January 13, 2015
updated
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Looking for ways to get more veggies in your kid’s diet? These broccoli nuggets are a great start.
While your kids might not eat a plate of steamed broccoli, these cheesy broccoli nuggets are a great way to get more veggies in their diet. Made with four simple ingredients and seasonings, they make a quick side dish or school lunch.
Love easy recipes like this one? Check out more kid-favorite lunch ideas in the 101 Packed Lunches eBook.
How to Pack Broccoli Nuggets for Lunch
Kids love nuggets of any kind, and the cheddar and broccoli combination is sure to get their stamp of approval. Here’s how to pack these for lunch:
- Prepare the nuggets
- Divide 4-6 in a lunch container or thermos
- Seal and pack with your choice of dipping sauce
When I say they are easy to make, I mean it. Check out this quick video and see for yourself.
If you want to make these nuggets ahead of time and refrigerate for later, make sure to reheat them in a microwave or toaster oven before packing them into a lunch container or thermos.
Don’t forget the sauce! My kids love homemade ranch or ketchup for dipping, but you could also pair them with honey mustard or marinara.
Broccoli Nuggets Recipe
Ingredients
- 16- ounce bag of broccoli florets, thawed
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place broccoli florets inside a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasoning to the veggie mixture. Process a few pulses until every combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, place veggie nugget scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently press them down so all nuggets are the same height.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly prior to serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.
Liam
Best recipe! definitely will make more.
My 7 year old son is very picky. Well, at least when it comes to vegetables. Whenever I try to serve him vegetables, he refuses to eat it. But when I made these broccoli nuggets, I was surprised and delighted to see them disappear quickly from his plate. He loved them and even asked for more!
Traci
These are in the oven as we speak! I’m a vegetarian so these are especially for me! My almost 3 year old might not go for it but we will see! So excited to see how they turn out and made a batch to freeze as well. They don’t look as nice as the picture though lol. I didn’t have a cookie scooper ;) thanks for the recipe!!!!
MOMables
How did you like them, Traci? This is one of our favorite recipes!
Neha
Hi…I like your recipe and want to try to make it for my kids but we are vegetarian and don’t eat eggs so please help me how can I make this yummy recipe without eggs?
MOMables
Hi, Neha! Since the recipe calls for 3 eggs, it may be difficult to replace them. But you may be able to try using 3 flax eggs, which would be 3 tablespoons of ground flax meal (ground flax seeds) mixed with 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes before using in the recipe. Let us know how it works for you!
Sarah
Thank you so much for the great recipe! I gave them to my son right now and called them “dinosaur eggs.” He gobbled his up and even took mine off of my plate!
Diane
Hi Laura! My kids love this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing. I was planning to batch make them and store in the freezer, how long can I store them?
MOMables
I’m so glad Diane! In a freezer bag for 1-2 months. Enjoy!
sarah
Hi!
These turned out SO yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
I am wondering if Its best to bake all of the mixture at one time, or save the mixture in the refrigerator to bake fresh nuggets throughout the next few days?
Thanks!
MOMables
You can do either. I like to pre-make the nuggets and freeze them as shown.
Sarah
I made these last night for my kids as a test run, and then made them today with my grades 3-6 health students. Despite being skeptical at the ingredients, they DEVOURED them and have all asked for the recipe! Thank you for a WIN!
MOMables
Thank so much for the feedback Sarah! I am thrilled everyone enjoyed them.
Judi
Can I just use fresh (cooked) broccoli instead of frozen? I buy as little packaged food as possible and with broccoli I don’t really see the point of paying more for frozen. Love your recipes! Also when you freeze prior to baking what temp and length of time do you bake them? I assume you bake from frozen?
MOMables
sure. you can use fresh or frozen broccoli. They only take minutes to thaw, so I bake them at the same temperature and possibly ad 1-2 minutes to baking time. Enjoy!
Ruthanne
Just wondering if there is a good gluten free sub for the bread crumbs? I’m guessing maybe almond flour or ground oatmeal? Thanks for this recipe!
MOMables
I use gluten free bread crumbs. I toast gluten free bread, then make bread crumbs with it. I haven’t tried it with almond flour or oatmeal so I can’t advise. Sorry!
Lisa Hobday
Is it possible to make these without the cheese? Is there something that you can substitute? My son can’t have dairy.
MOMables
Lisa, not these. The cheese is used to “bind” the ingredients. Sorry!
Holly
Just made these tonight and they turned out awesome. My daughter won’t eat them because she says she doesn’t like broccoli with cheese :( I guess I don’t really need to hide her broccoli!
MOMables
Bummer! but I am glad they turned out awesome. :)
Christie Gantt
Do you send these with your child cold or put in a thermos to keep them warm?
MOMables
Both. depends how your child likes it. One of my kids likes them at room temperature, the others like them warm in a thermos. Enjoy!
Marla
Thanks for posting this! My 10yo son used to love broccoli, and lately he’s been turning his nose up at all veggies, so I’m looking forward to giving these a try. Question: can these be frozen after they’re baked?
MOMables
Marla, I usually freeze prior to baking but yes, I don’t see why they can’t be frozen after you bake them. Enjoy!