Broccoli Grilled Cheese

Broccoli Grilled Cheese

If your little one is hesitant to eat broccoli, this grilled cheese will satisfy even...

If your little one is hesitant to eat broccoli, this grilled cheese will satisfy even the picker of eaters! The broccoli is finely chopped so that baby knows they’re eating broccoli, but the cheesy, buttery toast sandwich satisfies their tastebuds enough to get them to take a bite!

Broccoli Grilled Cheese

Let’s be honest – who doesn’t love grilled cheese? From a parents’ perspective, it’s one of the easiest meals to prep for our little ones in advance and with this broccoli twist, it’s an easy way to squeeze in more veggies into your family’s diets!

The secret to making this broccoli grilled cheese a slam dunk every time is not using too much broccoli. Sometimes, I pile on the broccoli, and I notice Luca won’t eat nearly as much of the sandwich. I’ve gotten the ratio down to a science (and you will too, once you make this a few times for your kids!) so there’s a perfect balance of bread, butter, cheese, and broccoli!

I love cooking this on the stovetop in a pan with butter, because it’s easy cleanup and the butter is a quick and easy fat source for growing little ones. To make it even easier, I use frozen broccoli! I heat the broccoli up in a small saucepan with chicken or vegetable broth (for flavor) and then chop off the stems. Then, I finely chop the broccoli so they’re made into tiny florets.

Broccoli Grilled Cheese

It’s important to keep the broccoli whole here (and not puree it) for your child to recognize broccoli (I’ve noticed that since making these sandwiches, Luca is a lot more receptive of broccoli – he’s started touching it more, playing with it, and taking little nibbles.) If you “hide” vegetables, your child will never understand that they’re an important part of the diet and won’t properly take part in their texture and recognize them on their plates.

With two slices of cheese and some tasty multigrain bread (I love Dave’s Killer bread), this sandwich is something I make for Luca once a week and he’s guaranteed to eat an entire sandwich, usually the crust and all! I hope it’s just as successful for you!

 

Broccoli Grilled Cheese

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup frozen broccoli florets
  • 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth or just use water
  • 1 tablespoon of butter divided (or 2 tablespoons, if you want it more buttery!)
  • 2 slices of multigrain or whole wheat bread I like Dave's Killer bread
  • 2 slices of cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Place the broccoli and broth (or water) in a small pot over high heat. Boil until broccoli is cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and slice the stems off the florets and then finely chop the florets. Set aside.
  • Place a small skillet over medium heat and add in half of the butter. Once butter melts, add a slice of bread and top with broccoli, spreading it evenly out over the piece of bread. Top with cheese slices and other piece of bread. Press firmly down and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip, compress again with a spatula and let cook for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
  • Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and slice according to your kids' preferences. Serve.

Broccoli Grilled Cheese

with love, Ali

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  • Hi, thanks for this great recipe, I look after 2 special needs people and the thought of a vegetable even near them make them not want the dish lol, BUT this sandwich did it, they ate every bite and indicated and asked for more (one talks one doesn't). So I got clever and did this recipe for carrots and even cauliflower :-) Thanks once again
  • Love this idea! Thanks!!
  • I’ve been making this for my grandson with carrots and he loves it!
    • So happy to hear!
  • Yummmooooooo! I do not have kids, but i will enjoy it
    • Yes! This recipe is good for all!
  • My toddler ate broccoli!! Yay! Thank you for this easy way to get more vegies and flavour in. I enjoyed it too!
    • MAJOR victory!! Well done, mama! We're so glad we could help!