Cruciferous vegetables + cheese = magical formula.
Hmm, maybe anything combined with cheese is quite special. But cruciferous veggies are particularly enticing, their slight bitterness hushed and wrapped in a cozy cocoon of melted goodness.
If you are not convinced, try this recipe for my cauliflower mac&cheese – my kids refuse to eat any other variety because they love how cheese works its magic on cauliflower.
Or mix these broccoli tater tots. These little guys tick all the boxes.
Easy – tick!
Fast – tick!
The winning broccoli+cheese combo – tick!
Nutritious finger food for babies 6 month+ and toddlers – tick!
Healthy snack for parents – tick!
Freezer friendly – tick!
I adapted this recipe from dozens of others I found on the internet to make it baby-friendly and easier to remember. I also added a little extra fat to it, because it upgrades the taste and nutrition.
Baby Friendly Broccoli Tater Tots
Ingredients:
Two medium potatoes or 4-5 small potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (about 1.5 cups of potato cubes).
1 medium broccoli stalk or 2 cups of frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1/2 cup of grated parmesan + optional 3 tablespoons
1/4 cup of grated cheddar
3 tablespoons of bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400F/gas mark 6 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Note: It is very important to use parchment paper to prevent the tots sticking to the baking sheet.
Place the potato into a microwavable dish, cover it with a plate and microwave at high for 3 minutes or until they are easy to pierce with a knife but still too hard to eat. Remove from the microwave and let cool. You can also boil or steam the potatoes.
EDIT: I got some comments about the tater tots not hoding their shape when cooking. It could be due to the fact that the potatoes were overcooked at this stage. Make sure not to cook them until they are soft, they should be slightly undercooked at this point so they can bind the tater tots properly.
In the meanwhile, chop the broccoli into 2 inch pieces and microwave in the same way as potatoes for 1-2 minutes. Or, if using frozen and thawed broccoli, skip this step.
Pulse the broccoli in a food processor, until it has the texture of couscous. Make sure to not over process the broccoli or it will be too wet. Scrape the sides of the food processor if necessary. Measure 1.5 cups of broccoli and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the potatoes and cheese to the food processor and pulse until it all comes together. Do nto overprocess, the texture should remain grainy like on the picture above.
Add the potato mixture to the bowl with broccoli, add the breadcrumbs, garlic powder and mix together.
Scoop large spoonful of the mixture, shape tater tots with your hands and roll them in the 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan if using. You can also skip this step and just spray the tater tots with a little oil once they are on the baking sheet.
Arrange the tots on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 8–9 minutes. Flip and then bake for an additional 5-6 minutes on the other side until golden brown.
Serve with tomato sauce, salsa, ketchup or ranch.
For a baby under 12 months, choose salt free or low sodium dip, like sour cream or low sodium tomato sauce.
Freezer instructions:
Place uncooked tater tots on a greased tray and pop them into the freezer until firm, then transfer into a labeled ziplock bag. They can keep in the freezer for 2 months. To cook from frozen, just place them directly on a baking tray and into the preheated oven. No prior thawing is required.
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What a great way to get kids eating broccoli!
Yummy! Love the sound and look of these!
They taste so good. I hope you try the recipe :). Thank you for stopping by!
This recipe failed. It baked out flat and resembled crisps instead
Hi Carol, I am so sorry it did not work for you. Which type of potato did you use?
I just made these – they taste good but they came out like splodges rather than nice tube like shapes. What did i do wrong? Too much cheese maybe….
Hi Jessica, so sorry it did not work. It is the second comment I get about the same issue so I am looking into the recipe and retesting it today. I think a lot has to do with the amount of starch in potatoes, which keeps the bites together, but my goal is to make sure that the recipe works for everyone. So I cut the amount of cheddar in half and tested the recipe again. The bites came out a little less creamy on the outside but I hope they will now hold shape with all kinds of potatoes!
Great thank you so much for the tip. I will try them again. They were delicious even if they were splodges. Great website btw. Jess
Thank you so much Jess! Really appreciate your patience :).
Well this was a complete fail. Had them in the oven for even longer than it says, and they didn’t even cook. Decided to just fry them on a pan instead.
Thanks for trying! I am testing the recipe again. My suspicion – the type of potato I have been using before must have been extra starchy. It has been working without a fail for me but a few people got pancakes instead of tater tots :). Did they hold shape when you fried them in the pan?
OK, tested 12 different versions today, with different types of potatoes, different ratio/amounts of cheese and also with/without breadcrums. I really wanted to stay away from this extra ingredient, so it is easier to integrate this recipe into your baby’s diet, but it seems harder to make it work and maintaing the “cheesiness” unless I use only Russet potatoes and get their texture absolutely right. But who has time for perfection with a small baby on hands! Soooo, I made this recipe absolutely fail proof by eliminating oil/butter, slightly reducing the amount of cheddar and adding breadcrums. Now it works with all types of potato, even red, and holds shape beautifully. I am so glad I finally fine-tuned it! Thank you all so much for your helpful comments and feedback.
Thanks for the effort! Will be trying this out again soon.. it’s impossible to get my daughter to eat her vege..so I’m really hoping it works and she’ll like them 🙂
Yay! I hope she likes them!
This recipe doesn’t work. First the potatoes can’t come out in a couscous texture when it’s cooked and then cheesed added. I’m come out like whipped potatoes. Rolling in breadcrumbs to hold as the last step might work.
I think it could have happened because of the type of the potato used. It may be tricky not to over process it the mixture as well. Let me think about how to improve this recipe, I just really enjoy it and would love to make it work for you! Will be back soon :).
This recipe is amazing! My daughter LOOOVES these. She just gobbles them right up, and I have to admit I enjoy them as well! I found them to work just fine. But definitely need the parchment paper to prevent sticking. Thanks so much!
Yay! So glad your little one loved them. I, honestly, ate quite a few batches myself when developing the recipe :). Definitely easier with parchment paper, will make sure to emphasize it in the recipe.
Can this be frozen after cooked?
Yes, it can, but for no longer than a month. Make sure to reheat from frozen, in the oven, until very hot. Enjoy 🙂
If I put these in the fridge after baking them will they still be soft enough for a 7 month old to eat not heated up, since they don’t heat things at daycare?
Great question! I personally never tried to do that (we mostly just gobble them up while they are hot), but I think they should be still pretty soft. I would ask the nursery staff to cut them lengthwise in half just in case.