacon go so well together but you’ve taken it to the next level with pancetta! What a wonderful combination and adding the creamy chestnuts is not only decadent but it’s absolutely delicious too! I always have a small bad of cooked Italian chestnuts and pancetta on hand! I think I’ll make these for our second thanksgiving this month!
    Isn’t it awful how quickly the retailers start Christmas? In the US, there was an unwritten rule that they’d wait until after their thanksgiving but that is definitely not the case anymore, some (TJ Max and Ross) are even playing Christmas music throughout their stores. Way too early!

    • Jeff the Chef says:

      I get the impression now that there’s a think where you wait until the day after Halloween to start putting up your Christmas decorations, which make Thanksgiving for us in the U.S. into a holiday that falls in the middle of Christmas season. Weird.

    • Ben | Havocinthekitchen says:

      Thanks Eva!
      A couple of years ago, there was a big-deal mass media conversation blaming retailers for decorating stores before Remembrance Day here in Canada. I think it may have worked out…well for the decoration part :) Once I needed some Halloween decorations 3-4 days prior to Halloween at dollar store, and guess what? They had already removed everything! LOL
      Ben | Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Chestnut Soup with BrandyMy Profile

  2. David @ Spiced says:

    I hear ya about Christmas stuff being in the stores early. It started showing up here in September, too – I guess folks buy it or else they wouldn’t keep putting it out! Either way, it’s now holiday time, and this recipe sounds fantastic. I love all of the individual elements, but I’ve never put them together in one recipe like this. I need to make this happen!
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Easy Cranberry SauceMy Profile

  3. sherry says:

    we are big brussels sprouts fans here. We like to roast them with a bit of orange juice or honey – and bacon in the days when we ate little piggies :) And how close is Christmas??!!

  4. Raymund says:

    Your Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts recipe sounds like a delightful addition to any festive meal. Brussels sprouts are a classic holiday side dish, and the addition of pancetta, chestnuts, and aromatic ingredients like rosemary, nutmeg, and orange zest takes them to another level.

  5. Marissa says:

    Loving this complex blend of flavors and textures, Ben. All things that we love in this house! This is a beautiful side dish for the holidays that are just around the corner.

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