Friday, August 23, 2013

Light Broccoli Gratin

Light Broccoli Gratin

Coming back from a wonderful vacation is depressing on so many levels.  No more sleeping late, relaxing by the water, sightseeing excursions or indulgent food.  Yeah, that last part especially!  So I decided to deal with some of those vacation calories by making a rich, cheesy gratin.  What??  How is that not indulgent?  Oh, I'll show you.

Light Broccoli Gratin
All it takes is a few simple ingredient swaps to turn this into a light and healthy treat.  And yes, it will still taste cheesy.  And yes, there will still be that crunchy topping that we all love so much about gratins.  This was good enough to eat even while on vacation so I definitely took care of the part about missing indulgent food.  Still don't know how to get over the rest of the post vacation blues, though.....  Enjoy!







Ingredients
1 Small head broccoli, cut into bite size florets
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 Clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 Cup low fat milk
1/2 Cup low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1 Teaspoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

Light Broccoli Gratin
Add the olive oil to a large pan along with the minced garlic.  Saute on low heat for a couple of minutes, just until the garlic softens but doesn't brown.  Mix in the flour until it's thoroughly coated and slowly whisk in the milk.  Add the nutmeg and stir in the cheddar cheese until it melts.  Season to taste.

Add the broccoli florets to a baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over them.  Top with the grated Parmesan.  In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and olive oil and sprinkle on top of the Parmesan cheese.  Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.  Makes 2 to 3 generous servings.

14 comments:

  1. Now this is a skinny dish I can get behind. It looks wonderful. And cheese is always a good thing. Welcome back to reality.

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  2. broccoli is my favorite veggie. i think my husband gets tired of my plain old steamed version. this looks great and I am pretty sure he would dig right in.

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  3. Ahhh... the post vacation blues... aren't they the worst?? I've made somethings similar to this recipe, and I can totally see it helping!! Welcome home...

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  4. THIS may get me to eat broccoli. Happily. ;)

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  5. I hate that feeling when first coming back from vacation! I love broccoli gratin though! It's such a comfort dish!

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  6. We have this for every single holiday meal so I am going to make this version come Thanksgiving.

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  7. There's nothing worse than coming back from a vacation and getting back into a routine again...but a great way to start with a broccoli gratin

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  8. This looks like a great way to enjoy broccoli.

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  9. Glad you had a great vacation and heck yes, it feel so bad to get back to a routine... This gratin sure looks yummy.

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  10. This looks delicious Anita. I'm glad you had a lovely vacation!

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  11. Hi ...this looks yummy...did you steam the broccoli first OR put it in the baking dish 'raw'..thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. Hi - I actually put them in the baking dish raw and found that the cooking time in the oven was sufficient to soften them.

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  12. Tried this dish tonight and loved it! Used frozen broc b/c it was all I had. Next time I will roast it first; I bet it will be even better than. This is definitely a keeper!

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  13. Dude! I made this tonight with yakitori chicken (another healthy dish) and this is going into my favorites. I tagged your name #hungrycouplenyc on my Instagram account (shamankafatalewhite) this was amazing!!!!

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