English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

These easy toddler friendly English muffin pizzas are a great way to squeeze in extra...

These easy toddler friendly English muffin pizzas are a great way to squeeze in extra vegetables in a delicious way. They are meal prep friendly, take under 15 minutes to make, and are packed with broccoli, protein, and whole grains.

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

I always swore I wouldn’t be one of those parents who would melt cheese on their kids’ vegetables so they’d eat them. And then, I did. But what I’ve realized, is that cheese is a great nutritional source – calcium, protein, and fat, all essential nutrients for your growing baby/toddler. Since Luca doesn’t drink milk and hasn’t been very into yogurt lately, I’ve been adding more cheese to his diet.

Broccoli is one of the tougher vegetables for my son. I’ve served it to him a million different ways in its whole form, but despite my efforts, he won’t try it. Even melted with cheese, trust me! There are two ways I squeeze broccoli into his diet. First, it’s with my Turkey Quinoa Bakes (this one shows with peas, I’ll just swap in broccoli.) Second, it’s in a grilled cheese or similar sandwich, like these English Muffin Broccoli Pizzas.

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

Luca goes crazy for these sandwiches and since they’re my secret weapon for getting him to eat broccoli, I whip them out once a week and that’s it. He’ll gobble up a full half of an English muffin (which is 1/2 English muffin, almost 2 tablespoons of broccoli, 2 tablespoons of cheese, and 1 tablespoon of my veggie-packed marinara.) I save the other half for snack time the next day or dinner. I sigh relief when he eats this pizza muffin, because I know he’s getting those essential nutrients.

Now, it’s important to always introduce the whole vegetable (the broccoli floret itself) so your baby can get familiarized with it and see it. I still do that! But, what I especially love about these is that the baby can still see the broccoli florets – they’re just mini! They’re chopped up. I try my hardest not to puree and hide veggies in his foods. I like him to see the broccoli – and he does, here.

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

These muffins can be premade and frozen and reheated in a toaster oven for best results. They’re meal prep friendly! Bonus points: they’re adult friendly, too. I love enjoying them at meal times with Luca!

What are your go-to meals for broccoli with your toddlers?

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 whole grain English muffin I like Vermont Bread Company
  • 1/3 cup frozen or fresh broccoli florets
  • broth or water
  • 2 tablespoons marinara sauce I used my Veggie Marinara – see Notes for details
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 mozzarella cheese slices you can also use cheddar cheese, if that’s all you have on hand

Instructions

  • Place your English muffin in a toaster oven and toast lightly, for about 5 minutes.
  • Cook your broccoli. Place the broccoli in a small pot with broth or water (I used vegetable broth) and let cook until softened. For frozen broccoli, it takes about 5 minutes. For fresh broccoli, it takes about 3-5 minutes. Once done, set on a cutting board and finely chop so there are no large florets (kind of like a mince.) Set aside.
  • On each muffin half, spread 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce. Top with half of the broccoli or as much that will fit. Top with cheese. Set the muffins in the toaster oven and toast for 3 minutes or until cheese melts. If using the oven, you can broil for 1-2 minutes or bake at 350 for 5-10 minute until melted.
  • Remove, let cool for a few minutes and then slice into pieces per your preference.

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

with love, Ali

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