Name: Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs Brussels sprouts (trimmed of outer leaves and sliced in half); salt; 4 strips of bacon (diced); 1 tbsp butter; 3 shallots (peeled, halved, and sliced); 2 tbsp all purpose flour; 1 3/4 cup whole milk; 1 tsp salt; scant pinch of freshly ground nutmeg; 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 4 oz of grated Gruyere cheese (divided into 3 ounces and 1 ounce)

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Brussel sprouts gratin will won over even the staunchest of veggie haters will be won over by this incredible side dish. A creamy bacon cheese sauce smothers the blanched veggies before the whole thing gets baked to bubby perfection. It’s mmm, mmm, melt in your mouth good!

Forget the traditional potato gratin!

We’ve traded up!

Rich, creamy, and laced with bits of crisp, cooked bacon and sinfully delicious cheeses this is the gratin to end all gratins.

This is still easy enough for weeknights, but still oh-so elegant for holidays or other more formal dinners.

Even if you’ve never been tempted to try Brussels sprouts then this recipe is the one you need to try ASAP.

What is gratin?

A gratin is a French culinary method of topping an ingredient like potatoes, or in this case Brussels sprouts, with a sauce that browns in the oven.

The sauce often contains grated cheese, egg or butter or some combination of those.

This version uses butter and cheese in a luscious bacon flavored bechamel sauce.

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

Brussels sprouts- Trim the off the outer leaves and slice them in half.
Bacon- Dice it up.
Butter- To make the base of the sauce.
Shallots- Peel, half, and slice them. If you can’t find shallots substitute one medium sized sweet onion.
Flour- All purpose flour for the roux.
Milk- Use whole milk and don’t substitute for a lower fat milk. You want the added richness and thickness from whole milk.
Cheese– Grated Gruyere, divided.
Spices– Nutmeg, thyme, and salt.

How to Make

To make these rich, cheesy Brussels sprouts, start by blanching the sprouts in a large pot of salted water until they are just barely tender.

Then, drain them in a colander and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Set them aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium low heat until most of the fat is rendered.

After you’ve rendered the bacon fat, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.

Then add butter to the pan of bacon fat and melt it, turning up the heat to medium.

When the butter has melted, cook the shallots in the butter fat mixture until they soften.

Next, whisk the flour into the butter shallot mixture to make a roux.

After the flour is smoothly incorporated, stir in the milk with a wooden spoon until the roux is incorporated.

Cook over medium low heat for several minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of your spoon. Season with thyme and nutmeg.

Then , stir 3 ounces of the grated Gruyere cheese into the white sauce until the cheese is melted and incorporated.

Stir back in half of the cooked bacon.

Then, taste it and add more salt if necessary.

Add the Brussels sprouts into the cheese sauce. Transfer the cheesy Brussels sprouts into and 8×12 casserole or gratin dish you’ve sprayed liberally with nonstick spray.

Top the whole thing with the remaining bacon and cheese.

Finish the gratin by baking it for 25 minutes at 400 degrees until top is lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat it by baking in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.

Can you make this ahead of time?

Yes! You can easily make this the day ahead of time.

And you can either just make the sauce and assemble the casserole and store the unbaked casserole in the fridge or you can bake the casserole, store it in the fridge, and reheat it the next day.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure to taste the sauce so you can add more salt (and thyme and nutmeg) if needed.
It’s better to start with less salt and seasonings than you think you may need since it is easy to add more. If you start with too much, it is much harder to compensate.
If you don’t like bacon or want this to be vegetarian, omit the bacon and add an extra two tablespoons of butter.

Other Gratin Recipes You’ll Love

You can’t go wrong with cheesy gratins especially for the holidays and this Brussels sprouts gratin is a winner each time. Make it for your next special dinner and enjoy!

Looking for other gratin recipes? Try these:

If you’ve tried this BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!