Broccoli Bites

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) bag broccoli florets
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• ¾ cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste

Ingredient Image

Step 1

Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop the broccoli florets in a food processor—work in batches and pulse about 20 times each until it looks like rice.

Step 2

Pour about half an inch of water into a wide saucepan, add a teaspoon of salt, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, add the broccoli rice, cover, and let it simmer for around 5 minutes until it’s tender. Drain the broccoli and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Once cool, transfer the broccoli rice to a clean kitchen towel. Gather the towel around the broccoli and squeeze tightly to get rid of as much moisture as you can.

Step 4

In a big bowl, mix together the cheddar, bread crumbs, chopped onion, egg, parsley, garlic, cumin, and black pepper. Add the drained broccoli rice and stir until everything sticks together enough to form little balls.

Step 5

Use a small scoop or spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture, roll it into a ball, then press it into a small tot shape using hands lightly brushed with oil. Place each one on your baking sheet and repeat until all the mixture is used.

Step 6

Drizzle a little olive oil over the tots and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of salt on top. Pop them in the oven and bake for about 24 minutes, turning them halfway through so they get golden and crispy all over.