Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Sheet Pan dinner has been in the rotation for much of 2020 and has now gone into 2021. Because we love it! And we can make lots of different versions of sheet pan dinners depending on what we have around the house. I even broke a few eggs on top of this version and popped it back in the oven for about 5 minutes. The next thing we knew, we had a breakfast sheet pan dinner! If that is a thing?!?!
The Ingredients
I use whatever protein, potato and fresh veggies I have on hand to make a sheet pan meal. In this case, we had sweet potatoes & Brussels sprouts on hand and plenty of bacon. We love bacon, and the smokiness and fat go really well with sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Feel free to mix things up any way you like though. Use gold potatoes, broccoli or fresh green beans if you prefer them. The most important thing to keep in mind is to cut everything so that it will cook at the same speed.
The Prep
I begin by cleaning and cutting all of my ingredients. The sweet potatoes need to be cut smaller than the veggies because they will take longer to cook. I leave the skins on though. I see it as less work and added nutrition;-) For this Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Sheet Pan, I cut the sweet potatoes and bacon into 1 inch chunks and cut the Brussels sprouts in half.
Season Up the Sheet Pan!
I put the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts into a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle on the Everything Dry Rub and mix it to combine well. Add the bacon into the bowl and give it a good mix to combine everything well. Spread the mixture out onto the greased baking sheet (or two) and in the oven it goes. Use a spatula to give it all a stir once or twice while it is cooking so that nothing sticks and burns.
The Everything Dry Rub is a smoky-sweet combination of flavors that are dominated by brown sugar, cinnamon and cumin with a little kick from chipotle chili powder. It is particularly good on grilled or baked meats, bacon and sweet potatoes. Hence, why I use it in this recipe. Feel free to use whatever seasoning mix that you have on hand if you want. This is more of a process and a guide than a recipe you need to follow to the letter.
Sheet Pan Love
Rimmed sheet pans are probably what I use most to cook with. I use them for everything from baking Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, to Plantain Wraps, Sweet Thyme Carrots and Roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Dill, Eggplant Parmesan and my Chicken Sausage and Potato Sheet Pan too! So I knew I had turned a corner of some kind when my daughter came into the kitchen, saw what I was taking out of the cupboard and asked, “sheet pan dinner tonight?” It has definitely become a “thing” in my house.
Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes scrubbed
- 2 lbs brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
- 1 lb bacon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp Everything Dry Rub
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and generously grease them.
- Scrub potatoes and cut into 1 inch chunks. Trim Brussels Sprouts stems and cut them in half. Place both in a large bowl and coat with olive oil and Everything Dry Rub. Make sure all is coated evenly.
- Then cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and add to the mixture. Stir to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Spread the mixture out in a single layer on a baking sheet(s). Bake for approximately 1 hour or until it is browned to your liking, stirring 2-3 times while it cooks.