On the other hand, this one was a disappointment: Cheddar Broccoli Bake

M

marilynfl

Moderator
It seemed so simple, but I may have screwed up one of the ingredients.

3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 C bread crumbs

1/2 C parmesan cheese

1 oz package of dry Ranch dressing

4 Cups of broccoli heads

3 TBL olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse the cheese until small, add bread crumbs, parmesan and ranch dressing.

Toss broccoli with oil and then add crumb mixture. (There is WAY too much crumb mixture)

Spread on cookie tray and mist with oil spray (like Pam). Bake 35 minutes.

Disappointing bland. This is definitely one where the Sum is LESS than its components.

It's like the bread crumbs (I used dried canned crumbs and hope she didn't mean fresh bread make into crumbs) suck all the flavor out of the finished dish.

[photo is from the recipe book Once Upon a Chef)

 
I keep attaching a photo. Not sure why it's not showing up.

Update: Huh...I just changed the extension from .jpeg to .jpg and now it's visible.

 
Did yours look like this, with respect to the amount of coating? It does look good. I'd like to know when you try it again. Broccoli is another thing that bores me. (maybe I'm on to something here)

 
Yes, mine looked exactly like this, but with way more bread crumby topping. Which I "thought" would be a good thing...like the crunchy cheesy bits left over from pizza.

I was oh, so wrong.

I won't be trying this again.

 
Well, okay. I was shopping today and a broccoli grabbed me. So into the bag, and I was able to find some of that dressing mix as well. I am going to treat this as an experiment, along with a chicken that I am going to roast with truffle paste under its skin.

Ah, it's a full life I live.

 
Speaking of broccoli, I made this simple low carb dish recently and it’s going into the rotation. Simple and easy with a side salad.

Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche

https://www.budgetbytes.com/bacon-broccoli-cheddar-crustless-quiche/

breakfast, brunch, easy, main_dish, make_ahead, vegetarian

Servings: Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets $2.10
  • 4 oz. bacon $1.43
  • 4 large eggs $1.08
  • 1 cup milk $0.31
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan $0.41
  • 1/4 tsp seasoning salt* $0.03
  • 4 oz. shredded medium cheddar, divided $0.95
Steps

  1. Take the broccoli florets out of the freezer so they can begin to thaw. Place the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat until very brown and crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and pour off most of the grease out of the skillet.
  2. Turn the heat under the skillet up to medium-high and add the broccoli florets. Sauté them in the residual bacon grease until they are no longer frozen. Transfer the broccoli to a cutting board. Roughly chop the florets into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
  3. Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Parmesan, and seasoning salt.
  4. Coat a 9-inch pie plate in non-stick spray (or butter, if you prefer). Place the chopped broccoli in the dish along with half of the shredded cheddar. Crumble the bacon over top. Stir the broccoli, cheddar, and bacon together.
  5. Place the pie plate on a baking dish for easy transport in and out of the oven. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bacon, broccoli, and cheddar in the dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheddar.
  6. Bake the crustless quiche for 50-55 minutes, or until the center is puffed and it is golden brown around the edges. Let the crustless quiche cool slightly before slicing into eight pieces and serving.
Notes

  • Use your favorite seasoning salt, like Lowry's (that’s what I use) or Tony Chachere's.
  • when I buy a package of bacon I slice it right across the strips into three or four chunks (depending on whether it’s a 12oz. or 16oz. package) and then place them into a freezer bag. That way I can grab out a 4oz. piece whenever needed. I add it directly to a skillet frozen and just cook over medium-low heat until the strips thaw enough to separate from each other, then eventually brown and crisp up.
 
I might just comment on bread crumbs since you mentioned them. I don't ever use anything but fresh bread crumbs (except for panko of course). I think it might have been Jacques Pepin who said on a TV program "Why would you use dry?"
So a whole cup of dry crumbs really might be more volume than fresh--and I think a different consistency (as you also mentioned).

 
So I tried it, or some version of it. Can't say that it did away with my dislike of broccoli at all. I think the idea may be a good one but maybe needs a different format. Maybe the topping could sit atop a broccoli casserole.

 
This looks lovely. You can also try this trick: cut in half then oven bake until mostly crisp. Pat off grease, then lay flat on paper towels and roll up, spacing so each bacon slice is padded between paper. Refrigerate or freeze, depending on how soon you'll use them.

When ready to eat, pull out how many slices you want, wrap in paper towels and zap for 15 seconds. Even MORE grease will come out. The bacon will be very crisp, which is the only way I like bacon. Personally, limp bacon gives me the heebie jeebies.

It's much easier to utilize finished bacon for other dishes this way. Instead of pulling a frozen package out of freezer and jack-knifing it until I can get what I want...and then still having to cook it--all I do is zap 15 seconds to get crispy crumbles for my avocado toast.

I've kept the baked slices (wrapped in paper towel in a baggie) in the refrigerator for over a month with no issue.

 
Via Amazon I looked through the Index of Jenn's cookbook ONCE UPON A CHEF, but am not finding this broccoli bake recipe. (Neither is it in her 2nd cookbook, WEEK NIGHT, WEEKEND which I own.)

I thought perhaps I would find reviews for this recipe at Jenn's website, but no luck there either.

One would think the dry ranch dressing mix would add flavor, but evidently not. I cannot imagine your using canned dried bread crumbs would make such a big bland difference.

Via her website Jenn has very kindly replied to any question I have submitted in the past so you might try asking her directly what she thinks the problem is. Personally, I have found that any of her recipes I have tried has always come out delicious, and I'm sure she would want to know of your experience with the Cheddar Broccoli Bake.

 
CORRECTION: This recipe was from "Dinner Then Dessert: Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5, or 7 Ingredients" by Sabrina Snyder

My thanks to wigs for helping me track down the correct author.

Note: I think two of the ingredients I used (canned bread crumbs and pre-grated parmesan (which probably had cellulose)) are the key reason this dish tasted so boring. I'm going to give it another shot, but will make buttered bread crumbs from fresh bread and spend the extra 15 seconds to fresh-grate parmesan from a chunk.

 
Okay...I retested this recipe using "better" ingredients (better is my own personal qualification)

1/4 C grated Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar (slightly more than original)

1/4 C crumbs made from fresh Italian bread (3 cheese), lightly sauteed in butter

2 TBL freshly grated parmesan

2 tsp dry Ranch powder dressing

1 C broccoli crowns and stems

1 TBL oil

Baked 30 minutes at 400 degrees. This was much improved from the bland original but still not something I'd make just for its own sake. HOWEVER, I served it on top of Thai Green Chili Coconut Noodle Tofu dish and it was fabulous there. The crunchy bits and roasted broccoli counterpointed the broccoli in the coconut sauce. Please note that by doing this I changed the noodle dish from VEGAN to VEGETARIAN...and I don't care. It really added a lot

https://recipeswap.org/fun/forums/discussion/ive-just-conquered-my-fear-of-curry-green-curry-noodle-bowl-with-tofu/#post-197871

 
My favorite way to eat broccoli is to steam it until al dente. I like it with Sierra Nevada mustard or fresh lemon juice. I also like it in a omelette. I have tried it roasted and it is not my favorite way. I don't think it roasts as well as carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, onion, etc. It is also good stir-fried, drizzled with soy and honey or even a good balsamic.

 
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