Fettuccine with Brussels Hash and Pine Nuts

Even though I love brussels sprouts, I honestly was not excited about this recipe. I was super hungry this afternoon and didn't think such a simple recipe would be filling and satisfying. I found the recipe on a Healthy Dinner Recipe list on Epicurious and tweaked it a little as I went. The flavor profile is genius I tell ya!

The natural nuttiness of Brussels sprouts is greatly enhanced by the addition of pine nuts, and sauteing the sprouts deepens that flavor. Tossing them with al dente fettuccine will make you wonder how anyone could dislike them.

Trim the bottoms off the small cabbages and peel off any outer leaves that are brown or wilted.

The next step is to slice these. If you have a cuisinart blender with a blade attachment, then send the brussels sprouts through the dice to make a cabbage hash.

Alternatively you can hand slice the brussels sprouts.

Shredding in the cuisinart will result in a finer slices, but I liked the chunkiness of slicing by hand.

I sliced one onion and set it over medium heat to caramelize with a small drizzle of olive oil. I cannot resist these, and end up munching on them while I put together the rest of dinner. I should have sliced two onions, because the sweet caramelized flavor was excellent in this dish.

This is about 1/2 a pound of fettuccine, cooked until al dente in salted boiling water.

Because we eat a lot of chicken in this house, I cooked two chicken breasts stove top.

After the chicken was cooked, I added a knob of butter to the pan and we are going to start building our flavors here.

Meanwhile, on a back burner I toasted the pine nuts - don't walk away these brown fast.

When the butter melts and begins to bubble, add the shredded brussels and let them brown for a 30 seconds to a minute before you stir.

Add minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add caramelized onions and1/2 cup of white wine, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, turn heat to low and keep warm until the pasta is ready.

Toss with fettuccine and top with chicken breast and garnish with toasted pine nuts and a fresh zested parmesan.

{Fettuccine with Brussels Hash and Pine Nuts}