Slightly sweet and nutty; Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara is a deliciously different take on the Italian classic dish.

This is awesome.  Like, lick the plate awesome.

You see, I’ve made this before.  Twice before.  Have you ever made something, and it tastes so delicious, that you truly can’t wait to have it for lunch and forgo taking photographs of it?

Okay.  For those that don’t know, I have a day job.  Sometimes, it’s a very stress, packed full of crap to do, day job.  So much crap, that I usually forgo taking a lunch and work through it.  Like today.  I am so so SO overwhelmed that I started having an anxiety attack at work.  Not cool.

While there’s one thing I will definitely request vehemently – Yes, I said it VEHEMENTLY – from my boss is that I get help with the monthly close. That’s almost 2 weeks a month of my time spent analyzing and producing these reports. Two weeks that could be spent proactively analyzing the report instead of reactively analyzing the report. That I could actually be working on other, more important tasks. Two weeks that I could – for the love of all that’s holy – TAKE AN ACTUAL LUNCH BREAK!!

While this all sounds oh so good on this screen, in my head the conversation just sounds so selfish. Like, I should and COULD be able to do it all and not complain. As if, there are other more important issues to deal with in the office than my inability to complete 68 reconciliations, produce estimates for 2 expenses for all of central and Eastern Europe without issue. Like I don’t need help producing my quarterly reports and have all the time in the world to prepare them.

Like, I should just suck it up and work ALL THE HOURS!

It doesn’t help that I’ve asked for help and thought I had help but was told, “No” when I really really REALLY needed the help.  I’m getting burned out on this one task that sucks the life out of me almost 2 weeks every month 10 months a year.

This is so not where I was going with this.

Sometimes, my free flow writing just turns into vents and this one has just been eating at me for the last 3 almost 4 months now.  The flood gates opened and I just vomited my stress all over this post.  Ew.

So, some days, I just can’t wait to eat my lunch and just get lazy.  Some days, I don’t even microwave it and eat it straight out of the container.  I know.  But you just gotta understand; sometimes for me breakfast was cold left overs.  Especially in high school.  There was nothing better than Mom’s cold egg rolls!  Honestly.  My mother made KICK ASS egg rolls.  Dad made killer kung pao and I made awesome rice!

So, I’m not opposed to eating cold left overs.  I’m opposed to making a delicious dinner like this one and completely disrespecting it by NOT photographing it and sharing it with the world.  Especially since the only repeat performances we’ve had lately are tried and true AKHA faves or do overs.  This is neither.  This is a Christie got lazy at work but totally LOVES this dish and it might become an AKHA fave recipe.

But, in all honesty, this dish is delicious.

The roasted Brussels sprouts are sweet and nutty, the pasta is tender and delicious, and the carbonara sauce is cheesy and salty.  If you, like me, roast the Brussels sprouts the day before, this main dish comes together in a flash!  Simply sauté the sprouts while the pasta cooks to heat them up again.  This gives you the time to add in some butter and some garlic, if you’d like.  Maybe a sprinkling of some crushed red pepper.

For us, this was a quick and amazingly tasty #MeatlessMonday meal.  The perfect end to a taxing and stressful day.  Add a glass of wine, and de-stressing is a breeze.  How do you handle the stresses of work or life?

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara

Yield: 4

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Slightly sweet and nutty; Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara is a deliciously different take on the Italian classic dish.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups quartered Brussels sprouts
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces linguine
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/2 cup fat free half and half
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Place the sprouts on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Spray the sprouts lightly with cooking spray and spinkle with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are crisp tender and lightly browned.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
4. While the pasta is cooking combine the egg substitute with the remaining ingredients (half and half through nutmeg) and stir well to combine.
5. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Toss the pasta with the egg mixture, adding pasta water as needed to thin the sauce to a creamy consistency. Fold in the roasted Brussels sprouts and garnish with additional Parmesan cheese. Serve with a tossed salad and garlic bread.

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