Brussels Sprout Casserole

This Brussels sprout casserole is pure bliss! Bake tender sprouts with a white cheddar cheese sauce and top with crunchy…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This Brussels sprout casserole is pure bliss! Bake tender sprouts with a white cheddar cheese sauce and top with crunchy breadcrumbs.

Brussels Sprouts Casserole

Here’s a rich and delicious side dish that will have everyone talking about it: this perfect Brussels Sprout Casserole! Because what’s better than making Brussels that taste like mac and cheese? Bake up those tender sprouts with a rich and creamy white cheddar cheese sauce, then top it with crunchy breadcrumbs toasted until they’re golden brown. It’s truly sublime (and we’re not just saying that!). This is our go-to for a cozy homey side dish that everyone will go crazy over.

Ingredients in Brussels sprout casserole

This Brussels sprout casserole has three basic elements that make its magic: sauteed Brussels sprouts with shallots and garlic, a white cheddar cheese sauce, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any festive fall or winter meal. Use it as a side dish or even a vegetarian main dish! Here’s what you need:

  • Brussels sprouts, shallots and garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Milk
  • Onion powder and garlic powder
  • White cheddar
  • Pecorino Romano cheese: an aged cheese like a saltier version of Parmesan! If desired, substitute Parmesan cheese and another pinch of salt
  • Panko
Brussels sprout casserole

How to prepare the Brussels sprouts

For this Brussels sprouts recipe, you’ll to slice the Brussels sprouts into quarters. Here’s why, and a few tips:

  • Slicing into quarters makes them easier to saute. The first step is to make sautéed Brussels sprouts, and they cook faster and more evenly in smaller pieces.
  • Got super large Brussels sprouts? We’ve gotten some massive ones at the store. Cut them in half, then into thirds to make sixths. Very small Brussels can likely just go in half. The goal is to have everything in similar sized pieces.
  • Remember the weight for the sprouts is off the stem. It’s easiest to buy them in bags from the store: usually you can find one pound bags.
 Brussels sprouts

Making the white cheddar cheese sauce

This Brussels sprout casserole features a white cheddar cheese sauce that’s made like a traditional mac and cheese sauce using a roux. A “roux” (pronounced “Roo“) is a way to thicken sauces by cooking equal parts flour and butter. It results in a thick and creamy sauce. There are a few important things to note about making a roux:

  • Measure out your ingredients in advance (mise en place). The cooking process goes fast, so you don’t want to be distracted by measuring. The French way to say measure out all your ingredients is mise en place, which “means everything in its place”.
  • Don’t leave the stove, and watch closely. The flour and butter can burn easily! Stand by the stove and start adding milk right when the flour turns golden brown.
  • Add the milk gradually. Pour in the milk and constantly whisk, adding it little by little, until it forms a smooth sauce. Then add the cheese and stir until it melts.
Brussels sprout casserole

Ways to serve Brussels sprouts casserole

There are so many ways to serve this Brussels sprouts casserole: it works as a side dish or a main dish! It’s just like mac and cheese but using Brussels sprouts instead of pasta, so it’s the ideal vegetarian main dish. Use it in the following ways:

Make ahead tips

Want to make this Brussels sprouts casserole for a big meal and make some portions ahead of time? Here’s what to do:

  • Sauté the Brussels sprouts in advance, then refrigerate until ready to prepare. Re-warm them in the skillet for a few minutes prior to adding the sauce.
  • Make the cheese sauce in advance, then refrigerate. The sauce will thicken in the refrigerator. Before preparing the casserole, re-warm the sauce with the Brussels sprouts in the skillet.

More Brussels sprouts recipes

In love with the mighty Brussel sprout? Here are a few more top Brussels sprouts recipes for serving this versatile veggie:

This Brussels sprout casserole recipe is…

Vegetarian.

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Brussels Sprouts Casserole

Brussels Sprout Casserole


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 to 10, as a side
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This Brussels sprout casserole is pure bliss! Bake tender sprouts with a white cheddar cheese sauce and top with crunchy breadcrumbs.


Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, off the stem
  • 2 large shallots
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 ⅛ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ cups whole or 2% milk
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan cheese, with an extra pinch salt)
  • ½ cup plain panko (or breadcrumbs)
  • Paprika, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Chop: Slice off the tough ends of the Brussels sprouts and cut them into quarters, discarding any discolored outer leaves (cut any very large sprouts into sixths). Thinly slice the shallot. Mince the garlic.
  3. Sauté: Heat the olive oil in oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and fragrant. Add the Brussels sprouts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper and sauté on medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and continue cooking until tender and starting to brown, another 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  4. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce: Grate the white cheddar cheese (if necessary). Measure out the butter, flour, milk, ⅛ teaspoon salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat; when it melts, stir in the flour. Heat the mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. When the color starts to turn light brown, immediately reduce the heat to low. Add the milk very slowly: whisking constantly until the mixture is completely smooth before adding more. Then add the salt, onion powder, and garlic powder and continue cooking on low heat for about 2 minutes, whisking frequently. Gradually add the sharp cheddar cheese and Pecorino Romano cheese, and keep stirring until it is fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
  5. Bake: Stir the cheese sauce into the cooked Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with panko and bake 20 minutes until golden brown. If desired, dust with a pinch of paprika. Serve warm.
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Brussels sprouts casserole

