AIR FRYER BROCCOLI CHEESE BITES

Not only are these Air Fryer Broccoli Cheese Bites easy to make, but they’re also full of cheese, gooeyness, and crunchy texture. It’s my new favourite way to get more broccoli in my diet because it’s made with chopped broccoli and cheddar cheese and then rolled in panko.

Ingredients:

1. Two cups cooked, coarsely chopped broccoli
2. One cup of shredded cheddar cheese
3. One cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, or any other kind of shredded cheese
4. 4 oz. softened cream cheese
5. One huge egg
6. To taste, add ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
7. One-half teaspoon of Italian spice
8. One-half teaspoon of powdered garlic
9. one-half teaspoon paprika
10. One cup Panko or ordinary breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. In a big bowl, combine the cheese and the chopped broccoli. Using your hands, combine the egg, spices, and ingredients until a sticky mixture develops.
2. Form the balls. Now use your hands to form the mixture into tiny balls. Create balls with a diameter of about 1 inch, but no more than 1 and a half inches. If not, the balls can become patties.
   Advice. Make a hole in each ball with your finger and insert a tiny cube of solid cheese, like goat cheese, Velveeta, cream cheese, or mozzarella. After that, seal the opening and carry on rolling the appetiser broccoli into a ball. This will give that amazing cheese pull and gushing cheese effect, but it’s optional.
3. Apply a Panko coat. Make sure every ball is well covered after rolling it in Panko breadcrumbs.
4. Place the balls on a baking tray coated with paper and freeze for half an hour to an hour. Although it’s not necessary, doing this will ensure that the balls don’t crumble while air-frying.
5. Set the temperature of your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t omit this action. It’s crucial that the broccoli cheddar poppers in a scorching air fryer begin cooking right away.
6. With enough room for air to flow around each piece, place each ball into the tray of your air fryer that has been greased. Apply a thin layer of cooking spray to every ball.
7. The broccoli cheddar bits should be cooked in an air fryer at 400°F for five minutes on each side. This means that after five minutes, turn each ball over.
8. Tip: Gently flip them with the aid of two spatulas. Using tongs could inadvertently smash the balls, so avoid doing so.
9. When they’re done, take them out of the air fryer (I lift each ball gently out of it using a flat silicone spatula) and put them on a platter.

Notes:

•  Should I brush the balls with egg wash before dredging them in Panko breadcrumbs?
• You do not need to use eggwash. Without dipping the balls in egg wash, I discovered that the broccoli mixture had enough stickiness for the breadcrumbs to stick to it.
• Should you choose to use eggwash, coat each ball in bread crumbs after dipping it one at a time into the beaten eggs.

Changes:

• Even while this dish is excellent as is, you can always adjust it to your taste.
• To add more crunch and flavour to the combination, you can chop some jalapenos or green onions.
• To make the nibbles gluten-free, feel free to replace the Panko bread crumbs with ordinary bread crumbs or even oats.
• For this recipe, it is ideal to use soft, mushy broccoli florets (boil for two minutes, then drain and pat dry); alternatively, you can use frozen or air-fried broccoli. If you’re using frozen broccoli, cook it as directed on the package. If they seem a little wet, squeeze away the excess moisture.
• Feel free to use different cheeses, such as Parmesan, Mozzarella, Velveeta, Cream cheese, or Goat cheese, in addition to cheddar.

NUTRITION