Bacon Ranch Tots with Broccoli

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) bag broccoli florets
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• ¾ cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 3 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste

Step 1

Lightly heat your oven to 400°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take half of the broccoli florets and pulse them in a food processor about 20 times until they look like tiny grains of rice. Do the same with the rest of the broccoli.

Step 2

Pour about half an inch of water into a large, shallow saucepan, add a teaspoon of salt, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, add the broccoli rice, cover, and let it simmer until it’s tender—this should take around 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Once cooled, spread the broccoli rice onto a clean kitchen towel, then squeeze and twist it tightly to get rid of as much moisture as you can. In a big bowl, combine the cheddar, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, egg, bacon, ranch seasoning, and parsley. Mix in the broccoli rice until the mixture holds together when you press it.

Step 4

Using a small scoop or spoon, portion out about 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture and shape it into a tot with your hands—oiling your hands helps keep things from sticking. Place each tot on the baking sheet and repeat until you’ve used all the mixture.

Step 5

Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the tots and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of salt on top. Pop them in the oven and bake for about 24 minutes, turning them halfway through so they get golden and crispy all around. Enjoy!