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
Kristina says
My son made this for us, and it was outrageously delicious!
Suzanna Ungru says
Wow ! … this will be a new traditional side at my house 🏠 … thank you for sharing it 😊
Leslie Taylor says
I would be interested in receiving this!!
Jacque Hastert says
I love brussels sprouts and I can’t wait to give this recipe a try. I mean can’t go wrong with adding bacon to anything!
Toni says
I really love how cheesy and creamy this is!! Such an amazing meal!
Suzy says
These were so good! The Brussels sprouts cooked up perfectly and goes so well with the bacon!
Haley D Williams says
What a great side dish to have at any dinner! Love that cheese!
katerina @ diethood.com says
YUM!! This looks SO GOOD!! I can’t wait to try it!
Catalina says
The addition of bacon makes this side dish irresistible! Yum!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This Brussels Sprouts Gratin is seriously making me hungry!
Dorothy Reinhold says
Just when I thought I couldn’t love Brussels Sprouts more… Look at all of that cheesy goodness!!
Kevin Smith says
Great recipe. We love this. But I use corn beef instead of bacon also mushrooms to. Hey y’all enjoy!!!’
Ron says
Made these last night turned out excellent a really great dish easy to prep and prepare
Andrea says
I just made this for Christmas dinner. I used frozen brussels sprouts – I defrosted them the day before to get rid of any excess water- and they were delicious! I had many many side dishes – but this one was the most popular.
Andrea says
Hi – Would it be possible to use frozen brussels sprouts? I live in Tunisia and fresh brussels sprouts are hard to find.
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only made this recipe as written, so I truly can’t say for certain. I would guess using the thawed, frozen sprouts will give it a much softer texture.
Emma says
Would this recipe reheat ok it made ahead?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested making this dish that way, so I can’t guarantee the results, but I think that would work alright. I would probably do a test recipe (maybe 1/2 the recipe), and try it your way and see how it turns out 🙂
Stephanie Hill says
Can I do the first step ahead of time, then pop it in the oven when I’m ready? Thinking of ways to simplify cooking the whole holiday meal.
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested making this dish that way, so I can’t guarantee the results, but I think that would work alright. I would probably do a test recipe (maybe 1/2 the recipe), and try it your way and see how it turns out 🙂
robert rooke says
I made this for my wife a couple of months ago and it was so delicious I’m making it for a Christmas Party we are having. Awesome dish!
Michelle says
This dish is amazing! I followed the exact recipe. I’ve loved brussel sprouts my whole life but my 38 year old brother has hated them for his entire life. I always make a new dish every year for thanksgiving and this was it! My brother got everything on the table but skipped the brussel sprouts. Once he cleared his plate, I grabbed the serving spoon and scooped up a bite size amount and dropped it on his plate and said, just try it. He of course, waited til my back was turned to try it. Next thing I know, he’s over at the table scooping out more lol. It completely shocked everyone but I think he was actually shocked the most!! So, even if you dont like them, this dish will surprise you.
Kathy says
Made this EXACTLY as written. It was absolutely delicious!!! I doubled the recipe by sauteeing 2 batches of the brussel sprouts, shallots, and garlic – adding each batch to a 13X9 baking dish. Then I continued with Step 2, adding everything right into the casserole dish. I took it to a potluck where it was cleaned out and received rave reviews!