Every December, a group of neighborhood ladies
gather for a Christmas lunch at a local restaurant, a cozy, family-owned
Italian place. I love their Chicken Parmesan and that's what I ordered for
lunch when we were there last Wednesday. It wasn’t until my food was delivered
that I realized that, instead of ordering the sandwich, I ordered the dinner.
So, not only did I get a big piece of Chicken Parmesan, but I also got a
sizable salad, and an even more sizable side dish of broccoli. I ended up
bringing half of the salad and all of the broccoli home with me. The salad I
enjoyed the next day with a sandwich, the broccoli I turned into wonderful
little cheesy broccoli bites that work equally well as an appetizer or
vegetarian meal.
The idea struck me as I was paying my bill, looking at that big pile of broccoli that I was carefully dumping into one of those polystyrene containers. It just sounded so appealing to have broccoli, a couple of cheeses, hint of nutmeg, and some sort of filler, all rolled together and baked in the oven. As it turned out, I was right! These are delicious. They are also easy to make. I put everything together earlier in the day, and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to roll them into balls. I enjoyed them for dinner with a glass of wine. It probably wasn't the most balanced meal, but it sure was a tasty one.
If you have any difficulties at all getting members of your family to eat vegetables, this would be a very easy way to get them to do just that.
The idea struck me as I was paying my bill, looking at that big pile of broccoli that I was carefully dumping into one of those polystyrene containers. It just sounded so appealing to have broccoli, a couple of cheeses, hint of nutmeg, and some sort of filler, all rolled together and baked in the oven. As it turned out, I was right! These are delicious. They are also easy to make. I put everything together earlier in the day, and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to roll them into balls. I enjoyed them for dinner with a glass of wine. It probably wasn't the most balanced meal, but it sure was a tasty one.
If you have any difficulties at all getting members of your family to eat vegetables, this would be a very easy way to get them to do just that.
Cheesy Broccoli Bites
(A Doggy Bag Dinner Recipe)
1 cup
(packed) cooked broccoli, rough chopped
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
½ cup
grated Parmesan
1/3 cup shredded
mozzarella
1 shallot,
minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of
freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 hefty tablespoon mayonnaise
Olive oil
spray
Preheat
oven to 375°F.
Blend all
of the ingredients together (except olive oil spray) until well combined. Using
a cookie scoop, scoop up quantities of the mixture and press them into tight
balls. Place them onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spray with the olive oil
spray, and bake for 22-25 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
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9 comments:
showing this one to my husband the cook!! Looks delicious and your photo of them is presented so well.
This looks and sounds amazing! Pinned.
YUM! Sounds amazing! PINNED!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Yes this does sound delicious. I guess you could use this as an appetizer or a side dish. Thanks for sharing this at Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
This is very brilliant Pattie, what a great holiday appetizer!
Jenna
Pattie,
Sounds yummy! Years ago, TGIF had an appetizer called broccoli cheese melts. We loved getting them, too. Then, they stopped carrying this item on their menu and eventually they left town altogether. Oh, pooh! I'm going to save your recipe and it give it try. I hopeful this will be similar tasting to Friay's appetizer. Have a joyful Christmas season and happy WW!
I did not know that about the broccoli cheese melts. I have a TGIF within walking distance of my house, and I love their apps and burgers. I would have honed in on a broccoli appetizer for sure. I'm sorry that I missed that because it would have been fun to try to replicate it at home. Thanks for the heads up though, I may keep experimenting.
Yum!
Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy
I just love the idea of your Cheesy Broccoli Bites and can't wait to try this recipe! Hope you have a fantastic week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Merry Christmas
Miz Helen
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