Cheesy smashed broccoli – steamed, smashed, and roasted with cheese until golden brown and ultra crispy.
A cheesy, crispy riff on regular roasted broccoli. Think smashed potatoes, swap potatoes for broccoli and add cheese.
Cut your florets extra big, steam, smash, roast, add cheese, roast some more.
The cheese can go on top or bottom. Personally, my preferred cheese placement is under the broccoli ’cause I like my cheese crispy too (it gets more ooey gooey on top if that’s more your style, or try both), either placement works. Fresh squeeze of lemon right before serving for a bright pop.
Cooks in Europe have been smashing potatoes – crushing boiled potatoes before roasting them – for over 300 years. The smash technique creates more surface area, which means crispier edges. Smashing your veggies, whether broccoli or potatoes, maximizes crispiness. When ya want crispy broccoli to the max, this is the recipe for you.
My Cheesy Smashed Broccoli Wisdom
Tip: Add cheese during the last 10 minutes of roasting to prevent it from burning.
Quantities: This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.
Additions: minced garlic or shallots along with the cheese.
Make-ahead: steam, smash, and do the first roast up to 2 days in advance, and store in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, add the cheese and roast again until melted and crispy.
Storage: Leftover cheesy smashed broccoli can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Warm cheesy smashed broccoli in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, until heated through.
Cheese and broccoli have never looked this sexy. I developed this recipe for Cabot Creamery and adore their cheese. All the views in it are my own.
More Roasted Veggie Recipes You Want In Your Life
Enjoy these utterly simple and better than they should be recipes:
Roasted carrots, roasted radishes, roasted cabbage wedges, roasted beets, roasted artichokes, roasted potatoes (smashed), roasted sweet potato fries and simple roasted cabbage.
If ya try this recipe, I’d love to hear about it – leave a comment below and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too.
Let’s make waves in the kitchen.
Cheesy Smashed Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1-2 heads of broccoli about 1 pound
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 oz Cabot Creamery Gouda thinly sliced
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Fill a large pot with a bit of water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Add broccoli florets, cover, and steam until bright green and al dente, about 5 minutes.
- Drain and transfer the steamed broccoli to the parchment-lined sheet pan, spreading it out in a single layer. Place the pan in the oven for a few minutes to dry off any remaining moisture (easier than drying each broccoli floret individually, thinks me).
- Using the bottom of a glass, press firmly on each floret to smash it flat. Toss smashed florets with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Bake on a low oven rack for 20 minutes. Distribute the Gouda slices evenly among the florets — either under or over works (tested both and confirming both placements work). Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the broccoli is deeply golden and crispy.
Notes
Quantities: This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.
Make-ahead: steam, smash, and do the first roast up to 2 days in advance, and store in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, add the cheese and roast again until melted and crispy.
Storage: Leftover cheesy smashed broccoli can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
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