Cheesy & Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin

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This Cheesy & Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin is easy to make without the need for a béchamel sauce. Shredded brussels are gently cooked in butter with finely cut leeks then smothered with a rich and creamy cheese sauce. Grilled until golden and bubbling.

this recipe

Why You'll Love This Brussels Sprouts Gratin

• Brussels sprouts and leeks are a vegetable marriage to last the ages.
• It’s a brussels sprout dish to convert the most adamant haters.
• It only take 25 minutes and is completely foolproof. No lumpy sauces here.
• You don’t need to make a béchamel sauce. Using cornflour is an easy way to make a cheese sauce which also makes it gluten-free.
• The perfect side dish which is delicious enough to be the main event for the vegetarians at the table.
• The cheese sauce is easy to make, rich with both mature cheddar cheese and cream cheese.
• Full of flavour thanks to smart seasoning.
• Honey dijon mustard. It adds incredible depth to the sauce.
• That final grilling means crunchy golden breadcrumbs and bubbling cheese – a tempting sight to add to the table.
• Easy to make-ahead or freeze.

Ingredients Needed

• Brussels Sprouts - wash, trim the stalk and peel off any grubby layers before shredding.
• Leeks - wash, trim the ends and slice into thin coins to prepare.
• Butter - use unsalted so you can control the salt content.
• Whole Milk - using whole milk means the sauce is very creamy.
• Cornflour - makes the sauce lovely thick and smooth.
• Mature Cheddar Cheese - I love a sharp mature cheddar but you can sub for any melting cheese you fancy. Red leicester or gruyere are also lovely choices.
• Cream Cheese – I always use Philadelphia. It adds lovely richness to the sauce
• Honey Dijon Mustard – the sweetness of this mustard makes all the difference.
• Seasoning - onion granules, garlic powder, salt and pepper add lovely depth.
• Breadcrumbs - I use gluten-free breadcrumbs but you can use any.

Expert Tips

• Peel off the outer layer of the Brussels and trim off the stalks to prepare.
• Shred the brussels and leeks as thin as you can for beautiful ribbony vegetables.
• You want the Brussels and leeks to be wilted in the butter but just turning golden at the edges.
• Swap out mature cheddar cheese for red leicester for a beautiful festive colour.
• If you can’t get hold of honey dijon mustard then regular dijon will do.

Recommended Equipment

• Microplane Course Cheese Grater - It grates quickly and is so easy to wield.
• Flexi Whisk - In a similar vein I have a lot of different whisks but my favourite for sauces is a flexi whisk which gets into all the nooks and crannies of the saucepan meaning you get no unnecessary lumps.
• Oven-to-Table Pan - I wouldn't necessarily but for our weekly Sunday lunches you can bet I make and serve my gratins in my favourite cast iron pan. It's large enough that the pan can accommodate one-pan meals and small enough that it can fit into most ovens. Plus it looks pretty good on the table as part of a homestyle meal.

FAQs

Recipe Variations

• Add cooked and chopped streaky bacon into the gratin before the final grill.
• Sub in some blue cheese into the sauce for a lovely complex dish.
• Include shredded kale into the proceedings.

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Cheesy & Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Georgina Hartley

This Cheesy & Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin is easy to make without the need for a béchamel sauce. Shredded brussels are gently cooked in butter with finely cut leeks then smothered with a rich and creamy cheese sauce. Grilled until golden and bubbling.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

Servings 8 people

Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 750 g brussels sprouts - bottom stem removed then shredded
• ▢ 2 leeks - washed, topped and tailed and sliced into thin rounds
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 500 ml whole milk
• ▢ 4 tablespoons cornflour - (cornstarch)
• ▢ 150 g mature cheddar cheese + 50g extra to sprinkle
• ▢ 150 g cream cheese
• ▢ 2 teaspoons honey dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion granules
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs - you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a large wide bottomed saucepan then add the shredded brussels sprouts and leeks with the salt.
• Cook the brussels sprouts and leeks for 10-15 minutes on a gentle-medium heat stirring occasionally. The leaves should be wilted and just starting to turn golden at the edges.
• Remove from heat and set aside whilst you prepare the cheese sauce.
• Whisk together the milk and cornflour in a large saucepan until smooth. Then turn on the heat and bring up to a gentle boil, whisking all the time. As soon as the sauce begins to boil then the mixture will begin to thicken.
• Add the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, onion granules, garlic powder and salt and stir in until the sauce is thick and smooth. Once the sauce just beings to bubble then remove from the heat.
• Pour the sauce over the brussels sprouts and leeks and mix together until fully combined. Transfer to an oven-to-table dish and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and extra cheddar cheese.
• Place the dish under a grill on medium-heat for 5-10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and the cheese is bubbling.
• Serve straightaway.

Video

Notes

• Serves 6-8 people as a side dish
• Peel off the outer layer of the Brussels and trim off the stalks to prepare.
• Shred the brussels and leeks as thin as you can for beautiful ribbony vegetables.
  You want the Brussels and leeks to be wilted in the butter but just turning golden at the edges.
• Swap out mature cheddar cheese for any melting cheese you like. Festive coloured Red Leicester or nutty gruyere are lovely choices.
• If you can’t get hold of honey dijon mustard then regular dijon will do.
• Before the final grill transfer into an ovenware dish you would be proud to serve at your table.
• Make ahead – prepare the dish up the final grilling stage. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days then transfer to an oven-to-table dish, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and cheese. But do cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 180°C to ensure the dish is piping hot.
• Freeze – You can freeze the finished dish or the gratin up to the final grilling stage. Defrost completely then re-heat according to the advice above.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 12gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 384mgPotassium: 536mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1706IUVitamin C: 82mgCalcium: 277mgIron: 2mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!