I know I was going to only do one month of Instagram recipes but there were more I wanted to try.  Plus, since first posting about the ridiculous amount of recipes I’ve saved on Instagram, I’ve saved an additional 13 recipes.  It’s a real problem.

Creamy Baked Brussel Sprouts from @thenovicechef is the fifth Instagram recipe I tested.  They were tested because:

1. They sound amazing and perfect for a chilly fall night.
2. Thanksgiving is coming up and I wanted to see if they would be a good addition to the menu.
3. We only like Brussels sprouts prepared one way and I was hoping this would be an additional preparation the family would enjoy.
4. They looked REALLY easy to make and that’s always a bonus.
5. A few people requested I test them out in the original poll.

These were very good.  Here are my pros:

-I liked the creaminess and the flavor of the gratin.

-They were very easy to throw together and didn’t create a lot of dishes.  One bowl for mixing, another bowl for baking/serving.

-The original recipe yields a good amount.  It’s easy to halve or double the recipe depending on how many you are serving.  I would estimate the original recipe serves six.  I made about 2/3 of the recipe and it was perfect for our family of 4.

There were a few issues with the recipe but most of these are due to our own preferences and my mistakes. Here are my cons:

-The Brussels Sprouts could have been more cooked through.  As I previously mentioned, we are picky about sprouts.  We only like them roasted to the point they are almost burned.  These were not “cooked” enough for us. Now, that might have been my fault because…

-I put the concoction in a small baking dish so it would be a “thick” layer of creamy Brussels sprouts.  I don’t know what I was thinking; stupid.  Big mistake. Big. Huge (bonus points if you can name that movie).  Had I used a larger baking dish, all the sprouts would have cooked more evenly.  Plus, we would have had more of that lovely browned gooey top.  Yum!

-The recipe said adding some additional cheese on top was optional.  Is adding extra cheese ever really optional?  Cheese makes everything better.  Add the cheese.

I will absolutely make this again.  Probably before Thanksgiving to see if I want to make it for the big day.  The tweaks for next time will be:

1.  Roast the Brussels sprouts first.  Yes this is an extra step but I think it will really up the ante.
2. Bake in an appropriate sized dish.
3. I did use whole milk fresh mozzarella in this dish that I shredded by hand.  I will do that again.  I really liked it.  But, If I don’t have it on hand, I have no issues using regular shredded mozz.

Who’s going to give this one a try?  I can’t wait to hear what you think.