Even the hardiest Brussels sprouts haters will like this dish–they’re covered in cheese sauce! Nutty, buttery Gruyère is a perfect companion for them and this dish is a great side for chicken, pork, or roasted meats. If you have it, whisk a pinch of grated nutmeg into the milk to add a bit of warm spice and richness to the sauce.–Claire Robinson

LC When Gooey Isn’t Quite Good Enough Note

We can’t complain about an enticingly gooey gratin that not only gets everyone to eat their Brussels sprouts but comes together with just five or so ingredients. Yet sometimes, though, we crave something that’s more than just gooey, something that’s a little crispy, crunchy, or crumbly, too. That’s when we start playing a little loose and fancy free with this dish, at least in our imagination. Like maybe strewing some buttery breadcrumbs or crumbled bacon atop its cheesy goodness. We don’t think it would suffer from this. No, not at all.

A white gratin dish filled with creamy Brussels sprouts and covered in cheese.

Five Ingredient Fix

5 / 3 votes
For this great Thanksgiving side dish, Brussels sprouts are nestled in a cheese sauce that bubbles brown when baked. Even the kids will love ’em.
David Leite
CourseSides
CuisineAmerican
Servings6 to 8 servings
Calories262 kcal
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk, at room temperature
  • 5 ounces (about 1 cup) Gruyère cheese, grated
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
  • Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Steam or boil the Brussels sprouts until bright green and beginning to soften but not mushy, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their size. Drop the sprouts into the ice water to stop the cooking, then drain and pat them dry. (You can set the sprouts aside for up to several hours before continuing with the recipe.)
  • Melt the butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbling, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly stir in the milk. Continue to cook, whisking frequently, until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and season the sauce well with salt and heavily with pepper.
  • Halve the sprouts through the core or, if they’re large, quarter them. Place the sprouts in an even layer in a 2-quart baking dish, pour the sauce evenly over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until golden and bubbling on top, 10 to 15 minutes. If the cheese doesn’t turn quite golden enough, run the gratin under the broiler for a few seconds. Serve hot, hot, hot.
Five Ingredient Fix

Adapted From

Five Ingredient Fix

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 262 kcalCarbohydrates: 21 gProtein: 15 gFat: 15 gSaturated Fat: 9 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 4 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 45 mgSodium: 154 mgPotassium: 756 mgFiber: 6 gSugar: 8 gVitamin A: 1742 IUVitamin C: 134 mgCalcium: 406 mgIron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2010 Claire Robinson. Photo © 2010 Stephen Murello . All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

What do you say when publicly professed Brussels Sprouts Haters exclaim: “These are the best brussels sprouts I have ever eaten. I love them”? You say, “This is a winner!” And when the dish is emptied by someone sneaking the remaining few home with her, you know you are on to a winner.

This recipe is easy, short, to the point and into the oven, so you can straighten up the kitchen a bit before dinner is served. And as you do, I dare you to not lick the spoons, and the pan!

The sprouts still have that unique peppery taste of their own, but it is smoothed out and polished up a bit with the cream sauce and the Gruyère. All in all, a dish to add to your list for Thanksgiving — and any other holiday where you need your star quarterback and a good front line!

This recipe is a winner! Wish I had tried it for our Canadian Thanksgiving. Oh well, there’s always Christmas. I followed the recipe exactly as written, adding the pinch of freshly grated nutmeg as suggested. So delicious! I ran the finished dish under the broiler before serving to get the top golden brown. Otherwise, it would have stayed in the oven too long, and perhaps become mushy. The only thing I would do differently next time is to steam the brussels sprouts rather than boiling them, to keep more of the nutrients in the sprouts. I love the fact that you can start this recipe ahead of time, preparing the sprouts now, and finishing with the cheese sauce just before serving.

