Broccoli Bites – Crispy Pillows of Flavor and Fun – Bet You Can’t Eat Just One
Broccoli Bites (recipe) have a crispy outside and tender inside, like little golden pillows. Consider them as a tastier, healthier, oven-baked version of potato tots. Plus, they’re super speedy to make with a food processor. Tasty (actually very tasty) served à la tots with ketchup or your favorite dip.
I first came across a recipe for Broccoli Tots in a recent O Magazine. Intrigued by the easy recipe and having all the ingredients on hand, I made them. Lots of potential. And a few things I wanted to work on. . .making for a very tasty couple of weeks.
Challenges solved
- Getting Broccoli Bites crispy and browned on both their tops and bottoms without drying out them out.
- Solved by both reducing their baking time, and not turning them over. Then placing the pan on the top shelf and switching from bake to low broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Making almond flour from blanched slivered almonds.
- The food processor just doesn’t get the almonds fine enough.
- My electric spice grinder (a coffee grinder used exclusively for spices) created light, finely ground almond flour—perfect for making pillowy Broccoli Bites.
- Alternatively, skip the slivered almonds and purchase almond flour in the bulk section of many natural food stores.
- Extra moisture tending to seep out the sides.
- Both times I used an extra-large egg there was a problem.
- Using a large (2 ounce) egg was perfect.
- Finding a dipping sauce beyond ketchup.
- Pesto of any kind adds a bit of sophistication. Lemon Tahini Sauce not so much.
- Ketchup, though, really is just right.
- Impossible to eat just one.
- No problem. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
What’s in a name
Memories, for one thing. Not wanting these little golden pillows mistaken for the frozen “tots” of my childhood, I changed their name. Broccoli Bites works for me. Does it work for you as well?
Broccoli Bites
Appetizer, light lunch or dinner, side dish, snack. Gluten-free.
I’ve refined the technique so that most of the “knife work” takes place in a food processor. Though without one, use a knife to finely chop the garlic, onion, broccoli and parsley. Then mix everything together in a small bowl.
With finely ground almond flour, the Broccoli Bites come out light and fluffy. Make your own from blanched slivered almonds in an electric grinder that you only use for spices. Or, purchase almond flour in the bulk section of many natural food stores. In a pinch you can use a food processor, though the almonds will not be as finely ground and the Broccoli Bites will have a bit denser texture.
Inspired by and adapted from a recipe by Ali Maffucci
Makes 10-11 Broccoli Bites Printer-Friendly Recipe
Active Time 20 minutes with a food processor
Total Time 40 minutes including baking time
Ingredients
- ¼ cup slivered, blanched almonds or ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 ounce (⅓ cup) roughly chopped onion
- 1 ½ lightly packed cups broccoli florets (3.1 ounces)
- ⅓ cup packed parsley (3 tablespoons finely chopped)
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 twists freshly ground pepper
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Adjust the oven racks. The top rack one-third from the top of the oven. The bottom rack placed one-third from the bottom of the oven.
- Use an electric grinder (that you only use for
spices) to finely grind the slivered almonds into almond flour. Or use purchased almond flour. - With the food processor running, drop the garlic and onion into the feed tube to finely chop them. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Put the broccoli and parsley into the food
processor. Use the pulse button to finely chop them. Add the cheese, almond flour, salt and pepper. Use the pulse button to combine the ingredients. Stop the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. - Add the egg. Use the pulse button to incorporate it.
- With a #40 scoop, portion out a scant 1¾
tablespoons of the broccoli mixture onto the parchment paper-lined baking pan, leaving at least an inch between each ball. Use your fingers to shape each Broccoli Bite into an oval. - Bake for 14 minutes on the lower oven rack.
- Switch the oven to low broil. Broil the Broccoli Bites on the top rack (no closer than 6 inches from the broiler flame) for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Transfer the Broccoli Bites to a cooling rack for about 5 minutes before serving them with ketchup, pesto, Caesar Dressing or your favorite dip.