Living, breathing proof that broccoli recipes don’t have to be boring…. These Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls are an outrageously delicious meat-free meal or fabulous bites to serve at a gathering. Make these with fresh or frozen broccoli, and watch as even the pickiest of eaters scoff them down!
“Freeze! Cut! Don’t move!”
“Faster, faster, faster!”
“Dozer, move! MOVE!”
“Chop chop chop, come on, let’s get this scene done!”
“Dozer. I said MOVE!”
One day, I need to use the sound that’s recorded on the footage that I shoot for the recipe videos.
When I watch the clips, I’m always in hysterics when I listen to the ridiculous conversation: me batting Dozer away, listening to my mother getting all stressed out when I crack the whip to chop faster, her mocking my Baby Hands and throwing her weight around as the “talent” in my videos. And sometimes, I deliberately shout out “FREEZE!” when my mother is in a particularly awkward position – like half squatting, mid ball forming – just for my own amusement. Ba ha ha, I’m SO MEAN!
Such is life when you’re an amateur videographer, working out of your home with a make-do-with-what-you-have video set up, on a $6 Bunnings DIY fake marble shooting surface, with your mother as your hand model and a dog who…..well, a dog who contributes nothing except gets in the way. We create our own amusement!
Now – let’s talk Broccoli Balls!
Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls: Perfect meat-free party snacks
Today is Monday Meatball Mania, yet another “thing” I do to create my own amusement. My friend Jo from Jo Cooks and I agreed to each share a meatball recipe on the last Monday of every month. And that’s just about the only rule there is.
Except….that it needs to be a meatball recipe… and these Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls are completely devoid of any form of meat. Hmm…..I wonder if Jo will declare this to be a foul? 😉 We shall see!
These babies certainly don’t taste healthy – but they are. You’ll be surprised how much broccoli you use – an entire very large head – and they are baked, not fried. They come out beautifully golden, they stay pretty round, and they’re really juicy and moist inside.
I haven’t served these Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls at a gathering yet but I definitely plan to in the near future because they reheat well and I think they’ll be a total crowed pleaser. And they’re fabulous as a meal too. In the photo below, I served this with a lemon pilaf and a quick sautéed kale side (recipe in the notes!). – Nagi x
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls recipe video!
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Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups (packed) roughly chopped soft cooked broccoli (well drained) (~400g/13 oz raw broccoli) (Note 1)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Colby or Tasty cheese are my usual)
- 2 shallots / scallions , finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil spray
Garlic Lemon Yoghurt Sauce:
- 2/3 cup plain yoghurt
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ garlic clove , minced
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (adjust to taste, depends on fat % of yoghurt used)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F (all oven types).
- Line tray with baking / parchment paper. (Note 2)
- Place all ingredients (except oil spray) in a bowl. Mix well to combine, mashing up the broccoli as you go (like when you are cooking mince).
- Scoop up a heaped tablespoon, then press in firmly. Flick out into your hand then form into a ball. Place on tray. Repeat with remaining mixture – should make 15 – 18 balls.
- Spray with oil then bake for 25 minutes, or until the surface is slightly crisp and golden.
- Serve with Lemon Yoghurt Sauce – it also goes great with ketchup!
- Sauce: Mix ingredients together then set aside for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
If it isn’t bad enough that he can’t even go for walks until the cut on his paw heals a bit, now I’m making him wear a sock…..!!!
PS Before you mock me (and him), it is VERY practical rather than re-bandaging every day because it gets so filthy. I mean, I have four of these socks. So I only have to wash them every 4 days! 😉
PS Reminder: let’s not feel too sorry for him. He lives a darn good life.
The nutritional contents say 374 calories for 1 serving. Is that for the whole recipe?
Hi Mary! Nope, it’s for 1/3 of the recipe which is 1 serving as a meal. 🙂 N xx
I’m on a low carb what can be used in place of bread crumbs as a binder
Hi Cathy! How about almond meal? I think 3/4 cup should suffice. 🙂
I did make them with 3/4 cup almond meal and they came out great! 😊
Love that you adapted!! Thank you! Now, I too can make!
These look absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to make these. Drooling already. Thanks for the nutritional baked option, when I first clicked I thought no way can these be healthy-ish… but you did it!
Aww thanks Sam! 🙂 It’s amazing how a little cheese can go SO FAR without blowing the calorie metre! 😉 N xx
These are right up my street, Nagi. Sometimes I feel like a closet vegetarian.
I like the sound of the salad you served them with too.
P.s. We have packed up and shipped our stuff to Oz TODAY!!! Let me tell you it was a challenge with a 4-month-old, but we did it!
NO WAY!!!! Promise me you’ll email me with your contact number when you settle in, I want to speak to you!!
🙂 Love reading your posts, Nagi, and collecting your awesome recipes. I am definitely making these
for my young grandson. 🙂
Hugs for dear Dozer
Dear Dozer accepted hug gratefully. He is being very sulky!
You are so funny Nagi, I love reading your posts!
Well these broccoli meatballs are another healthy recipe. Rice and yogurt sauce with lemon and garlic are a great way to serve them. I’m thinking they would be great in a sandwich too like we do with falafel.
