Broccoli Bounty

Having a baby is definitely changing the way we eat. Now that Rex has expressed his extreme distaste for pureed baby food, we have moved on to finger foods and chopped up table food options for him during dinner time. I have been forced to incorporate ingredients in our meals that we can modify for him to eat as well. With this being the case, things like this and this aren't the best choices anymore.

I wanted to lightly boil a few broccoli florets to give Rex for dinner one night this week since I figured he could easily feed them to himself (something he is insistent on these days) and they are a healthy finger food for sure. And since you can't buy 3 broccoli florets at the supermarket I had to come up with what to do with the rest of the bag. I could have easily just served them with a little lemon and pepper after boiling the whole pound, but this recipe seemed like a much yummier alternative. And it was!

Broccoli Cheddar Casserole
Adapted from Cooking Light August 2006

Ingredients

• 4 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets (about 1 pound)
• 1/6 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup pita chips or melba toast rounds
  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook broccoli in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender;

drain and place in a bowl of ice water for 3 more minutes.

Drain again.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour, salt, and dry mustard in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat; gradually add the milk and chicken broth, stirring with a whisk until blended.

Cook for 3 minutes or until it is thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add shredded cheddar cheese and 6 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese,

stirring until melted. Stir in pepper.

Add broccoli,

tossing to coat.

Spoon the broccoli mixture into a 8x8-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place pita chips in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup. Combine chip crumbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle evenly over broccoli mixture. Spray top of casserole lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe