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
Andrea says
I really want to try this! I was thinking of taking it to our City Hall Christmas luncheon. Do you think it would be ok to transfer it to a crock pot to keep it warm (all other steps being the same)?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but that should work well 🙂
Hungryhippo13 says
I’ve made this for Thanksgiving a few years in a row and have been having to increase the amount every year. It’s amazing!
Katherine says
The first time I made this I paired it with a juicy rib eye steak. My family freaked, it was so good. That was about 5 years ago. It is now a required dish for every holiday and get together. I have made several Chunky Chef dishes that were all amazing but this is a family favorite and I share the recipe with friends and family everytime I make it
Rob says
Really tasty recipe, but the directions do not match what is shown in the video. The directions state to use shallots, while the video shows scallions. The directions are also written as though the ingredient should be scallions (not shallots), with the instruction “sliced” – if it we shallots, I would expect chopped/diced/minced.
I ended up dicing my shallots and the recipe came out pretty well, just confusing after buying the ingredients and then watching the video to make sure my method is correct.
The Chunky Chef says
My videographer for this older video was from another country, where their shallots are like our scallions. Shallots are the correct ingredient 🙂
Linda says
Making for Easter dinner
Steven Cornelius says
Delicious side for our Thanksgiving dinner. Liked it so much, I am making it again now, and serving it over boiled noodles.
Laura Fumich says
The store was out of fresh Brussels sprouts so I have to use frozen ones 🤦♀️ Someone help me with how I can make this!!!!! Please and thank you!!!
The Chunky Chef says
You can use them, just make sure you thaw them, and pat them dry before cooking them 🙂
Laura Fumich says
Awesome thank you!!! So excited!!
Charlotte Buccardo says
Don’t you find that frozen brussell sprouts are kinda of stringy and chewy when cooked compared to fresh?
The Chunky Chef says
They’re not my preferred choice of brussels sprouts, but if it’s all that’s available, people can make do with what they have 🙂
Alice says
I’ve made this 3 times and everyone loves it – even people who usually don’t like brussel sprouts. It is especially good because it is gluten free.
Francine Fein says
Delicious…I didn’t have heavy cream and didn’t want to go to the store again so I put a couple tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and when it was melted I added a couple tablespoons of flour, mixed it up then added a cup of whole milk and when it had thickened a little I added some of the cheese. That worked just fine. I’ve made it with heavy cream, also made it with half and half. They all work fine. Great recipe.
Melanie J Kowalewski says
I’ve made this recipe many times. It’s the only way I can get my husband to eat brussel sprouts. The first Thanksgiving I made this, my in-laws all wanted the recipe! It’s quick and yummy and a nice change of vegetable.
salber says
Wonderful recipe Amanda. I used lactose free substitutes and the recipe still stands the test of time and allergies!
Wendy says
This recipe is definitely a winner! It MADE our Easter dinner!!
My brussels sprouts were huge so quartered them instead of halved. I did everything except for the final bake earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated and then brought it to room temperature and finished the baking part as the racks of lamb rested. It was devine and will certainly be a welcome addition to our special dinners in the future.
Thank you, Amanda!
Tami says
Very easy, very tasty! I will definitely make it again!!
Lauri says
Looking for the nutritional values please, thank yoy!
The Chunky Chef says
As this isn’t a health-focused website, and I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for recipes as there is a potential for error and I wouldn’t want to potentially and/or unknowingly pass along incorrect information. If full nutrition information is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer, or that you seek a nutritionist/dietitian for exact nutritional information.
Jay says
I took several shortcuts and the result was still delicious.This would make a great Christmas or Thanksgiving side.