Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Bacon & Chestnuts

This festive side dish is not only low energy dense and high in fibre, a large proportion of its energy comes from protein (23%). Therefore this accompaniment to a main meal should help to fill you up for relatively few calories. And it tastes great. If you prefer less of a kick, reduce the amount of chipotle flakes or remove this ingredient entirely.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

If you have purchased peeled and precooked chestnuts you can ignore the first step. Otherwise score a cross, using a sharp knife, through the shell of each chestnut and soak these chestnuts in a bowl of water overnight. Remove from the water and place these chestnuts on a baking tray in an oven preheated to 180C for around 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, trim and remove any marked leaves from the sprouts, but ensure you still have 500g. Heat a large saucepan of slightly salty water, add the sprouts and simmer for around 5 minutes. In the meantime slice the bacon into small strips. Drain the sprouts, allow them to cool, then cut them into halves. Remove the chestnuts from the oven and place them in a bowl of water. You should now be able to peel the partially cooked nuts from their shells. Once all the chestnuts have been deshelled cut them into quarters. Use a large cooking pot (that has a lid) and add the sprouts, bacon, chestnuts and chilli flakes. Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt then mix well. Place the lidded pot in the oven and allow the ingredients to cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pot and give the contents a good stir. Return the pot to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts have started to turn golden brown. Give the contents another stir and add more seasoning if needed, before serving. This recipe makes approximately 4 servings of 155g