This Brussels sprouts pumpkin and apple hash is bursting with fall flavor. It’s the perfect side or serve it up as a meal with an egg on top!
I used to get occasional insomnia in high school and college.
It would come randomly in bursts but once it hit me, it’d get me good for a few days.
It’s like the second you can’t sleep all you can think about is how you can’t sleep, how many hours of sleep you’d get if you fell asleep RIGHT then and the mental math would continue every 15 minutes as you checked the clock until you worked yourself up into a full on panic and then finally fall asleep right as the sun was rising for a solid 2 hour snooze.
Rinse and repeat the next day.
That’s exactly how I feel right now with writer’s block.
It hit me about a week ago and I’ve literally sat here with the screen open for at least an hour on every single post since, willing the words to come to me.
They’re not.
Funny enough, I’ve been going back through old posts, a handful a day or so, doing some minor edits, deleting smiley faces (cringe, I can’t believe how many I used), making sure links work, etc. and of course reading whatever nonsense I wrote that day.
And just like the sleep thing, reading old stuff is just making me fixate on how my brain is refusing to cooperate when it comes to new content and exacerbating the situation.
So I’m hoping this little bout of mental blankness leaves soon but until then, let’s just talk about the recipe.
This hash (or saute, or salad, or pile of yum, I couldn’t decide what to call it) is pretty much fall on a plate.
For once, I actually bought a real pumpkin to cook with (instead of a can of puree for twice the price) and decided it needed to be all chopped up and acquainted with some Brussels sprouts, apples, cranberries and sage. These are its people.
It can be a side dish, a main course (add some sausage or an egg on top) or, just eaten as is.
The earthy vegetable taste of the Brussels sprouts is offset by the sweetness of the pumpkin. The apples are a combination of tart and sweet. The bacon adds some salt. And the whole thing is tossed in tangy balsamic rice vinegar and topped with fresh sage.
Now if only it had writer’s block curing abilities, I’d call it the perfect dish.
Brussels Sprouts Pumpkin and Apple Hash
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 2 cups chopped pumpkin, or butternut squash
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, ends chopped and outer leaves removed, sliced
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups chopped apples
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon chopped sage
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Nakano balsamic blend seasoned rice vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place bacon in the skillet and cook until crispy, set aside leaving grease in the pan.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the bacon grease and add the shallot to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the brussels sprouts and pumpkin, season with salt and pepper, stir and let cook for 7-10 minutes until softened and starting to brown on the bottom. Toss and cook another 3 minutes.
- Add the apples, cranberries and sage, mix and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, add the vinegar and toss to combine.
- Crumble the cooked bacon on top and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Brussels sprouts recipes to try:
Creamy Garlic Brussels Sprout Soup
Maple Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts
Cheddar Dutch Baby with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Fruit Salad
Crispy Shallot Brussels Sprouts
Other Nakano recipes:
Cilantro mango wild rice salad
Sea salt and vinegar beet chips
Grilled scallop citrus ceviche
Spicy rosemary tomato peach chutney
Turkey and sage stuffed apples
*This post is sponsored by Nakano as part of my ongoing brand ambassadorship with them. All opinions, content and photography are my own.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
No words to describe how much I love this hash!!
Sorry about the writers block issues. It’s so frustrating. :( But brussels sprouts…I’m totally a big fan over here. Bring me a plate and I’ll finish it right away.
I’m glad I’m not the only one the likes bruseels sprouts. Great recipe, this hash looks delicious… definitely a perfect weeknight meal I need to make!
Wow, so many vibrant colors and flavors in this — pinned!
Gina, you could have written about the weather for all I care. . because this dish speaks for itself. So gorgeous, beautifully styled and this is like fall in a salad. . or hash :) love this!!
Balsamic rice vinegar? That sounds amazing! My family is not normally huge brussels sprouts fans, but this recipe might do the trick!
Hey, writer’s block is totally normal every once in a while! It’s ok to take a break if you need to. But it also looks like you are doing pretty well with pushing through it, if this post is any indication. :) ( <- And smiley faces are totally fine. See, I do it too!) I can definitely get behind a delicious hash of fresh fall vegetables — so good!
I love all the ingredients you used, this is definitely on my to make list! Yum!
I feel you on the writer’s block and the insomnia as I’ve been dealing with a bit of both lately!
I wish I had some writers block wisdom for you, but alas I too struggle with it. Find it rearing it’s head most often when I am writing from the head and not the heart.
It’s wet and to the bone cold. It’s also middle school late start so I am taking the opportunity while my daughter sleeps to stay snuggled under the covers while my border collie stares forlornly at the door. The time to explore led me to this amazing recipe and I now have a dinner plan. Yum
I am not familiar with balsamic rice vinegar. What makes it different from just balsamic?
Thanks!