Cheesy Broccoli and Bacon
Tender roasted broccoli gets tossed with crispy bacon and a dreamy mozzarella cream sauce for the kind of easy side dish that disappears fast.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli de-stemmed, cut into small florets (~420g)
- 3 tablespoons 45mL avocado oil or melted butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 cup 112g shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup 120mL heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons 30g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon 0.5oz unsalted butter
Optional Garnishes:
- Freshly-cracked black pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together broccoli florets, avocado oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Arrange broccoli to be in even layer. Transfer baking sheet to oven to roast until broccoli is crispy and tender, about 12-13 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- While broccoli roasts, in a large pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp.
- While bacon is cooking, start to simmer ~1 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plate to de-grease. Set aside.
- To a small stainless steel or glass bowl, add shredded mozzarella, heavy cream, grated Parmesan, and butter. Set bowl atop saucepan of simmering water, then stir and melt together cheese sauce.
- While cheese sauce cooks, crumble bacon.
- Remove broccoli from oven and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour in cheese sauce and, using a tongs, toss together. Serve in bowls garnished with pepper, red pepper flakes, and bacon crumbles.
Notes
Time-Saving Tip: If you can find precooked bacon with ingredients that suit your particular diet lifestyle, you can use that! I often will use the precooked bacon from Trader Joe's for quick recipes like this one.