Cozy up with this delicious Creamy Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Casserole! It makes a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving and holiday dinners galore.
I’m making a pretty hefty claim here, but bear with me.
Who needs Mac and Cheese when you can have VEGGIES and cheese?!
Think about it.
What better way to pile up a few servings of your daily veggies in one fell swoop *and* save the carb-loading for the delicious crusty bread you scored from the bakery instead of wasting it on noodles?
I’m not knocking pasta, (because I sure do love a good spaghetti night) and I’m certainly not denying the fabulousness that is Macaroni and Cheese… oh no!
I’m just saying to mayyyybe serve your family and friends this creamy cauliflower and brussels sprout casserole instead of pasta tonight.
It’s pretty darn delicious!
Creamy Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Casserole
Wondering how it is? I had seconds, Paul had seconds… it was good times all around!
This is hands-down another amazing veggie dish to add to your holiday meal planning and it’s also just plain awesome for weekly dinner rotation as a veggie-loaded side dish.
The sauce has this luxe Alfredo sauce vibe and adds so much flavor to the dish.
I decided to blanch the veggies to keep things on the speedier side, but feel free to use roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts in this cheesy gratin-style casserole if you prefer. The added flavor from the roasted veggies is fantastic!
I used a delicious combo of gruyere and parmesan cheese (HOLY COW I LOVE IT!) but if you can’t find gruyere, feel free to use Gouda, fontina, or even white cheddar cheese.
I’ve made this easy cheese casserole with and without bacon and it’s marvelous both ways! Choose what topping works for you and have at it!
Creamy Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 oz brussels sprouts
- 16 oz cauliflower florets
- 3 TBSP unsalted butter
- 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups warm milk (warmed via stovetop or microwave)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt plus extra as needed
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1/8-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg or allspice or season to taste
- 1 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese (see notes for swaps)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs or crushed ritz crackers
- ¼ tsp Italian seasoning blend
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- crumbled crispy bacon or veggie bacon
- thinly sliced/shredded brussels sprouts to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Set aside a large bowl of water and ice to shock your veggies post-blanching, big enough to accomodate your colander/strainer.
- Measure out all your ingredients and set aside.
- If using a whole head of cauliflower, cauliflower and cut into florets. If purchasing frozen pre-cut florets, defrost or steam and set aside. For the sprouts, trim and quarter lengthwise into wedges. If using raw cauliflower, cook the florets in a pot of boiling, lightly salted water for 3 minutes, then add the quartered brussels sprouts and continue cooking for 3 minutes until tender but still al dente/firm.
- Add to a colander to remove hot water then place the veggie-filled colander in the to the ice bath. Once cooled, drain and set aside.
- Next, melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour in slowly, whisking with a metal whisk constantly for 2 minutes while it bubbles and darkens in color. This roux will thicken our sauce. Pour heated milk into the butter-flour mixture and whisk well. Bring to a light boil, whisking constantly for 1 minute or until the mixture has thickened.
- Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg or allspice. Working in 2-3 batches, add half the gruyere cheese and all of the parmesan cheese, whisking in between each batch to gently melt the cheese.
- Add veggies to a medium baking dish and top with your sauce. Sprinkle with remaining gruyere cheese. Bake at 375°F for approx. 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- While the casserole bakes, add breadcrumbs to a heated pan/skillet and gently toast until golden. Season with Italian seasoning and mix. Carefully sprinkle over casserole once ready and finish remaining bake time. Once it's hot and tender, sprinkle with your choice of optional toppings and enjoy immediatley.
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this Creamy Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Casserole recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
more baller Brussels sprout recipes
Looking to get festive? Try my Roasted Brussels sprouts with Cranberries and Clementines. This easy sheet pan side dish is great for holiday dinners and gatherings.
Or you can get your salad on with a health Apple Cranberry Brussels sprout Salad with homemade maple citrus dressing or a creamy Shredded Sprout Salad with dijon caesar dressing.
Questions & Reviews
Can this be made in advance and frozen?
Hi Teresa! I have not tested freezing this particular recipe. I usually don’t when they have a cheese/cream sauce and will instead (when I need to advance prep for the holidays) make it 1-3 days in advance (sans crispy topping which I add just before baking) all the way up to step 8 but without baking it, and keep in the fridge until I’m ready to bake it up. Hope that helps! xoxo
Jenn, you mention using roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, if preferred over blanching the vegetables. Could you tell me (a beginner cook) how to do the roasting — temperature? how long?
Of course! So for roasting I typically do 400 degrees F for the oven temp. You’ll toss the prepped vegetables in a tablespoon or so of oil (avocado, olive, etc..) and season with salt and pepper if desired. Roast for 30-40 minutes until tender inside and crisp on the edges. For this recipe blanching is the quicker method and roasting adds extra texture/flavor to the dish.
I’m having dairy issues so I had to make quite a few substitutions (coconut almond milk, soy butter, vegan cheese), but it still came out great!
It was delicious, thank you for the recipe. I add broccoli to the recipe. It was great will make again.
Looove the added broccoli! Thanks Nora!
This was delicious and perfect along side a roasted Cornish game hen. I did not have cauliflower but I had tons of Brussels sprouts which worked perfectly. I’m definitely adding this to my fall and winter meal rotations.
This is the only way I like to eat brussels sprouts! The perfect side to our dinners.
this is right up my alley I love brussels and they are my all-time favorite vegetables I cant wait to dive into this casserole for Thanksgiving!
Yay!! I’m so excited for you to try it Claudia!