Creamy butternut squash, crispy bacon bits, and sliced Brussels sprouts together in one delicious sweet and savory dish. This butternut squash, bacon, and Brussels sprouts hash is perfect for weekend brunch.
Sometimes it’s just a happy accident that certain ingredients end up together and work so well. This dish is one of those happy accidents.
I had leftover butternut squash from attempting a new recipe, some Brussels sprouts, and a brand new package of bacon. Individually, I liked each ingredient so I thought it might work together as one dish. Keyword: might. Because I wasn’t sure that all the different flavors would complement each other. I’m soo glad I tried it.
I love the sweet and savory components of this dish. Butternut squash is naturally creamy and sweet, but have you had it with maple syrup? It’s seriously amazing with added flavor. Add in some Brussels sprouts for a slightly bitter taste and crisp texture. Mix in crispy bacon and you have your savory component.
For those of you who hate Brussels sprouts, you can go ahead and leave the Brussels sprouts out. Butternut squash plus bacon is a great combination too. =)
First, cook your favorite brand of bacon in a small skillet. I try to look for brands that have less fat. Most of the time, I use turkey bacon, but the disadvantage of that is it’s less crispy and it takes a bit longer to cook.
Once the bacon strips are crispy, remove them from the skillet and allow them to drain on a paper towel on a plate.
Pour out the bacon grease from the skillet. The surface of the skillet will be lightly greased, and you can use that to cook with if you like for the smoky bacon flavor. If you prefer not to, you can clean the skillet and add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium to high heat.
Add the cubed butternut squash into the skillet, and cook them for about 5-7 minutes until the butternut squash has softened. The outside of the butternut squash will be softer than the inside, and that’s okay because you’ll continue to cook it.
Once the butternut squash has started to soften, add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet. Cook the Brussels sprouts with the butternut squash for 5 minutes or so until the Brussels sprouts have softened.
Crumble up the bacon strips into small pieces. Reserve about a tablespoon of the bacon for topping. Add the rest of them to the butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. The crispy bacon will add both flavor and texture.
Drizzle about 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and mix with a spatula to evenly incorporate the maple syrup.
Place the butternut squash, bacon, and Brussels sprouts hash onto a plate, and top with the rest of the bacon.
Serve the butternut squash, bacon, and Brussels sprouts hash warm.
Enjoy!
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- 5 strips of bacon
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
- 5 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- In a small skillet, cook the bacon until they become crispy. Transfer the bacon onto a napkin lined plate and allow them to drain.
- Pour out the bacon grease from the skillet. The skillet will be lightly greased. This will give the dish a smoky bacon taste. However, you can also clean the skillet and add vegetable oil instead.
- Add butternut squash to the skillet over medium to high heat. Allow the butternut squash to cook for about 5-7 minutes until it has softened. The outside will be softer than the inside.
- Once the butternut squash has softened, add the Brussels sprouts. Cook the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash for another 5-7 minutes. The Brussels sprouts will become tender.
- Break the crispy bacon into small pieces. Reserve about two tablespoons, and add the rest to the skillet.
- Drizzle the maple syrup into the skillet and use a spatula to evenly incorporate the ingredients.
- Transfer the butternut squash, bacon, and Brussels sprouts hash to plates. Top with the reserved bacon.
- Serve the hash warm.
Wow, does this look good, Andrea! I love all those flavors. I can imagine how great they would all be together. You are brilliant! Such a pretty dish, too. Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you so much, Shari!
Looks fantastic! I bet this would be great with sweet potatoes too. I never seem to have butternut squash laying around.
Thanks, Lizzie! I’m sure it’ll be just as good with sweet potato! I think it’s just the combination of sweet and savory that’s so addictive.
Yum! My boyfriend has made something similar before, and I can attest that the flavor combo is pretty magical! Great post :).
Thanks, Kim!
this looks yummy! 🙂
-Fatima
http://foodanecdotes.wordpress.com
Thanks, Fatima!
Wow, this looks really good! I’m going to try this. Thanks!!
I hope you’ll like it!
I love love LOVE this salad idea, Andrea! Bacon is a staple in my house, as are Brussels sprouts (fresh when I can find them, otherwise frozen), and I’ve been getting into butternut and other fall squashes lately. These three ingredients would probably taste wonderful together. I like the idea of a sweet dressing like maple syrup or even honey (which is also a house staple here), but a savory dressing like ranch would also be complimentary to this dish. So many possibilities! 🙂
I really hope that you’ll like this dish. It’s a combination of so many flavors. And if you’ve never had butternut squash with bacon before, it’s amazing.
This looks delicious! I love butternut squash but never thought of combining it with BACON!!! 🙂
It tastes amazing. Trust me. Sweet and savory.
What Ray said…
lol. I love bacon even if it’s not healthy.
You had me with bacon. 🙂
I know. I see bacon, and I follow the link. lol
I love EVERYTHING on this plate Andrea! Great combination of flavors!
Thanks, Jess!