Carrots au Gratin with a spicy, crumbly topping is terrific! I know, carrots and cheese? Rather than drown these carrots in cheese, tender carrots are enveloped in a silky sauce and are topped with a cheesy horseradish crumb topping – and they’re delish!
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I’m in love with these carrots. I bought a fancy pack of baby carrots – not the whittled-down baby carrots that you put in your kids’ lunches, but real baby carrots, as in thin, young carrots. I got them at Costco, and they were already peeled with just a cute nub on the end.
I didn’t want to just boil the carrots, or glaze them, or eat them raw. These special carrots needed special treatment, so I made a veloute sauce (that’s a thickened sauce made with chicken broth) and topped them with a crispy horseradish and cheese crumb topping.
Wowsers, are they good! I’ve made them a bunch of times since then, and they always get gobbled up. I love that I can make this dish ahead of time, too, and just pop it in the oven to finish cooking just before serving. It’s also a great potluck dish, and it’s fancy enough to go with special meals like an expensive tomahawk steak or rib roast. Don’t forget about this as a Thanksgiving side dish or Christmas dish!
Do your vegetables differently and make this delicious and elegant Carrots au Gratin recipe for your next special occasion meal.
What you’ll love about Carrots Au Gratin
- Tender carrots, a lush sauce, and a crumbly topping give this dish color and texture.
- It’s a great make-ahead dish.
- Elevate humble carrots into something amazing and different!
What Does Au Gratin Mean?
Au gratin is French and means “with cheese”. So anytime you see au gratin (like potatoes au gratin), you know they’ve got cheese on them or in them. Au gratin dishes are usually smothered in cheese, but a deft hand and quality ingredients mean the cheese accents the flavor of the vegetable, not smother it.
Ingredients
- Baby carrots – Not the peeled sold in a bag baby carrots. You want young carrots with the tops still on them.
- Butter – I use salted butter.
- Shallot – 1 small shallot, finely diced.
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken stock – Or vegetable broth if you want to make these Carrots au Gratin vegetarian.
- Lemon juice – From a fresh lemon.
- Dijon mustard
- Sliced white bread – About 3 slices.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly shredded/grated; use the good stuff.
- Prepared horseradish – Not creamed horseradish.
- Fresh thyme – Or dried thyme.
- Salt and pepper
How To Make The Best Carrots Au Gratin With Spicy Crumb Topping
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe near the bottom of this page.
- Preheat your oven to 375-F and butter the insides of a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the carrots stacked 2-3 high.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and parboil the carrots for 3-4 minutes or until they are still quite firm but nearly tender-crisp.
- Drain the carrots, cool them under cold running water, and then transfer them to the prepared baking dish.
- Make the sauce by melting butter in a saucepan and saute the shallots until they’re softened. Add the flour, cook for another minute, and then whisk in the chicken or vegetable broth. Return to a simmer until thickened. Whisk in the lemon juice and Dijon mustard, strain the sauce and discard the shallots.
- Pour the sauce over the carrots.
- Break the sliced bread apart with your fingers into large crumbs.
- Melt the butter and stir in the remaining Dijon mustard, horseradish, shredded Parmesan cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Toss the butter mixture with the crumbled bread, then sprinkle the bread topping over the carrots.
- Bake the Carrots au Gratin at 375-F for about 15-20 minutes or until it is hot and bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- You can parboil the carrots and make the sauce up to 2 days in advance. Then, just warm the sauce, assemble the dish, and bake. Don’t put the crumb topping on until you’re ready to bake so that it doesn’t get soggy.
- You can use asiago, Manchego, or any other firm, aged cheese.
- There’s a fair bit of crumb topping – feel free to use as little or as much as you like.
Recommended
Make It A Meal
I love Carrots au Gratin with a holiday turkey at Thanksgiving, but I will also serve this stunning side dish with slow cooker pork roast, braised short ribs, and grilled steaks.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Warm it up in the microwave or in a low oven until heated through.
Step By Step Process
Carrots au Gratin with Spicy Crumb Topping
Equipment
- shallow baking dish
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds baby carrots peeled and tops removed
For the veloute sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter salted
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1.5 cups low or no sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the crumb topping
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 3 slices white bread coarsely crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375-F and butter the insides of a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the carrots stacked 2-3 high.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and parboil the peeled and trimmed carrots for 3-4 minutes or until they are still quite firm but nearly tender-crisp.
- Drain the carrots, cool them under cold running water, and then transfer them to the prepared baking dish.
To make the sauce
- Make the sauce by melting butter in a saucepan and saute the shallots until they're softened; 3-4 minutess. Add the flour, cook for another minute, and then whisk in the chicken or vegetable broth. Return to a simmer until thickened. Whisk in the lemon juice and Dijon mustard, strain the sauce and discard the shallots.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour the sauce over the carrots.
To make the crumb topping
- Break the sliced bread apart with your fingers into large crumbs.
- Melt the butter and stir in the remaining Dijon mustard, horseradish, shredded Parmesan cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Toss the butter mixture with the crumbled bread, then sprinkle the bread topping over the carrots.
- Bake the Carrots au Gratin at 375-F for about 15-20 minutes or until it is hot and bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- You can parboil the carrots and make the sauce up to 2 days in advance. Then, just warm the sauce, assemble the dish, and bake. Don’t put the crumb topping on until you’re ready to bake so that it doesn’t get soggy.
- You can use asiago, Manchego, or any other firm, aged cheese.
- There’s a fair bit of crumb topping – feel free to use as little or as much as you like.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
