These baked broccoli patties with cheese are an awesome, healthy and delicious dinner side dish. Another great way to get kids to eat their veggies (see also Crispy Baked Zucchini Sticks). This recipe is a must try!

This is where I feel like inserting an evil laugh. This week, I had a house full of kids and fed them fritters of all sorts – without any of them realising the audacity I was committing by feeding them vegetables. Without their knowledge or consent. To trick them, we just called them ‘Shrek Pancakes.’ Do I insert evil laugh now?

Then it occurred to me that I have failed you by not sharing my fritter recipes with you. So here I am offering this recipe as a peace offering, and asking your forgiveness.

Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these fritters are extremely easy to make. If you have a deep love affair with your food processor, then you’ll love these. Throwing ingredients into a food processor is possibly the easiest method of cooking we could ask for. ‘We’ being the people that don’t have the time to prepare things in advance.

Plus, getting your oven to do all the work while you’re busy chasing little people is a huge bonus.

Baked Cheese & Broccoli Patties:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 onion – chopped
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen broccoli – defrosted
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs – beaten
salt/pepper

instructions:

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat, add in the garlic and onions. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Sauté until onions are garlic are tender, set aside to cool.
Add the broccoli to a kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the broccoli and squeeze out the extra moisture. Pour the drained broccoli into a large bowl.
To the same bowl, add the panko, the cheeses, eggs, and salt/pepper to taste.
Mix together and form into patties, place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for another 15 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Broccoli Cheese Nuggets:

It can be quite a chore to get the kids to eat anything green, but these Broccoli Cheese Nuggets make easy work of it. Every time these hit the table, they’re gone within seconds. (Thanks to kids and grown-ups alike.) Broccoli and cheddar have always been a winning combo and it’s no different in nugget form. These make a great snack for packed lunches, or even a quick side to go along with dinner.

This is an instance where frozen broccoli is totally acceptable. You just need to thaw it then give it a whirl in the food processor. If you don’t have one – or just don’t want to fish it out of the cupboard – you can chop the broccoli finely by hand; that totally works too. And if you want to use fresh broccoli, that’s fine too! Just steam it until it’s very, very tender and carry on with the recipe.

These are quick to throw together: just broccoli, cheese, eggs, and a few spices, but they’re full of flavor. They may be baked, but breadcrumbs still help give them a crispy bite. We love things that taste so good but are secretly pretty healthy!

45 minutes to prepare serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Pulse the thawed broccoli in a food processor into small chunks. (You can also chop it finely by hand, if needed.)
In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli with breadcrumbs, cheddar cheese, eggs, oregano, onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper, and mix well.
Shape into small patties and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and continue baking until firm and heated through, 10-15 minutes more. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy!

From: 12tomatoes