Home Sweet Home
If you read my last post, you’d know that I spent this past week road-tripping with my family. It was so much fun but we’re back in LA! My parents and pup will be staying in LA with my sister and I for another week, so the fun isn’t over! But before I get into our trip, let’s dive into this Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza!
Brussels Are Bomb!
Fun fact: brussels sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables. As a matter of fact, fall vegetables are probably my favorite vegetables. Just roast em’ in the oven, let them caramelize, and you’re good to go! Brussels sprouts are so versatile and there are so many recipes out there that you can try. You can do so many things with them — you can even put it on pizza! I thought this would be a fun brussels sprout recipe to introduce because it’s a little different than your typical roasted brussels sprouts recipe. And who doesn’t love pizza?!
This Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza is kind of inspired by a brussels sprouts pizza I once had in Tennessee. Unfortunately, I cant remember the name of the restaurant, but any time I think of the ideal brussels sprouts pizza, I think of that specific pizza I had.
How to Shape Your Dough (from an amateur lol)
As much as I would like to make my own pizza dough, sometimes you just don’t have the time. So we’re starting off with a handy dandy ball of pre-made pizza dough! I’m no pizza dough shaping expert so take my steps with a grain of salt.
To shape the dough, I like to lightly grease my hands with oil so that the dough doesn’t stick to them. Flatten the ball of dough into a disc shape. Pick the disc up and gently hold it about 1/2 an inch away from the edge. Allow the dough to fall and stretch slightly then begin rotating the dough all around the edge, allowing the center of the dough to stretch and fall each time you rotate the dough. When it becomes too difficult to continue stretching, place the dough onto the greased sheet pan you’ll be baking the pizza on. Continue to press and stretch the center of the pizza dough with the palms of your hand until it reaches the desired thickness.
Great! The hard part is over so let’s get to the toppings! Brussels sprouts and bacon go together like pancakes and syrup. The saltiness of the bacon lends really well to the brussels sprouts and gives them so much flavor. That being said, I had to add them to this pizza. And if you know me, you know I’m a sweet n’ salty gal so we’re adding some caramelized red onions. I also added dollops of ricotta for a touch of creaminess, which helps to cut through all the saltiness. Then we finally top this pizza with a sprinkling of grated fontina and parmesan cheese! Bake it in the oven according to the pizza dough packaging’s instructions and then you’ll have a delicious homemade Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza in no time!
Roadtrippin’
We’ve talked about the pizza, so now lets talk about my trip with my family! It was so great to finally reunite with them after 7 months. I feel like you don’t realize how much you miss someone until you actually see them again and think about them leaving. I can already tell you that my post next week will be a bit of a bummer because I’ll still be recovering from my parents and pup flying back to the east coast lol. BUT we still have time left together so I’m trying to make the most out of it!
South Dakota
We started our road trip in South Dakota. My parents drove from New York to Illinois then from Illinois to South Dakota. My sister and I flew to South Dakota and reunited with our parents at the airport. The next day, we visited Sioux Falls and Mount Rushmore. As someone who’s lived in/close to big cities for most of my life, it was definitely abnormal to be surrounded by such a vast amount of land. Restaurants closed early and things weren’t as accessible as they usually were. Honestly speaking, it wasn’t my cup of tea (sorry to any fellow South Dakotans) but it was a good experience to simply explore a state I’ve never been to.
Colorado
The following day, we drove to Colorado. Oh my goodness. Colorado is crazy beautiful! We arrived in the late afternoon and briefly explored Boulder after dinner. The next morning, we headed towards Utah but stopped at the Red Rocks Amphitheater and Park on out way out of Colorado. It was so amazing and cool and it’s actually been a goal of mine to see one of my favorite music artists perform at Red Rocks. Though there was no one performing, it was still cool to be in the theater. The drive out of Colorado was so scenic and I’d definitely love to come back to further explore the state.
Utah
I don’t even know where to begin with Utah. Wow. Just Wow. We stayed in Utah for about 2 1/2 days. First, we went to Moab to explore Canyonlands and Arches National Park. On the night we arrived, we drove to Canyonlands and stargazed. Ya’ll, stargazing hits me straight in my feels. It’s such a peaceful and surreal experience I can’t help but think about my life and the world around me. It was a great experience and we all saw a meteor, which was pretty wild. The next day, we fully explored Canyonlands and Arches National Park. I don’t know why but the red rocks hit different. It just feels like you’re on a whole other planet and it’s so amazing. The day after, we drove to Bryce Canyon to, well, explore Bryce Canyon. It was so scenic and fascinating to see the different rock formations. My family and I hav already talked about coming back to these parks to further explore them and hike the trails!
Nevada to LA
After Bryce Canyon, we drove to Nevada. Nevada was more of a rest stop —we’ve been to Las Vegas a few times in the past — so we stayed outside of the city. The next day, we drove back to LA and now we’re home at last!
Family Time
My family and I are super close and we all like to joke about how we have separation anxiety when it comes to us being apart. It’s never been easy for my sister to say goodbye to our family whenever we went back to NY or whenever she went back to LA. Now, I can understand why. I’m so grateful to have the family I do. They’re so supportive of my sister and I and I can’t even believe that they really drove a car across country for me. I appreciate them so so much and would not be who and where I am today with them.
It’s never too late to show your parents that you appreciate them. And what better way to show them you love than making them a Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza!? Okay, seriously though, show your parents that you appreciate them because life is short! But also, making a Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza wouldn’t hurt either! Appreciate those who support you and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ Red Onion (sliced)
- 4 Slices of Thick Cut Bacon
- 1½ cups Sliced Brussels Sprouts
- 1 lb Homemade or Premade Pizza Dough
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese
- ¾ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- As Needed Kosher Salt
- As Needed Black Pepper
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add in the unsalted butter. When the butter has melted, add in the red onion and stir. Cook the onions until they turn translucent then reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to cook the onions for 20-25, stirring every few minutes, until they caramelize and become slightly jammy. Remove them from the heat and set aside for later.
- Heat a separate pan over medium high heat. Add the slices of bacon to the pan and cook until the bacon is fully cooked and crispy. Transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to cool and absorb any excess oil. Reserve 1½ tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan and discard the rest. When the bacon is cool enough to touch, roughly chop it into pieces.
- Heat the same pan with the reserved bacon grease over medium high heat and add in the brussels sprouts. Season the brussels sprouts with salt and pepper. Saute the brussels sprouts until they are tender, about 5-8 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.
- Preheat the oven to the temperature listed for your pizza dough. Place a pizza stone or a large sheet pan into the oven while it preheats.
- Stretch the pizza dough out into a circle about 12-14 inches in diameter. Transfer the pizza dough onto the hot pizza stone or onto the hot baking sheet flipped upside down. Drizzle the olive oil onto the center of the pizza dough.
- Sprinkle 1½ cups of the mozzarella and ½ cup of the parmesan onto the pizza, leaving a 1 inch border for the crust. Then layer the brussels sprouts, caramelized red onion, and bacon on top. Add the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of the parmesan on top. Bake the pizza in the oven for about 15 minutes until the pizza crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
