A creamy Winter Vegetable Gratin full of nutritious green veggies in a cheesy white sauce. A perfect side dish. Yum!
Who can resist a lovely, cheesy bake straight out of the oven, all oozy and bubbling with a cripsy golden top? Well, not me, that’s for sure! And I’m guessing not you either 😉
Give me a pasta bake or a French Gratin Dauphinois (my lovely fiancé’s speciality) any day and I can be relied upon to demolish it post haste. These kinds of dishes are perfect winter comforters and exactly the kind of thing I look forward to eating during these dark, chilly evenings. Sadly they are not usually light on calories and for those of us watching our weight, they can be a deal breaker.
Fortunately today’s Winter Vegetable Gratin recipe is stuffed full of goodness in the form of green winter veggies, so it’s not too much of a carb overload. We can still feel pretty virtuous eating it despite it being a creamy, cheesy tummy-pleaser. Veggies totally cancel out the cheese, right?
I have used sprouts, cabbage and leeks here, but it really is so versatile you could almost add in anything you wanted. Some kale or carrot perhaps? Cauliflower? Some diced chicken or ham would be a delicous addition too, I think.
The sauce couldn’t be easier: just a basic white sauce with some cheese added. If you are not used to making your own sauces, please don’t be scared as it really is super easy: all you do is melt a little butter in a pan, add in an equal amount of flour and stir it for a couple of minutes while it cooks together and then stir in a little milk at a time until you get a beautiful thick sauce. Voilà! There you have a basic white sauce, and if you want a cheese sauce, just melt in some grated cheese! I added a little nutmeg and mustard to the sauce too as it gives a lovely depth of flavour, but they are optional, of course.
Just mix the sauce into the veggies, add some breadcrumbs on top to give it the essential crunch, and whack it into the oven for 30 minutes. Done!
Winter Vegetable Gratin
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 6 people
A creamy Winter Vegetable Gratin full of nutritious green veggies in a cheesy white sauce. A perfect side dish. Yum!
Ingredients
- 250g Brussels sprouts, halved
- Half a Savoy cabbage, roughly chopped
- 2-3 leeks, thickly sliced
- 50g butter
- 50g plain flour
- 500ml milk
- pinch of salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 200g grated cheese (I used an equal mix of Gruyère and Cheddar)
- Sprinkling of breadcrumbs (enough to lightly coat the top of your dish)
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add in the Brussels sprouts, leeks and cabbage, bring back to the boil and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain vegetables in a colander and refresh under cold water. Leave to drain.
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
- Melt the butter in a pan over a low-medium heat. Stir in the flour to form a paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk a little at a time, and continue stirring until a thick, smooth sauce forms. Add in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard and stir to combine. Add in half the grated cheese and stir again until melted and combined.
- Place the drained vegetables into an oven-proof casserole dish. Pour over the sauce and mix. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, followed by the breadcrumbs.
- Place the dish in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown on top.
Courses Main
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This looks easy to cook yet very yummy, will try this soon…
Hi Mitani! Do let me know if you try it, and thanks for stopping by! Happy cooking!
thanks for the recipe. came out amazing! fyi, i put in the whole cabbage and 500g of brussel sprouts.
I’m so glad you liked it, Jean! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
my husband says this dish is to die for. thanks for the recipe!!!
That’s wonderful, Jean! I’m glad he enjoyed it and thanks for letting me know!
Hi, what can I serve alongside this?
I’m thinking chicken wrapped in bacon
How about belly pork with the skin cooked to a frazzle!
I swapped the brussel sprouts for cauliflower & broccoli and added a couple of carrots too. Fab recipe! Thank you.
Looks great.I want to try this
Can this be frozen for left overs?
Have made this winter vegetable gratin twice now and it is absolutely delicious. The first time as a main with shredded cooked chicken mixed in and the second time as a side. Works perfectly every time and so easy to make.
This was lovely and really warming. I ate it with carrots with lemon butter and the rest of my family also had rast chicken. It was not at all difficult to make. Thanks for a great recipe!