Broccoli Tots | Imamother

Amarante

Thu, Nov 19 2020, 10:47 am

I made these a few weeks ago and the kids loved them (kids of all ages LOL

). I served with some soup from the freezer and so everyone got a lot of *hidden* veggies.

There are some good sources for veggie heavy recipes that hide the veggies or make them very appealing. A lot of the commercial kid friendly veggie food really has very little actual vegetables in them.

I used frozen broccoli since texture wasn't that important to end result but making a bit more deliberately when you make broccoli also works.

You could probably prep everything and just put the pan in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

I used tinfoil and then oiled the tin foil so tots didn't stick.

Notes aren't mine.

Broccoli Tots

MY KIDS LIKE BROCCOLI, which is not to say they’re great eaters—they’re not and I’d never jinx myself anyway—but it’s one of the few vegetables they happen to like. But if you’re cooking for broccoli-phobes, give these tots a try. Though they’re baked in the oven, they taste strikingly similar to deep-fried tater tots, especially when dipped in ketchup.

I often make these for dinner when the kids’ friends are over, and I’m always surprised by how voraciously they devour them. Who knew kids could go so wild over broccoli?

Makes about 25 tots; serves 4

1/2 lb [230 g] broccoli, broken into florets, stems roughly chopped
1/3 cup [45 g] chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup [30 g] instant potato flakes
2/3 cup [75 g] grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Heaping 3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Ketchup, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C] and set a rack in the middle position.

2. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 in [2.5 cm] of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover with a lid; reduce the heat to low and steam for 5 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain well.

3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the cooked broccoli and onion. Process until very finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

4. To the broccoli mixture, add the potato flakes, cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly combined.

5. Spread the oil onto a 13-by-18-in [33-by-46-cm] baking sheet (do not line the pan with aluminum foil, as the tots will stick). Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the broccoli mixture; squeeze the mixture in your hand to compress it, then form into tot-shaped rectangles. Arrange the tots on the baking sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom and firm to the touch on top. Remove the pan from the oven, then carefully flip the tots over. Return to the oven and cook until uniformly golden, 13 to 15 minutes more. Serve with ketchup.

Sourcing Savvy

Instant mashed potatoes are potatoes that have been cooked, mashed, dehydrated, and made into flake form. They are typically used to make mashed potatoes, but I use them to give these tots a distinct tater tot taste.

Since this recipe only calls for a 1/2 pound [230 g] of broccoli, it’s a great way to reinvent leftover steamed broccoli.