Three Cheese Broccoli Bites

By foodiva

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Details

Servings 24
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 27mins
Adapted from justalittlebitofbacon.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Pull out a 24 well mini muffin pan.
Blanch the broccoli for 1 minute only in boiling water. Drain and immediately put into cold water. Once the broccoli is cool, drain again and then blot thoroughly using a kitchen towel to remove as much of the water as possible. Chop the broccoli into small pieces.
Saute the sausage over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add onion and salt, continuing sauteing until the onion is soft and the sausage is fully cooked, about 7 more minutes. Add garlic, stir, and remove skillet from heat.
Whisk together ricotta and eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Then stir in parmesan, cheddar, cream, parsley, and paprika. Add sausage and broccoli and mix well.
Divide the mixture among all the wells in the mini muffin pan, pressing it down a bit to pack each well and letting it mound over the top a little. You should have just enough of the mixture to fill each well.
Bake the broccoli bites for 12-14 minutes, or until they are just starting to brown and the middle looks set. Don't bake them for more than 14 minutes.

Directions