Broccoli and Cheese Bites

Served warm or at room temperature, either way, these bites are delicious.

May 24, 2022

If you’ve been encouraging your kids to eat more vegetables – great! If they’ve been resistant to your requests, I understand. When my son was young, I found that if I combined a vegetable (let’s say broccoli) with something he did enjoy (let’s say cheese), I had greater success at getting him to eat vegetables.

I think you, and better yet your kids, are going to love today’s recipe. I’ve been tweaking it over the years and wanted to share with you my favorite version.

For convenience, I like to use frozen broccoli for this recipe. It just needs to be thawed and squeezed to remove as much moisture as possible.

Nutritionally speaking, frozen vegetables are comparable to fresh, and in some cases they’re even better. Vegetables are typically flash frozen immediately after harvesting, which reduces nutrient loss. For the best quality, use frozen vegetables within eight months of purchase.

Speaking of frozen food, these bites freeze well if you have leftovers. Arrange them on a sheet pan so they’re not touching each other. Place them in the freezer for about an hour, or until completely frozen. Transfer the bites to a sealable freezer bag and pop them back into the freezer. To reheat, place the bites on a sheet pan and heat in a 350-degree oven. They should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees, which should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

To your health,

Darlene

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE BITES

Yield: 12 servings

Serving Size: 2 broccoli and cheese bites

Prep: 15 minutes

Ready: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 package (12 ounces) frozen broccoli cuts
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 large egg
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot Sauce)
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 cups (4 ounces) grated reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable oil cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

Thaw broccoli cuts and squeeze well to remove excess moisture. Rough chop broccoli into smaller pieces and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together milk, egg, sour cream, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper sauce, panko crumbs, and onion. Stir in broccoli, cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
Generously coat mini-muffin tins with cooking spray and evenly divide mixture to yield 24 broccoli and cheese bites. Cook in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Nutrition Information per Serving

83 Calories, 4 g Total fat, 2 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 27 mg Cholesterol, 210 mg Sodium, 5 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary fiber, 2 g Total sugars, 0 g Added sugars, 5 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 141 mg (10%) Calcium, 0 mg (0%) Iron, 24 mg (0%) Potassium