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Easy Creamy Gnocchi Sauce

This creamy gnocchi sauce is done in minutes! Pecorino cheese, butter and pepper make the tastiest weeknight dinner: Italian comfort food at its finest. Dinner in 15 minutes? Oh yes. Alex and I have a new trick we’ve been dying to share with you: our Creamy Gnocchi Sauce! It takes just minutes to make the sauce, and the gnocchi boil up in 3 minutes. The flavor? It tastes like the fanciest ever mac and cheese: but takes literally no effort at all. We modeled it after one of our favorite Italian recipes, Cacio e Pepe pasta (literally “cheese and pepper pasta” in Italian). Our version uses gnocchi pasta and it’s simply to die for. Alex and I curled up with bowls of this comfort food on the couch on a rainy evening and it was pretty much perfection! Secrets to the fastest gnocchi sauce So, back to that Cacio e Pepe. Alex and I had this famous simple pasta dish in Rome and fell in love. It’s a sauce made with Pecorino Romano cheese, a hard cheese that’s like Parmesan on steroids. It’s so savory and salty, you barely need to use salt with it! In traditional Cacio e Pepe, […]

A Couple Cooks – Healthy, Whole Food, Vegetarian Recipes

This creamy gnocchi sauce is done in minutes! Pecorino cheese, butter and pepper make the tastiest weeknight dinner: Italian comfort food at its finest.

Easy Creamy Gnocchi Sauce

Dinner in 15 minutes? Oh yes. Alex and I have a new trick we’ve been dying to share with you: our Creamy Gnocchi Sauce! It takes just minutes to make the sauce, and the gnocchi boil up in 3 minutes. The flavor? It tastes like the fanciest ever mac and cheese: but takes literally no effort at all. We modeled it after one of our favorite Italian recipes, Cacio e Pepe pasta (literally “cheese and pepper pasta” in Italian). Our version uses gnocchi pasta and it’s simply to die for. Alex and I curled up with bowls of this comfort food on the couch on a rainy evening and it was pretty much perfection!

Easy Gnocchi Sauce

Secrets to the fastest gnocchi sauce

So, back to that Cacio e Pepe. Alex and I had this famous simple pasta dish in Rome and fell in love. It’s a sauce made with Pecorino Romano cheese, a hard cheese that’s like Parmesan on steroids. It’s so savory and salty, you barely need to use salt with it! In traditional Cacio e Pepe, you’ll make the sauce with just Pecorino cheese, pepper, butter and pasta water. Then you’ll serve it over spaghetti.

For a twist on this classic concept, here we’ve used gnocchi instead: those doughy pasta balls that are a little like tiny dumplings. Let me tell you: this creamy Pecorino sauce is truly incredible with gnocchi! It’s amazing that 3 simple ingredients come together into this most flavorful, creamy sauce. Here are the secrets to the sauce:

  • Use Pecorino Romano cheese (a must!). You can’t get away with Parmesan here: Pecorino is essential for the flavor. You can find it at most grocery stores near the Parmesan.
  • Save that pasta water. Here, using the water the pasta was cooked in lends a creamy body to the sauce. Along with butter, it’s essential for making the right consistency, so don’t forget to save it out!
  • Use a healthy dose of black pepper. Using 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper might seem like a lot, but the sauce doesn’t come out too spicy: we promise! It brings in the final element of the flavoring.
Gnocchi Sauce

Serving this gnocchi with creamy sauce

All you need to do to serve this gnocchi sauce is garnish: we suggest a little more Pecorino Romano cheese. If you’d like to bring in a little color, you can add chopped fresh herbs like basil, thyme or oregano. But it’s really not needed at all (honestly, we just did it to make the photo look happier!).

Some nights all we want to eat is doughy balls of goodness in a creamy gnocchi sauce. But to make it a balanced meal (which, would probably be good too!), here a few side dishes we recommend pairing with it:

Creamy Gnocchi Sauce

Other fast & easy weeknight dinners

Alex and I love creating easy weeknight dinners for you, because let’s face it: it’s really hard to find them! And it’s hard to find “one size fits all” type of dinners: every person and family has different tastes, diets, and definitions of the word “easy”.

But we think this one is pretty darn fast and easy, if we might say so ourselves! Here are a few more of our favorite go-to easy weeknight dinners for when we’re in a rush:

This gnocchi sauce recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten free, use Gluten Free Gnocchi.

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Easy Creamy Gnocchi Sauce

Easy Creamy Gnocchi Sauce


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  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 3 to 4

Description

This creamy gnocchi sauce is done in minutes! Pecorino cheese, butter, and pepper make the tastiest easy weeknight dinner: Italian comfort food at its finest.


Ingredients

  •  1 pound packaged gnocchi (for gluten-free, use gluten free gnocchi)
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, seasoned with about 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
  2. Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and boil until they float, about 2 to 3 minutes. Save out 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the gnocchi and keep it in the strainer while you quickly make the sauce.
  3. Melt the butter with the pepper and heat it for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and heat for 1 minute.
  4. Pour the butter mixture into gnocchi pan and add the Pecorino cheese. Stir for a minute until a creamy sauce forms. Add the gnocchi and serve warm, garnished with more Pecorino.

  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Pasta

Keywords: Gnocchi Sauce, Gnocchi, Fast Dinner, Fast Dinner Idea, Easy Weeknight Dinner

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