Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Gratin. Bacon, cheese and Brussels Sprouts all baked in a creamy sauce. Very easy recipe and of course absolutely delicious!
Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Gratin. This is such a wonderful recipe and so popular too!
When it comes to choosing your side dishes for Thanksgiving or Christmas, Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Gratin is simply a MUST! It’s quick and easy to make and also budget friendly.
Of course, you can leave out the bacon if you have non meat eaters, or indeed, make up two dishes, one with and one without the bacon so you can please everyone.
Also, we’ve had lovely comments from our readers who’ve made this as a main meal and served with mashed potatoes, fries and some with pasta.
So it’s a really flexible recipe and everyone loves it! Of course who can say no to bacon and cheese?
Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Gratin is quite a filling and rich dish, so as far as portions go, you won’t need too much if serving as a side dish, however, if you have some huge appetites to feed, then you use your own judgement as to how much they will fill their tummies! It’s a lovely winter warming dish and pure comfort food at it’s best.
Ahhhhh! Bacon makes everything taste good! Love them or hate them, Brussels Sprouts appear in almost everyone’s menu at some point over the holiday period, and here, the humble sprout has been taken to another level, making this a delicious recipe, which even the stubborn ‘sprout haters’ will enjoy!
The addition of bacon and cheese certainly elevates this dish to a wonderful, easy creamy side dish, fit for any table!
It’s an easy recipe which you could prepare ahead of time and pop in the oven just before you’re ready to serve. So let’s see how to make this Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Gratin.
Recipe by Cathy Kopp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the dish
8 oz Bacon
1 pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves and stems removed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease, butter, or spray a 2 quart baking dish
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the Brussels sprouts and coarsely chop. Fry bacon (if raw) until crisp and coarsely chop.
3. Transfer sprouts and HALF of the bacon to the prepared baking dish and toss with the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, then spread out evenly. Pour the cream on top, sprinkle with the cheese, remaining bacon and breadcrumbs and dot with the butter pieces.
4. Bake the gratin until bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
We’d love to hear from you and what you thought of our Bacon and Brussels Sprouts recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Here’s a selection of our other popular side dishes you might like to try
Festive Jack Daniel’s Stuffing Balls
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces, plus more for the dish
- 8 oz Bacon
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts outer leaves and stems removed
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
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Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease, butter, or spray a 2 quart baking dish
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the Brussels sprouts and coarsely chop. Fry bacon (if raw) until crisp and coarsely chop.
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Transfer sprouts and HALF of the bacon to the prepared baking dish and toss with the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, then spread out evenly. Pour the cream on top, sprinkle with the cheese, remaining bacon and breadcrumbs and dot with the butter pieces.
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Bake the gratin until bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Lisa Angell says
Love this recipe, we’ve made it several times. I substituted crushed up pork rinds instead of bread crumbs to make it Keto friendly. Thank you for the recipe!
Sharon says
This is so easy and good. I lowered the carbs by substituting crushed pork skins for the bread crumbs.
Lyndsay says
Hi there? I’m wondering, should i cook the bacon first, before adding it to the casserole dish? Or should it be cooked in the casserole uncooked? Thanks!
Lovefoodies says
Hi Lyndsay,
If you want the bacon crispy, cook it first, otherwise add it with everything else. Some people like it crispy!
Kelsi says
I left off the breadcrumbs to make it keto. Amazing!!!
Tish says
Really tasty! Thank you!
Amanda says
These were amazing! Definitely a keeper. I used panko instead of breadcrumbs.
Tammy miller says
can you make this recipes a head of time
Angie says
I’ve made this the past 2 years by following the recipe up to end of step 3 and then freezing. When I want to eat it, I defrost it and then bake as per step 4. Works great!
Mitzi says
I have just recently started enjoying brussel sprouts because of a roasted version at a resturant .Do you think this recipe would be tastier if they were not boiled ?
I believe that’s were they got there bad reputation in the first place! Nice recipe
Teresa says
Easy to follow directions … great taste … will be making again.
maevericJenny says
Wonderful all the recipes. Love looking through them. Wish I had them 50 years ago when I was young.
