Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins

I’ve always preferred the savory over the sweet, so the “muffins” I’ve made almost always are cheese muffins or mini pot pies. For the upcoming St Patrick’s day I decided to go for something green, so today I’m sharing how I made Broccoli and Cheese Muffins. They only require a handful of ingredients and I prefer if I have to make something green to use something already naturally colored green like broccoli rather then food dyes. I’ve also shared other recipes that would be perfect for St Patrick’s day and are naturally green previously plus a mini Reuben recipe to get bites of your corned beef perfect for a party.
Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, a natural green food for St Patricks Day or any day. You can make muffin sized ones which are nice and portable snacks, or do mini muffin ones for a party. Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, a natural green food for St Patricks Day or any day. You can make muffin sized ones which are nice and portable snacks, or do mini muffin ones for a party.

You can see I made these in both my mini muffin tins and in my regular muffin tins. The mini muffin versions are great for a party, while I preferred the regular muffin size ones because I just want to eat more broccoli and cheddar please. One batch of the recipe should make 40 mini muffins, or a dozen of the regular muffin size ones.
Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, a natural green food for St Patricks Day or any day. You can make muffin sized ones which are nice and portable snacks, or do mini muffin ones for a party.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of finely chopped raw or cooked broccoli
  • 1 3/4 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (you can use Irish cheddar if you’d like!), divided (1/4 cup will be used to top each muffin optionally)
    Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins uses your choice of cheese though I recommend a very sharp cheddar, you can even make it Irish Cheddar to stick to the St Patricks Day theme
  • 1/3 cup of finely chopped onion
    Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins; 1/3 cup of chopped onion. I love my onion chopper so I never will cry chopping onions again
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or torn bread (no crusts) or you could use crumbled buttery crackers
  • 2 eggs
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Directions:

  1.  The key step is to make sure the broccoli has as little moisture as possible – I’ve seen some recipes that use the broccoli raw and just grate it and then press the liquid out. Other versions boil or steam it then squeeze the moisture out. I decided to chop mine and then roast it in the oven for at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. If you still have too much moisture, the broccoli will be mushy and the muffins will not hold together as well or crisp up on the sides. The plus of roasting them like I did is that for 20 minutes is that besides cooking them for a bit, now your oven is already preheated for the Broccoli and Cheese muffins baking portion.
    Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins starts with 4 cups of broccoli, which you can grate raw to use or steam or boil or roast Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins starts with 4 cups of broccoli, which you can grate raw to use or steam or boil or roast
  2. Combine your 4 cups of broccoli with 1 1/2 cup of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for topping later), the 1/3 cup of finely chopped onion, and the 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs/torn bread/crumbled buttery crackers. Break in the 2 eggs and mix everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins. Combine your 4 cups of broccoli with 1 1/2 cup of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for topping later), the 1/3 cup of finely chopped onion, and the 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs/torn bread/crumbled buttery crackers. Break in the 2 eggs and mix everything.
  3. In each of the muffin tins, grease them a little to help remove the broccoli and cheese muffins later. Using a spoon, pack in each of the mixture, pressing on top with the spoon.
    Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, In each of the muffin tins, grease them a little to help remove the broccoli and cheese muffins later. Using a spoon, pack in each of the mixture, pressing on top with the spoon. Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, In each of the muffin tins, grease them a little to help remove the broccoli and cheese muffins later. Using a spoon, pack in each of the mixture, pressing on top with the spoon.
  4. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. I put a pinch from the last 1/4 cup of cheese on top of all the muffins at the end (they should be lightly browned by now) and let melt for a few minutes before pulling out of the oven. Let them cool a bit before attempting to remove them, and use a plastic instead of a metal knife to help loosen the edges of the Broccoli and Cheese Muffins

This gorgeous slate board that I plated the crispy on the sides and cheesy broccoli insides muffins and mini muffins is from Slateplate, a small business located in North Carolina. You can see it is a gorgeous black color, and on their site you can order them in a variety of sizzes, ranging from square plates for a dramatic dish during dinner or boards for the middle of the table that are rectangular as large as 12 x 24 to put together the ultimate cheese and charcuterie platter.
Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, a natural green food for St Patricks Day or any day. You can make muffin sized ones which are nice and portable snacks, or do mini muffin ones for a party.

I love the fact that it comes with acrylic feet so it is a bit easier to pick up (and they will stay on unlike others with the cork feet), and optionally you can choose to order one with handles, and for a personalized touch you can even have it engraved! The slate is dishwasher safe, which most slate plates are not.

The slate is 100% sourced and manufactured in the US, and the slate is sealed using a food safe mineral oil (this also means you won’t see staining from softer food like cheeses being on the slate). Another interesting use is that these slate plates can be warmed up to 200 degrees F in the oven or in the freezer or fridge, to help keep your food a little warmer or colder when you are serving it.

It’s always been annoying taking some food photos as I try to work around the light and white plates especially in winter – but this photoshoot literally took only a few minutes because of how good this plate made the food look. Special thanks to Slateplate for sharing this slate board with me, you will definitely be seeing it in more recipes from me in the future.
Recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Muffins, a natural green food for St Patricks Day or any day. You can make muffin sized ones which are nice and portable snacks, or do mini muffin ones for a party.

Disclosure: This Slateplate that I used was complimentary, but I was not otherwise compensated in any way and I was not obligated to promote Slateplate, I just really love the plate! I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Signature

Comments

  1. Yum!! This ‘feels’ like a really healthy brunch option. Mo’ cheese. Mo’ happiness.

  2. Great photos on that slate!! Naturally green food sounds much better than the alternative 😛 I make egg/veggie/meat baked dishes for breakfasts all the time!

  3. That is a great idea for St Patty’s Day! I agree that just piling in a lot of green food dye into a recipe isn’t really creative – or appealing in my opinion. Plus I always dig the single-serve food items for a party!

  4. Love this! I wonder if this recipe would actually get my kids to eat broccoli. 😉

    • Cheese is a great way to help and hide many a vegetable for kids. Making them small by blending them into sauces or other more solid food like this also is a sneaky and effective trick

  5. That Slateplate is AWESOME! Love it! And I like sweet and savory muffins – equal opportunity tastebuds 😉 These muffins look tasty, and I do like the idea of keeping any green in St Patty’s day food coming from a natural source like broccoli.

  6. My first knee-jerk reaction was, “Broccoli in muffins? Just no. Why ruin a good thing with broccoli?” But I’ll try anything! Thanks for the recipe.

Speak Your Mind

*