CHEESY BAKED BROCCOLI BITES

We could all do with finding ways to get more vegetables in to our diet and these little cheesy baked broccoli bites (broccoli tots) are the best way. Crispy, cheesy and comforting, but packed with broccoli too. Kids will love this finger food and you can be happy knowing they are eating some veg too. You can batch cook them and keep them in the freezer for an easy side dish/snack too.

A wooden serving board piled high with Broccoli Bites.

Broccoli isn’t everyone’s favourite food, but cheese makes everything better and it certainly makes this green vegetable more appealing to kids.

We could all do with finding ways to get more vegetables in to our diet and these little cheesy baked broccoli bites (broccoli tots) are the best way. Crispy, cheesy and comforting, but packed with broccoli too. Kids will love this finger food and you can be happy knowing they are eating some veg too. You can batch cook them and keep them in the freezer for an easy side dish/snack too.

A wooden serving board piled high with Broccoli Bites.

Broccoli isn’t everyone’s favourite food, but cheese makes everything better and it certainly makes this green vegetable more appealing to kids.

Cheesy Baked Broccoli Bites
If you have tried convincing your kids that these little green trees will make them big and strong and with not a positive result, then try giving it to them a different way. Mixing broccoli with cheese and breadcrumbs and turning it into broccoli tots (as they are called in the US) makes it much more exciting for kids and it’s perfect for baby led weaning. Older kids will enjoy getting their hands dirty and making these broccoli bites too.

Ingredients needed
Broccoli – The star of the dish. You could use a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower.
Bread – This is used to make your own breadcrumbs. You could use store bought breadcrumbs if you prefer.
Onion – Make sure this is diced finely. You could use shallots, which would add a sweeter flavour.
Cheese – We used mature cheddar, as it has a strong flavour so you can use less. Some feta would work well too, or parmesan. We wouldn’t recommend something like mozzarella, as it is too stringy.
Eggs – This helps to bind the broccoli bites together.
Garlic powder and dried oregano – These add some extra flavour, but they can be left out if you prefer.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

Step by step
One: Add the broccoli to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and then add to a large bowl and mash until very fine.

A bowl of mashed broccoli.
Two: Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.

A mixing bowl containing mashed broccoli, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, chopped onion and herbs.
Three: Mix well.

Broccoli, onion, breadcrumbs and cheese all mixed together in a bowl.
Four: Take out 1 tablespoon at a time and roll in to a small sausage and repeat until you have 20.

Twenty uncooked broccoli bites evenly spaced on a baking tray.
Five: Place on a lined or oiled baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 25 minutes until they start to crisp up.

Twenty cooked broccoli bites evenly spaced on a baking tray.
Six: Serve the broccoli bites with your favourite dip, like our healthy tomato ketchup.

Cheesy Baked Broccoli Bites on a wooden board with a pot of ketchup.
Why should you try them?
An easy way to get more vegetables in your diet – It can be a struggle to eat more vegetables, especially with fussy eaters, but this is an easy way to sneak them in.
Kids love them – Kids will love making and eating them. They are really cheesy, which will appeal to kids (and adults).
Freezable – These freeze really well, so make a big batch to keep in the freezer for easy meals.
Ready in less than 30 minutes – These are quick and easy to make.
Health benefits
These broccoli bites are a really nutrient dense snack or side dish, and a great way to “sneak” vegetables in to fussy eaters. I say “sneak” very loosely, as these are very green, so clearly have broccoli in them. But, with the easy bite sized shape and the addition of cheese, it’s a simple way to get kids to eat more vegetables.

Why should you try them?
An easy way to get more vegetables in your diet – It can be a struggle to eat more vegetables, especially with fussy eaters, but this is an easy way to sneak them in.
Kids love them – Kids will love making and eating them. They are really cheesy, which will appeal to kids (and adults).
Freezable – These freeze really well, so make a big batch to keep in the freezer for easy meals.
Ready in less than 30 minutes – These are quick and easy to make.
Health benefits
These broccoli bites are a really nutrient dense snack or side dish, and a great way to “sneak” vegetables in to fussy eaters. I say “sneak” very loosely, as these are very green, so clearly have broccoli in them. But, with the easy bite sized shape and the addition of cheese, it’s a simple way to get kids to eat more vegetables.

Broccoli is a good source of fibre (which helps with digestion) and protein, and also contains iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium. It is a good source of vitamins A, C, E, K.

Variations
We love the specks of green you can see in these broccoli bites, but you could always swap the broccoli for cauliflower instead, or use a mixture of the two. For a little extra flavour, finely chop some spring onions or shallots and mix them in. You could also add some chopped spinach for extra greens.

A really good quality mature cheddar is what we used to make this and because it’s such a strong cheese, you don’t need to use a lot of it. But, you could use a mixture of hard cheese like cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda or even add some mozzarella.

Cheesy Baked Broccoli Bites
We could all do with finding ways to get more vegetables in to our diet and these little cheesy baked broccoli bites (broccoli tots) are a great way.

▢300 g Broccoli chopped
▢3 slices Wholemeal bread blended into bread crumbs
▢0.5 Onion finely diced
▢60 g Mature Cheese grated
▢2 Eggs whisked
▢2 teaspoon Garlic powder
▢1 teaspoon Dried oregano
▢1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
Add the broccoli to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and then add to a large bowl and mash until very fine.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
Take out 1 tablespoon at a time and roll in to a small sausage and repeat until you have 20.
Place on a lined or oiled baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 25 minutes until they start to crisp up. Serve with your favourite dip.

Notes
Use a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower, or just cauliflower to change things up.
You can stick to just mature cheddar, or you can use a mixture of cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella.
Roll these in to balls, bake and then stir in to pasta sauce for some vegetarian meatballs.
Get creative with the flavours! If you like things spicy, then add some Mexican seasoning.
You can also make these crispier by swapping the wholemeal breadcrumbs for Panko breadcrumbs.
Nutritional Information
Serving: 5″bites” | Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 735IU | Vitamin C: 67.9mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 1.6mg