Make my satisfyingly cheesy brussels sprouts gratin casserole just once and you'll be forever changed. This easy vegetable bake is creamy and rich and bound to become a family favorite side dish. Let me show you how to do it!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my alfredo roasted cauliflower, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick and Easy - This recipe combines cheese sauce with cooked rice and prepped vegetables so it comes together in a flash. You don't need to be a five-star chef because no advanced techniques are necessary.
Filling and Flavorful - Baked brussels sprouts casserole is basically broccoli rice casserole with brussels sprouts instead. And since brussels sprouts and broccoli are related the flavor profile is similar. But there no condensed soup and no boxed cheese product--the flavors here are real.
If you have someone in your life who doesn't care for brussels sprouts, don't even tell them what's going on here. Let them fall in love with the cheesy goodness first and they won't even hold it against you afterward!
My family loves side dishes with a twist so I have plenty more for you to add to your cooking list like my brown butter green beans, crispy baked sweet potato fries, garlic baked mac & cheese, and spicy jollof rice.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Brussels Sprouts, of course. I use shaved brussels sprouts in this recipe because they're the perfect texture and thickness: thin enough that you don't have to cook or blanch them first and thick enough that they become tender but still have some bite to them.
Cheddar Cheese, preferably a full block of it. Pre-shredded cheese you buy from the store won't melt properly in this recipe because of the anti-stick agents added to it. I'm partial to sharp cheddar but you can play with the cheeses to suit your taste.
Cream Cheese and mustard make the sauce tangy and creamy. Use whichever kind of mustard you like, including Creole, brown, dijon, and deli mustard. And I recommend a full fat cream cheese for the best result.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Grains - I've made this dish with white rice, brown rice, quinoa, and even a lentil grain blend. So you can use whatever you have in the kitchen!
Milk - Your favorite dairy milk or plant-based milk will work great in this recipe. It turns out really well with buttermilk, almond milk, skim milk, etc.
Sour Cream - The tangy dairy factor can also be achieved with sour cream or Greek yogurt if you don't have cream cheese.
Vegan - Make your brussel sprouts casserole vegan with dairy-free substitutes for the cheese, milk, and cream cheese.
How to Make Creamed Brussels Sprouts Casserole
- Step One: Chop the onion and garlic then cook it down in butter with salt and pepper. (Photo 1)
- Step Two: Stir in the flour to start your roux sauce. (Photo 2)
- Step Three: Whisk in milk until dissolved then let the sauce thicken. (Photos 3 and 4)
Pro Tip #1
If you want to add any other seasonings to this dish, add them in step one. Cooking the spices in this way is called blooming and it helps deepen and better distribute their flavor throughout the finished dish.
- Step Four: Shred the cheese then stir ¾ of it into the skillet along with the cream cheese to complete the cheesy sauce. (Photo 5 and 6)
- Step Five: Mix in the brussels sprouts until coated with cheese then transfer the mixture to a baking dish and cover with remaining cheese. (Photo 7)
- Step Six: Bake until top layer cheese is melted and golden brown and the casserole is bubbly. (Photo 8)
Pro Tip #2
You can shred the cheese for this recipe lightning-fast by using a food processor with a shred disc attachment.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prep this dish up to two days in advance. Assemble the casserole then cover snugly with foil and refrigerate. When it's time to finish, let the casserole come to room temperature while your oven preheats then bake as normal.
Store the cooked casserole covered in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to three days.
To freeze, cover the dish in at least three layers of aluminum foil then place in the freezer. Keeps for up to three months.
What to Serve with It
With about 30 minutes cook time, brussels sprouts rice casserole is a great side dish to elevate your weeknight dinner routine. Even the pickiest eaters in my family gobble it up. Pair it with honey mustard chicken, and garlicky green beans for a good ol' home cooked meal.
As simple as it is, you're also well within your rights to serve this brussel sprouts casserole for Thanksgiving. It fits in just fine next to the holiday turkey breast, garlic mashed potatoes, smoky collard greens, candied yams, and more!
More Favorite Brussels Sprouts Recipes
Looking for other recipe like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this brussels sprouts cheese gratin soon and very soon. And sharing is caring to be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Gratin Casserole
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 large saucepan at least 4 quarts capacity
- 1 Food Processor or shredder
- 1 9 by 9 baking dish or oblong baking dish or casserole dish
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 4 cups cheddar cheese
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon mustard or ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 pound shaved brussels sprouts
- 2 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shred cheese and cut cream cheese into chunks then set aside. Add butter to saucepan over medium-high heat and allow to melt.
- While butter melts, chop onion and mince garlic. Add onion and garlic to saucepan with salt and pepper and cook until fragrant and onion starts turning translucent (about two minutes).
- Stir in flour and cook for another two minutes to make a simple roux.
- Slowly pour milk into pan while stirring to incorporate into the mixture (this helps prevent lumps). Continue stirring and cooking until mixture is thickened and bubbly (about 5 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in mustard, two cups of shredded cheese, and cream cheese until sauce is melted and uniform.
- Add shaved brussels sprouts, and cooked rice to pan and mix until evenly coated with cheese sauce. Spread into a baking dish then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top cheese layer is melted and golden brown and the casserole beneath is bubbly.
Notes
- Don't use pre-shredded cheese (that you'd buy in a bag from the grocery store) here as it is typically coated with an anti-caking agent that affects the way it melts in recipes like this.
- Shredding the cheese can be made much quicker by using a food processor with a shred disc attachment.
- You can prep this dish up to two days in advance. Assemble the casserole then cover snugly with foil and refrigerate. When it's time to finish, let the casserole come to room temperature while your oven preheats then bake as normal.
- You can use many different cooked grains or legumes in this recipe such as white or brown rice, quinoa, and legumes.
- Use plant-based versions of the cheese, milk, and cream cheese to make this recipe vegan.
- Store the cooked casserole covered in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to three days.
- To freeze, wrap the dish in multiple layers of aluminum foil then place in the freezer. Keeps for up to three months.
Scott C says
Thanks for a great one. The sauce was so easy to make following your instructions. I added three kinds of cheese, and carrots match sticks and yellow peppers., crumbled crackers on top before baking, probably a bit more butter… I forgot the cream cheese…lol.. maybe next time.