Smashed Broccoli (With Feta!)

Why you’ll love it

We’re already fans of broccoli in our house, including the picky little one. A favorite midweek side dish is this crazily simple sauteed frozen broccoli. We love this broccoli gnocchi, too.

But this 4-ingredient (plus a few simple seasonings) smashed broccoli recipe kicks things up another notch to make this love-it-or-hate it vegetable into a dish that you won’t be able to stop eating. Ask me how I know!

It may sound fussy having to par-boil the broccoli and then roast it, but taking this extra step makes sure that the broccoli is tender enough to smash easily. You then drizzle it with olive oil and pile seasonings and crumbled feta cheese onto the flat surface of each floret. After you roast it, the edges become irresistibly crispy, and the inside soft and delicious.

This is one of those dishes that I could happily eat all by myself for lunch. But it also makes a great side dish, or even an appetizer with a dip on the side.

These are not quite french fries, but the crispy, cheesy edges have a good chance of winning over broccoli haters!

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

• Broccoli: I recommend using fresh broccoli. But it is possible to use frozen broccoli as well since you’ll be parboiling it first.
• Olive oil: This has two purposes – to roast and crisp the broccoli, and to help the seasonings and feta to stick.
• Seasonings: I like to sprinkle over garlic powder, dried basil and salt and pepper for a little light seasoning. However, you can easily replace the garlic with onion powder, and the basil with another dried herb.
  
  And here’s a recipe for an all-purpose seasoning that you could use instead (very handy to mix and keep in the pantry!).
• Feta cheese: I always recommend an authentic Greek brand. Other kinds can include strange and unnecessary ingredients such as vegetable oil. If you prefer, use parmesan, pecorino, or even a sharp cheddar. Cheesy broccoli is what we’re aiming for here!
• Lemon juice: I think a squeeze or two of lemon juice is the icing on the cake, adding freshness and zing. Add it just before serving for best results.

How to make smashed broccoli with feta

There are only a few easy steps to making this.

First, cut the broccoli florets into medium sized florets. Then parboil them in a big pot of boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until softened but not fully cooked.

Drain them and let them steam dry for a few minutes. Then blot as dry as you can with kitchen paper or in a clean tea towel.

Scatter them evenly over a large baking pan lined with baking paper (for easier cleanup).

And now for the fun part! With a potato masher, or even the bottom of a glass or cup, carefully flatten the broccoli. You want it to have a flat surface to hold the cheese, but you don’t want it to break.

Drizzle the broccoli with the olive oil. Then scatter over the seasoning.

Finally, pile around half to two thirds of the crumbled feta on top of the flattened florets.

Now roast the cheesy broccoli at a high temperature (425F/220C for around 20 to 25 minutes, or until the feta is browned and the broccoli edges are crisp but of course not burnt.

How to serve

Once again, it’s important to serve the smashed broccoli immediately while it’s still beautifully crisp. Squeeze lemon juice over to taste, sprinkle over more crumbled feta (if you like) and watch those broccoli ‘chips’ fly off the plate!

I’ve actually eaten this for lunch by itself with olive oil toasts (of course, just bread works too)! It also makes a tempting side dish served with meat, fish, or other Mediterranean style dishes.

The final way I would serve it is as an appetizer with all your favorite dips! Try this Greek yogurt dill dip – it’s so easy to make in about 5 minutes.