My daughter is going to love these. Broccoli is one of the rare vegetables she can eat. She calls it little trees hehe
That’s EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING!!! I actually did use leftovers to stuff into pita! Your daughter… SO STINKING CUTE! Little trees! 😂
You absolutely crack me up! When me and my husband plan a trip to Down Under, I will definitely let you know! I’d love to meet you. Have a great week!
As for the broccoli balls, so gonna make them!
Glad to provide some amusement! 😉 N xx
Another great recipe I can’t wait to try!
Hope you do Tricia! N x
Loving these broccoli cheese balls, especially because they are baked! What a great snack! I make carrot broccoli patties similar way just never thought of using the oven to bake them instead of frying :). Will try next time!
With the cheese and panko it works really well to bake them, they come out so golden!
Oh goodie-goodie-gumdrops – love those and will make them the proverbial asap 🙂 ! Love broccoli but do not have enough fun-and-witty recipes for them! This is!! Shall make! OMG: Dozer is the consummate actor: poor boy, oh poor boy : What does that word ‘move’ mean??) !
I know what you mean!! I use broccoli in a lot of soups for that very reason. N x
Nagi, thank you for this recipe. Can I substitute the Panko breadcrumbs with almond or coconut flour? I follow a Ketogenic diet and rice or bread are not allowed.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Lucia! I haven’t tried but I’m sure it will work because it would then be similar to my broccoli fritters. I’d say 1/2 cup – just enough to bind it. 🙂 N xx
These look delish, will definitely need to try these! I cannot help give sympathy to Dozer thought – my Lab recently got a small cut on his foot from oyster shells. I carried on like a right porkchop, fussing over him. The things we do for our fur kids! 🙂
I am totally carrying on like a right pork chop. I even conceded defeat and took him to the vet yesterday just to make sure it was healing ok. The attention he is getting is outrageous – I am pampering him like a baby. #Embarrassed #NotReally N xx
Hey there are no rules for our Monday Meatball Mania so these qualify, of course, and as usual they look super yummy! Where are the pictures, you know what I’m talking about!
Cheeeeese!!!… Yummmmoh!!!!!… These look delicous !! Thank you Nagi for posting – I look forward to wizzing these treasures up!!!! So love your recipes which always pack a real punch – thank you again !!
So pleased to hear you’re enjoying my recipes Kate, thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Oh! Gosh!! I can’t wait to make them. I’ve never had a recipe of yours that I didn’t absolutely love!! The family will be getting together soon and I’m definitely adding these broccoli balls to the meny! I may just call them mini- boce balls. And poor, poor baby!! He looks so miserable. If we lived nearby I’d come over and distract him so you could get your work done. 😊I’ll make the sauce to go along with them.
Oh please! NO MORE PITY FOR DOZER! 😜
These broccoli cheese balls look so YUMMY and super easy. The best part is they are bake!
I’m in with anything with cheese!
ME TOO! 💪🏻
These are 374 calories PER broccoli ball??? Am I reading that correctly? How ‘big’ are they? Seems extremely high in calories…
Looks like 374 per serving. 3 servings in recipe, recipe makes 15/18 balls.
These are 374 calories PER broccoli ball??? Am I reading that correctly? How ‘big’ are they? Seems extremely high in calories…
No no! 🙂 The nutrition is always per serving, the recipe says it serves 3 people as a meal so that’s the nutrition for 1 serving. 🙂
Thank you so much for clarifying!
Oh, Nagi, this looks beyond delicious! My son will only eat broccoli and I get tired of baking plain broccoli for him (he’s 32, you would think he would at least TRY some other veggies, oh well, he lives 500 miles from me, so it is really his wife’s issue unless I am visiting and doing the cooking! (I do visit as often as I can afford the airfare!) He has a 5 week old baby and I hope he will try to teach him to eat a variety of things. I will make this in a few days and if I like them (which I am sure I will since every one of your recipes is a home run), I will make them when I visit them next (I actually just got back – wish I had this recipe when I was still visiting!) BTW, your BBQ pork – OMG – all I can say is – YES! I slice and eat and slice some more and eat and then there is nothing left to put in my BBQ Pork Lo Mein! Poor Dozer – how did he cut his paw? I want my doggie to wear socks or slippers every time I walk her because sometimes the concrete gets too hot for her little feet, but she has other ideas. You can put Neosporin on a dog with a cut paw – if you put the sock on right away or he will lick the Neosporin and that is no good! Thank you for the awesome recipes you keep generating and also for the pictures of Dozer!
Your son is SO lucky he has a wonderful mother like you!!! 🙂 And I’m so glad you like the BBQ Pork! It’s a personal favourite, that’s for sure. Dozer cut his paw when he bolted across a bed of oysters chasing a pelican. DUH!
Happy Meatball Monday. These look great. How do think this recipe would work with cauliflower? Same ingredients and procedure just substituting the cauliflower for the broccoli.
Cheers and keep up the great recipes.
YES to cauliflower! And sautéed zucchini or other shredded / grated veggies that will soften 🙂
Mmmmmm…cauliflower sounds delish!