[email protected] says
Wanted no carbs so I crushed pork rinds…..yummy
Regine Souffront says
I’m doing low carb so I left the breadcrumbs out. And I used frozen Brussel sprouts so I did not precook them.
My family loved it so much, they requested the dish again for Christmas dinner. So happy!
Lovefoodies says
Hi Regine, that’s great news! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Kerri McG says
I roasted the brussels sprouts at 400 degrees for about 20 min, then added about 5 cloves of minced garlic, then roasted for about 10 min longer. I added 1 cup of cream, and 1 cup of sharp cheddar. 1/2 cup wasn’t enough for me! 🙂 I didn’t want any carbs, so I used 3/4 cup of almond flour mixed with about 3-4 tablespoons of melted butter instead of the breadcrumbs. I baked it for 20 min. DELISH!!! Perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish!!!
Betty says
Sounds amazing! We love roasted Brussel sprouts … could I use those instead of boiled?
Lovefoodies says
Hi Betty, yes of course! This is a lovely flexible recipe so feel free to make it up to suit your liking!
Barrette says
Wow! These were amazing! I didn’t have any breadcrumbs, so I was just going to omit them, but I had garlic pistachios… A few turns in the food processor and I had myself a delicious topping! I like a kick in my food, so next time I’ll add a bit more red pepper flakes. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It’s a keeper!
Barbara Murphy says
This has got to be my most favorite brussels sprout recipe ever…..sooo delicious!! The only thing I did differently was skip the breadcrumbs since I do Low Carb/Keto. It was plenty thick and creamy enough without. Thank you.
meme says
what does it mean “Coarsely Chopped”? Chop up the sprouts? They look whole in your picture!! Please explain as I want to try this.
Lovefoodies says
Hi there, the sprouts can be left whole if you prefer, of course it will depend on their size, but if they are large sprouts, coarsely chopping would be better to make sure they cook through. So cut them chunky, or in half so they still have a good shape to them.
Hope that helps!
Linda Bean says
I made a vegetarian version of this using Tofurky sausages. It was very good!
Tuesdae says
What a fabulous dish! I don’t use bread for anything since I am a keto fan, but decided to make this with a couple of variations. I used ground beef with the sprouts, used less bacon and used it as a topping. Needed to use the taco blend cheese i have so I used that and pork rinds instead of bread crumbs. Freakin Amazing!!!
Shelley says
I made this recipe for my family and everyone LOVED it. It is an awesome recipe and is quite decadent. I am making it for a family gathering and have decided to make copies of the recipe because I know everyone will love it!
Lovefoodies says
Hi Shelley, that is great news! It certainly is a very popular recipe, even with the non sprout fans!!!
linda says
Made this dish for a family function and was told that I would have to make it for every function in the future. I did not make any changes to the recipe except I put some aside with no bacon for a vegetarian guest. There were no leftovers.
Lovefoodies says
Hi Linda! So glad everyone enjoyed the dish! It is certainly so popular, even with those who don’t like sprouts!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to write in and tell us. It means a lot and we appreciate it very much!
Best wishes!
Heather says
I made this over the weekend, and it was absolutely amazing! Everybody loved it- even my non-brussels sprouts eating husband. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much!
Michelle says
Should the bacon be pre cooked?
Christine says
Can you use Parmesan? I couldn’t find white cheddar, just a four cheddar mix.
Lovefoodies says
Hi Christine, you can use any cheese you enjoy! It’s very flexible. Please enjoy!
Sam says
Would it be OK with I used frozen sprouts instead of fresh? Any feedback would be appreciated. Merry Christmas.
Lovefoodies says
Hi Sam, sure you can use frozen. Just check on the package if they are already cooked or raw, then follow the recipe as usual. Merry Christmas!
jen says
I made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it – they are asking for it for Christmas now! I used the pistacio garlic panko from Whole Foods and it really was fabulous!
Lovefoodies says
Hi Jen! That pistachio panko sounds absolutely lovely! (I love pistachios!!) So glad it was a success with your family and wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for writing in and letting us know what you did too. It’s always so nice to hear other ideas!
Katherine says
I used 1/2 of a pound & it was great.
