Crisp tender brussels sprouts baked in a rich and creamy cheese sauce, and topped with crispy smoky bacon. This is the perfect holiday side dish recipe!
This Brussels Sprouts Gratin recipe is one of those recipes we have with so many of our family dinners and for holidays like Easter. We also love easy Easter recipes like my Copycat HoneyBaked Ham and Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese. This is one of my Side Dishes recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN RECIPE
Growing up, I was definitely not a fan of brussels sprouts. Probably sounds familiar right? Sadly, they’re the outcasts of the vegetable world.
As an adult, I’ve been trying new things, and once I tried them roasted on a sheet pan, I realized, I’d been totally missing out. Sprouts are fantastic!!
But once I tried them this way, sautéed with shallots and garlic, drizzled with cream, smothered in gooey cheese and topped with crispy bacon… I officially fell in LOVE!!
I can’t tell you that these converted my sprout-hating children… although it did convince my daughter to try one, which is a victory in and of itself.
But for any adults… I think these would absolutely convert them to a sprout lover!!
HOW TO MAKE BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN
- Preheat oven and saute sprouts and shallots. A lot of gratin recipes don’t call for any sautéing to be done, but I like the added flavor it adds, plus is cuts down on the oven time. Go ahead and add your seasonings here, so the flavor really develops.
- Turn off the heat, add cream. The reason we remove the pan from the heat before adding the cream is so it doesn’t get heated too much. Too much heat, too quickly, could potentially curdle the cream – and no one wants that.
- Sprinkle with cheeses and bacon and bake. No need to stir the cheeses in, just sprinkle them evenly over the top. Bake about 12 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
The part that takes the longest here is prepping your brussels sprouts… sometimes those little buggers can be tedious to prepare. Especially for this recipe, when you’re going to want about 32 oz of sprouts (2 lbs).
HOW TO TRIM BRUSSELS SPROUTS
When looking at fresh brussels sprouts, you’ll see a hard little bit of stem at the base. Take a sharp kitchen knife and carefully trim off that bottom stem.
Remove any loose outer leaves, and slice in half from top to bottom. Don’t worry if a few other leave fall off during the cooking process. If the sprouts are giant, go ahead and quarter them.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- CASSEROLE – if you’d rather not saute the sprouts with the shallots, you can add everything to a casserole dish (9×13 works well). Bake at 400°F degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and hot.
- BREADCRUMB TOPPING – for a more traditional gratin dish, top these brussels sprouts with 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs that’s mixed with a tablespoon or so of melted butter.
- CHEESES – if you prefer a different blend of cheeses, feel free to substitute with your favorites. Parmesan or Swiss are great alternatives.
MAKING BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN AHEAD OF TIME
I love that this recipe can be made ahead of time, which is perfect for the holidays!
To reheat, bake in a 350°F oven, uncovered, until warm throughout, 12-15 minutes.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3 days for best flavor.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Cast Iron Skillet – I use my cast iron pan for SO many things, you love it!
- Enameled Skillet – Also cast iron, but with the added benefit of easy cleanup!
I really hope you all give these Cheesy Brussels sprouts with Bacon a try… you definitely won’t regret it!!
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Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sliced shallots (this was about 2 shallots for me)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 32 oz bag of fresh Brussels sprouts, cored and halved (or equivalent amount of smaller containers)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (might be labeled as heavy whipping cream)
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (freshly grated is best)
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (freshly grated is best)
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (or about 1/2 cup bacon bits)
- minced fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add butter to a large oven safe pan or skillet, and heat over MED heat. Add Brussels sprouts, shallots and garlic, seasoning with kosher salt, black pepper and paprika. Saute, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, pour in heavy cream. Sprinkle shredded cheddar and gruyere cheese all over the Brussels sprouts. Top with crumbled bacon and bake about 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Sprinkle with additional black pepper and minced parsley if desired.
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Chef Tips
- If you desire a more browned cheesy top, broil on high for a minute or so after baking.
- For a deeper bacon flavor, dice uncooked bacon slices and cook in oven safe pan or skillet until browned and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, add 1 Tbsp butter, and saute Brussels sprouts and shallots as directed. Continue with recipe. - this adds flavor, but also adds more time to cook
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Recipe closely adapted from Delish
Stacey Haase says
Can you bake it in a 9×13 dish?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, once you’ve finished the stovetop part of the recipe, you can transfer it to a baking dish and finish the rest of the recipe.
Kelly says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
The Chunky Chef says
You can use either. I usually cook with salted butter, but this recipe will also work with unsalted 🙂
Carol Hill says
I made this dish last year around the Christmas season I was looking for a different recipe ie simmered in water or with chestnuts/bacon etc so it’s not a million miles from what I was doing but I love it I make a similar dish but using leaks instead either way I love it thank you very much it’s a great side dish with the big Christmas dinner no matter what meat your cooking
Jenny Skalicky says
How do you prepare the brussel sprouts? Do you leave them whole? Do you pre cook/ steam them? Thank you
The Chunky Chef says
They’re cored and halved (or quartered if they’re really large) as directed in the ingredients list 🙂 They’re not pre-cooked, they cook in this dish.
Carol Hill says
I prep mine as in cut away the outer leaves as usual then cut in half and just sautéed as stated in recipe which I would’ve done anyway