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.

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.

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)
  
• 1/3 cup of finely chopped onion
  
• 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.
   
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.
   
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.
   
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.

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.

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.