Crispy cheese baked broccoli is an easy yet a delectable dish. It such a simple dish that you cannot go wrong with it any time. They are baked (so low on calories), and absolutely crispy.
It is a healthy dish that can be served as a side dish with any meal. Believe you me, it will be loved by kids and adults equally. It is a dish that can make its place anywhere.
You can serve them as snack in the evening, as an appetizer, or as a finger food. The best thing about this recipe is that all the ingredients used here are generally available at home.
Equipment needed:
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Bowls
- Spoon/ spatula
- Whisker
Crispy cheese baked broccoli
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Broccoli – 2 large (take only the head portion of the broccoli floret and cut them in to bite size pieces)
- Italian bread crumbs – 1 cup
- Sharp cheddar cheese –1 cup, grated
- Fresh parmesan cheese – ¼ cup (refrigerated and grated)
- Eggs – 3
- Milk – 1 tablespoon
- Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon
Method:
- Prepare a baking tray by lining it with a parchment paper and preheat the oven at 400 ֯F or 200 ֯
- Take a medium size bowl and in it add 3 large eggs, and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk them together very well.
- In another bowl, add 1 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese (refrigerated), and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix them all very well so that everything is well combined.
- Now, let’s assemble everything. First, dip each piece of broccoli, that you have cut in to bite size pieces, and then dip them in the bread crumb mixture. Make sure you completely coat the broccoli in the bread crumb mixture. To get maximum bread crumbs stick to my broccoli pieces I first sprinkle the bread crumbs on to it and then push the broccoli pieces gently in the bread crumbs mixture.
- Keep placing the coated broccoli pieces in the baking tray that has been lined with the parchment paper.
- Once you are done placing all the pieces in the baking tray. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake it for about 18-20 minutes. Baking time here will vary on the size of the broccoli pieces and your oven. So, don’t forget to watch them.
- Serve them immediately with your favorite sauce or a ranch dip.
Tips and tricks
- Cut the broccoli in such a way that you use only florets, just keep enough stem to be able to hold them.
- You can choose to make it spicier by adding cayenne pepper in the egg mix or the bread crumbs
- For the parmesan cheese to stick better on the broccoli, make use of fresh and refrigerated grated parmesan. Do not shred them. the finer you grate them the more they will stick to the broccoli florets.
- This crispy cheese baked broccoli tastes best with the ranch dip.