Everyone says you need to eat your veggies, but nobody said I couldn’t cover them in bacon, cheddar and cream first. This easy to prepare one pan side dish is perfect for any night of the week and is packed with cheesy bacony goodness.
Bacon & Cheddar Makes Everything Better
I was grilling some bbq pork chops with caramelized apples for the family the other night and needed to put together a quick and easy side dish to go along with dinner so after rooting through the fridge I saw a few bunches of broccoli that needed to be cooked. Like any family it’s hard to please everyone and it’s even harder to get the kids to eat veggies but I figured if we disguised them with some cheese and bacon the fam might just go for it.
Broccoli 101
I’ve got 2 tips for cooking fresh broccoli, the first is I cut all the florets into small bite size pieces then I take the stem and grate it with a box grater. The stem is full of nutritional vitamins and fiber but often gets discarded, by grating the stem and mixing them in with the florets your using up the whole vegetable and not wasting anything. My second tip is to blanch the broccoli in salted water before roasting it. You’ll bring out the vibrant color of the broccoli, add flavor and make the broccoli tender all at the same time. Just add about a tablespoon of salt to two quarts of water, bring it the water to a boil then add your broccoli florets and stems. You only need to cook the broccoli for about 3-4 minutes before draining the broccoli and shocking it in cold water. This will prevent the broccoli from over cooking and preserve the green color.
Keto and Kid Friendly!!!
After the broccoli has cooled just drain off any excess water and pat dry then combine with the other ingredients listed below and bake in the oven or on the grill at about 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. This quick and easy cast iron casserole was a hit and even my 3 yr old niece commented how pretty it was, that’s high praise as she can be a tough critique. I highly recommend giving this recipe a try next time you’re looking for a simple side dish that goes great with anything you’ve got on the grill. Just an added bonus this recipe is low carb and Keto friendly so any friend or family following that lifestyle can enjoy this recipe as well.
Bacon Cheddar Broccoli Bake
Ingredients
- 2 Bunches Broccoli
- 1 cup Chopped Cooked Bacon
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 4 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 1/2 packet Ranch Seasoning Packet
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
Instructions
- Slice broccoli florets into bite size pieces and using a box grater or food processor grate the stems
- Cook bacon until crispy and chop, then slice cherry tomatoes in halfBring a pot of salted water to a boil then blanch broccoli for about 2-3 minutes then immediately shock the broccoli in ice waterloo stop the cooking process
- Combine all ingredients except cherry tomatoes and half of the cheddar cheese in a bowl then pour mixture into a cast iron skillet.
- Top broccoli mixture with remaining cheddar cheese and sliced cherry tomatoes. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes then garnish with a dollop of sour cream
Nutrition
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