This Cheesy Garlic and Bacon Broccoli side dish is often a favourite amongst dinner guests for its delicious cheesy flavour and amongst hosts due to it being quick and easy to make.
Thinking of broccoli, the first thing that comes to mind is the word boring, right? If you’re anything like us, you’re tired of a broccoli side dish which lacks flavour and appearance. So, what can we do? If you ask us, adding cream, cheese and bacon to any dish is almost always a good idea. That is exactly what we did with our packet of Emborg frozen broccoli pack we got from Whatsinstore!
An added flavour is the ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper which gives this dish that extra kick. It does add a bit of heat, but that also depends on taste. If you prefer to keep this dish milder, feel free to leave that jar of cayenne pepper in your drawer. A milder option would be adding paprika to this dish. You will still get both colour and flavour. Whether you choose mild, sweet or hot paprika is up to personal preference.
The heavy cream in this recipe gives the broccoli dish not only more volume but also a creamy richness. The grated mozzarella is also a great addition. It melts well, has a lower sodium content than many other cheeses and, most importantly, adds an amazing cheesy flavour. If adding mozzarella isn’t cheesy enough, we particularly enjoy adding Parmesan to many dishes. Parmesan gives this dish a cheesy, yet nutty taste. It is very high in umami, which is known as the fifth flavour and gives us that additive flavour we crave. Parmesan also mixes very well with the rest of the ingredients.
The Cheesy Garlic and Bacon Broccoli side dish is low carb, keto and also gluten free. We love that broccoli is rich in Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate and Vitamins A, B6, B12, D, E and K. Broccoli is full of natural chemicals such as Sulforaphane which research has shown can help against Diabetes, Cancer, Osteoarthritis and Schizophrenia.
It is best to eat broccoli on the day that it has been harvested or using frozen broccoli florets in your recipes, provided that the broccoli florets have been frozen on the day they have been harvested. As for this side dish recipe, we really suggest you serve it warm, as this ensures the full flavour of the cream and cheese come out, and combine perfectly with the broccoli pieces.
The recipe for the cheesy garlic and bacon broccoli side dish can be found below.
Ingredients:
2 packets of Emborg Frozen Broccoli Florets (around 900 grams)
4 bacon strips
250g grated mozzarella
180ml heavy cream
90g grated Parmesan cheese
60ml Knorr chicken stock
5 garlic cloves
2 tbsp Emborg Cream Cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Method:
- Take out the broccoli florets from the freezer to thaw for about 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water. Longer is better.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and Fry the bacon until it has a crispy texture. Lightly pat with kitchen paper to get out the excess fat from the oil.
- Save 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet, add the butter and add the broccoli florets. Add the salt and pepper. Cook for around 6 minutes. Stir well every minute.
- Mince the garlic and add it to the broccoli. Cook for 1 minute, whilst stirring.
- Add the cream cheese, heavy cream, chicken stock, half the grated Parmesan cheese and half the grated mozzarella cheese.
- Cook for 4 minutes on low heat.
- Chop the bacon into small strips and mix with the broccoli.
- Place the broccoli in a dish and top with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Add the cayenne pepper.
- Bake until golden brown, which should be around 15 minutes.
- Choose the grill feature from your oven and cook for another few minutes until golden.
This pleasant broccoli recipe is very enjoyable to eat as a side dish, but it can also double up as a meal on its own. We recommend that you do not keep leftovers in the refrigerator for more than 3 days. If you need to loosen the sauce, you can add some water or milk to the mixture before reheating.
This recipe falls under our list of our favourite frozen vegetable side dish ideas. If you’d like to see the full list, you can check it out here.
