Roasted Belgian Endive with Bacon and Walnuts

Belgian endive can be eaten both raw and cooked. This vegetable makes a delicious winter salad, but is also suitable for casseroles and stir-fries, and tastes great steamed or roasted. Belgian endive is very versatile and a great addition to your diet, especially in the cold season.. It is well known that Belgian endive has a bitter taste, so it is always a good idea to add something sweet to the dish. Roasting transforms this somewhat bitter vegetable into sweet awesomeness. However, bitter compounds in Belgian endive have long been known for their benefits in supporting liver health, digestion and are linked to benefits for metabolic processes of your body.
A pleasant side effect of bitter compounds is that they also curb the appetite somewhat. So if you plan to eat a little less in the new year and boost your metabolism, endive is really good for you.

4 Belgian endives, halved lengthways
8 Bacon slices
2 Red onions, cut into wedges
2 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
4-5 tbsp Olive oil
60 g Walnuts, roughly chopped
50 g Dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 tbsp Flat parley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Trim the endive root, then cut each head of endive in half lengthways. Wrap each half with a slice of bacon. Place them in a large baking dish.
Peel and cut each red onion into 6 wedges. Arrange them around the endive halves in the baking dish.
In a bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, chopped walnuts and cranberries. Season. Divide the mixture among the endive halves.
Bake in the middle of hot oven for about 25 minutes. Remove and garnish with chopped parsley.

4 comments:

Veronica Lee 22/12/25 12:32: Perfect for holiday dinners!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas. 🎅✨
eileeninmd 22/12/25 14:00: Looks delicious Angie, thanks for sharing.
Take care, enjoy your day! Wishing you a happy Christmas week!
Tom 22/12/25 14:24: ...WOW, bacon sure does make everything better.
DEZMOND 22/12/25 15:25: Bacon is such a comfort food for those who eat meat. There are ways to make veggie bacon too using umami sauces on thin slices of white radishes.