Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

With all this house hunting and pizza reviewing, we’ve been eating pretty poorly recently.  And really, there’s no excuse for eating poorly when you live less than 2 miles from a Wegman’s!  So last night I decided to make something green (and threw in some bacon for good measure):

Brussel Sprouts & Bacon Pasta

• 1 pound shaved brussel sprouts (at Wegman’s, they come pre-shaved in a bag, but otherwise just put them through a food processor with the slicer attachment to make quick work of it)
• 4 slices thick, center-cut bacon (you could also use pancetta, or prosciutto)
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 4 oz. whole wheat egg noodles
• grated parmesan

1. Cut the strips of bacon into 1/2″ wide pieces, and cook over medium heat in a saute pan.

2. Once the bacon is crisped up, remove from pan and put on a paper-towel-lined plate.

2. Wipe out half the bacon grease and return the pan to the heat.  Add the diced shallots and saute for 1-2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Then add the shaved brussel sprouts and continue to saute over medium heat, stirring frequently. 

4. Continue to saute for approximately 15 minutes.  About halfway through, drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil on brussel sprouts and continue to saute.

5. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

6. Once brussel sprouts are cooked down and browned on the edges, remove from heat.  Add bacon and pecans, stir.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Toss drained pasta with brussel sprouts.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Enjoy!