Last fall The Brown Eyed Baker shared a recipe for Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin. I liked the look of the recipe and filed it on my to-do list. All I can say is this — oh my gosh! My sous-chef dish-washing mom does not eat Brussels sprouts – until now. Once I fixed this recipe mom was all in!
I started out with these lovely little b. sprouts. Since I thought only two of us would be eating this side dish I made only half a recipe. Rookie mistake. 
Once the b. sprouts are cleaned they are tossed together with cooked bacon, melted butter, salt and pepper. The original recipe calls for adding uncooked bacon and letting it cook during roasting. I prefer to cook the bacon first — you decide.
The sprouts are arranged in a single layer in a baking dish and baked for 25 minutes. During the baking the b. sprouts roast and turn a wonderful toasty brown color. Meanwhile a luscious topping of Panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper is mixed together.
After the first baking, Half & Half is poured over all the sprouts and the topping is sprinkled evenly over the sprouts. A second baking finishes the dish when the half & half gets all bubbly and the topping is golden. The fragrance in the house will call everyone to the table! The recipe calls for heavy cream but I lightened it up with Half & Half and it turned out beautifully. Healthified? Hmmm, I believe I just healthified this recipe! 
I’ve already made this again and this time I made the full recipe! Smart.
Happy Cooking,
Catherine
Roasted, creamy, crunchy and complete with bacon and Panko crumbs. You will never serve Brussels sprouts simply steamed again!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Brussels sprouts
- 6 ounces bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Half & Half
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. with rack in middle position.
- Remove outer leaf layers of the Brussels sprouts, slice off the stem ends. Wash and set aside to drain.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts, cooked bacon, melted butter, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a 9" x 13" baking dish sprayed with canola oil (or your favorite spray.) Bake for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss together all of the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl; set aside.
- Remove baking dish from the oven and pour the Half & Half over top of the Brussels sprouts; use a spoon to toss together, ensuring all of the sprouts are coated in the cream. Arrange them again in a single layer in the pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the Brussels Sprouts. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the cream is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker.
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HAPPY MONDAY! Last summer I shared the recipe for this 
This time I started by chopping up some marinated roasted bell peppers. Oh boy these are good.
After chopping slicing sweet Vidalia onions I took a couple of sprigs off my thyme plant. I washed and dried the sprigs and then just ran my finger down the stem and the fresh thyme leaves sprinkled my onions.
As they were sautéing I added the roasted pepper and some salt and pepper. A made-from-scratch pie crust would be great but the Pillsbury ready-bake crust works good too!
