A Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin For Thanksgiving Day, or Any Day!
Rich and creamy, this cheese-laden Brussels sprouts gratin is nothing short of over-the-top. It’s also a refreshing change for your Thanksgiving side dish line-up! After years of creamed spinach and green bean casserole, maybe you’d like to mix up your turkey day veggies. If that’s the case, say hello to Brussels sprouts au gratin! Even the most die-hard Brussels sprout skeptic will probably be won over by the sheer indulgent goodness of this delicious casserole. Plus, don’t think of this yummy side as a Thanksgiving-only recipe! It’d be a Christmas dinner superstar, or really a welcome side dish for almost any meal you can imagine, particularly on a dreary winter day. You could even argue that you need this gratin even more on a random weeknight in January than you do during the holidays.
All The Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Our Brussels Sprouts Gratin Recipe
Instead of onions, we’re using leeks, which are mild and sweet and a classic gratin ingredient. Their sweetness pairs wonderfully with the slight sharpness of Brussels sprouts—they’re a brassica, after all, and they’ve got just a hint of bitterness. Heavy cream softens that bitterness too, and cheese...well, cheese makes everything better. Especially when that cheese is nutty, savory Gruyère. Here’s all you’ll need to make the best Brussels sprouts gratin, ever:
- Brussels sprouts
- Leeks
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Heavy cream
- Gruyère cheese
- Parmesan
- Fresh thyme
- Nutmeg
- Panko breadcrumbs
How To Make Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin
Take your favorite vegetable and bathe it in a cheese-and-heavy cream sauce. Top with the most airy, the most crispy breadcrumbs. Bake. Serve. Enjoy the afterglow. That’s pretty much how this gratin recipe goes! It really is that easy. We’ll give you a few tips for making sure this recipe turns out perfect:
- For shredding the sprouts, you can often buy them pre-shredded, use a mandoline slicer, or you can use the shredding attachment on your food processor. Or, just a sharp knife will also do the trick.
- Spring for real Gruyère, if you can. We are only calling for four ounces, and real Gruyère has an absolutely unmatched salty, nutty flavor. It really makes the whole dish.
- Don’t skip the seasonings! The nutmeg and fresh thyme are tiny additions that add major complexity to a relatively simple recipe. Nutmeg especially adds a unique warmth to the finished dish that we just adore.
- This Brussels sprouts gratin isn’t great for making ahead, but you *can* do the fussy prep work ahead of time and make your day-of workload a little lighter. If you want to get ahead, prep the sprouts, shred the Gruyère and grate the Parmesan a day ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to go.
Tools You’ll Need
More Thanksgiving Brussels Sprouts Recipes To Try
It looks like we love Brussels sprouts. Probably because we do! This is the fifth Brussels sprout recipe we’ve shared so far, and hey, we’re just getting started! If you’re in love with these tiny buds of goodness, too, give some of these recipes a try:
Thanksgiving Side Dish Planning Starts Now!
Just kidding—TBH we started thinking about Thanksgiving back in August. But we’re in full swing now! It’s the food lovers holiday, after all. If this recipe makes it onto your Thanksgiving table—or even just your dinner table!—we’d love to know. Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