Side dishes sometimes come as an afterthought to the main dish, and in autumn, it’s easy to fall back on the tried and true roasted vegetable (which is certainly delicious). This recipe is a perfect way to jazz up your repertoire of side dishes, and its easy, inexpensive, and takes little time to prepare (so you can, if you so desire, focus on perfecting your roast with your spare time). The sprouts cook quickly, so make sure you are watching them after dropping them in the boiling water. You also want to make sure your cheese is already grated and set aside prior to beginning the sauce, so that you do not waste any time or have to scramble to mix in the cheese. I added freshly ground nutmeg to the cheese sauce, which was delicious. If you do not have Gruyère, I made this dish one time with gouda which also worked very well.

“I could eat this again,” said the man who would eat only half of a brussels sprout once a year at Thanksgiving dinner, just to be polite to the cook (me). And he said it after eating oh, three or four sprouts, smothered with the creamy Gruyère sauce. I don’t even have keep writing at this point, since you probably have some idea that the gratin was delicious and I’ll be making it again. The white sauce is a cinch to make and is versatile, and would be wonderful on other blanched, often underappreciated vegetables, such as cauliflower and asparagus.

This Brussels Sprout Gratin recipe was delicious. It was decadent, rich, and indulgent, and worth the splurge of cream and cheese. The flavor of the sauce was nutty, with a hint of sweetness. It was cozy, warm and comforting; the Gruyère was an excellent cheese to contrast with the earthy flavors of the Brussels sprouts. This is a fabulous dish to add to your holiday dinner or to have as a dinner on a cold, stormy evening. The white sauce took longer than two to three minutes to thicken; it was more like six minutes.

We love brussels sprouts, but even if you don’t or have others around who aren’t crazy about them, they may like this. What’s not to like? Creamy, cheesy goodness with delicious fall sprouts. The instructions are excellent, and following them — especially in cooking the vegetables — will result in deliciousness. Be careful when adding the sauce to the sprouts. I found it to be a bit too much sauce for our taste, as it is very rich. The vegetables can handle some competition, but don’t drown them if you can help it.

An easy, accurate recipe that yields simple but profound pleasure. The Gruyère and brussels sprouts provide a one-two punch that will render you powerless in the face of their awesome powers. More simply put, this is freakin’ delicious. I would boil the sprouts for less time, because they start to become a bit mushy if you go as long as directed. I would even go so far as to say that this recipe would be even better if the sprouts were partially roasted in advance of being cooked in the gratin. I think they’d have better texture, and that the cheese and milk would meld more completely with them.

This very easy recipe would make a great side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. The rich, creamy sauce complements the brussels sprouts perfectly. I could see substituting other vegetables in this recipe, like broccoli or asparagus, for an equally satisfying dish, and maybe adding some toasted breadcrumbs for a bit of crunch.

This recipe comes together pretty quickly, especially if you’re already comfortable with making a white sauce. I usually avoid boiling my brussels sprouts, but went ahead and did it for this recipe and despite myself really liked the final dish. The cheese sauce soaks up any leftover water (still, drain and dry the sprouts well) and the methods involved make this a perfect dish for big family dinners. I did add some freshly ground nutmeg, since I almost always add it to cream sauces and cooked greens, and I went really heavy with the black pepper. I would consider quartering the sprouts next time to better mix the sauce/cheese with the sprouts, and would maybe increase the sprout-to-sauce ratio, but I’m a huge brussels sprouts fan. I will make this dish for Thanksgiving dinner.




About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious, easy, creamy. I still can’t believe my kids finished their plates. And asked for seconds!

    1. Sarah, that’s the highest praise we can imagine receiving! Magnificent! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know and for sharing that gooey cheesy loveliness! Looking forward to hearing which recipe on the site you (and the kids) decide to try next…

  2. Super easy! I roasted the halved Brusses sprouts for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven first. Not sure if I can add the sauce now and bake the dish tomorrow morning, or if I should wait and add right before cooking. Hope it’s as delicious as it was quick to make.

  3. Clutch my pearls!!!!!! How did I not ever think of something like this?!?!

    WOW, I am fantastically in love with this recipe, and I don’t know if I can wait till Thanksgiving to make it!!!!

    LOVE this!

    1. Who says you need to wait for turkey day, Jessica? It’s so simple to toss together, you could have it for dinner this evening…and then again on Thanksgiving…and again the next Tuesday. So glad you love it. Let us know when you actually do make it…