Crystal says
How many slices of bacon is 8 oz?
Katherine says
This is delicious, but I must have made a mistake because it didn’t look creamy like the photo. Maybe it was the breadcrumbs (used Progresso plain crumbs). What type is best? – homemade, panko or?
MrsMamaWolfe says
I made this recipe for my Thanksgiving dinner. It was wonderful! The only changes I made included roasting the sprouts in the oven with olive oil, salt & pepper until about 3/4 of the way finished. I used a smidge extra cheese and excluded the red pepper. It was great. Everyone loved the recipe, including many people who do not like b. sprouts to begin with! I definitely recommend this recipe to anyone. Also as a side note, I made this dish the night before and prebaked for a couple mins to get it started. I let the dish thaw near the stove and put in the oven a couple mins before serving dinner just to finish baking and to brown the crumbs!
Lovefoodies says
Heyyyy! So happy the sprouts were a hit at Thanksgiving. I have to say, you’re right, even the Sprout haters enjoy this!! Your feedback for making ahead sounds like a great tip too and I’m sure many others will find your tip helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time to write in and let us know how your dish went and wishing you a super duper week ahead and a lovely Christmas too!
Jackie says
This is wonderful, can you tell me if I assemble everything into the casserole dish tonight, can I fridge that and cook tomorrow?
Lovefoodies says
Hi Jackie, yes, you can do that, the only thing I would suggest before placing in the oven is to make sure the dish has come to room temperature to avoid possibly cracking, going from cold to hot can cause some dishes to crack. Otherwise, yes, it’s all good!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Crystal Noe says
I am making this for Thanksgiving amand since I need my oven for other things I was wondering if I could make this in the slow cooker. I wasn’t sure if it would be as good since it wouldn’t brown on top. Thanks in advance!
Lovefoodies says
Hi Crystal, Happy Thanksgiving!
We haven’t had any reports back yet from people who have tried this in the slow cooker, and that would be my only concern too about the browning and crispy top which you wouldn’t get in a slow cooker, but if you don’t mind about that, you can give it a go! Please do report back and let us know how it turned out so others can see. We’d appreciate that very much!
Have a wonderful week ahead with your friends and family!
Jackie says
I am making this for a Thanksgiving crowd and I am wondering about the size. There will be alot of dishes brought and I was thinking that maybe this would be enough or should I double the recipe. It looks delicious!
Lovefoodies says
Hi Jackie, this recipe will serve 6 people as a side dish, more if it is say a party buffet as people wouldn’t normally have bigger portions. It fits in a 2 quart baking dish, so if you take a look at your dishes so you can visualise the amount. I think if it is a crowd, I would go for double because this really is a popular one!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Angie says
Could this dish be made ahead and frozen to use later?
Lovefoodies says
Hi Angie, We haven’t had any feedback from being frozen but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I suggest you bring it back to room temperature and reheat in a medium oven. if you’re worried about the top burning, just pop some foil over it to make sure it doesn’t burn or dry out. It should be fine! Do let us know if you try so we can update the recipe with your suggestion if you think it works well.
Thanks for writing in!
Angie says
I’ve made this the past 2 years by following the recipe up to end of step 3 and then freezing. When I want to eat it, I defrost it and then bake as per step 4. Works great!
kimmie says
This was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and I loved it. I went a little heavy on the red pepper because I like a bit of spice.
lovefoodies says
Hi Kimmie, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s nice you can adapt things to how you like so hopefully you will be making it again soon!
Thanks very much for your feedback 🙂
Bernie LeVeque says
I would add a bit of flour to some of the bacon fat to make a quick light roux. Then, add cream simmer till thickened. Next add 1/2 of the cheese. This will help the cheese and cream to combine and it will not be runny and the fats will not separate. If there is no issue with gluten, it can be very hand to use.
lovefoodies says
That’s a great idea Bernie, to add the bacon fat for extra flavour and also the addition of a roux sauce. There are certainly many possibilities to change this recipe to exactly how you prefer so I hope you have been inspired to make something from the recipe!
Thanks very much for your feedback and comments, always very much appreciated.
Happy cooking to you!