Broccoli Melts

  5.0 – 8 reviews  • Main Dish
Level: Easy
Total: 40 min
Active: 40 min
Yield: 8 melts

Ingredients

  1. 1 pound broccolini or regular broccoli
  2. Coarse salt, to taste
  3. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  5. A few pinches red pepper flakes, to taste
  6. Finely grated zest, then juice, of 1/2 lemon (juice before zesting only if you enjoy being grumpy)
  7. 1/2 cup finely grated aged Pecorino-Romano
  8. 8 slices bread of your choice
  9. 8 thin slices totally unfancy deli provolone

Instructions

  1. If using broccolini, cut it into 2-inch segments. If using regular broccoli, peel the stems with a vegetable peeler first so that they cook evenly, then cut the rest into large chunks.
  2. Pour about a 1-inch puddle of salted water into a large saute pan and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover with a lid; let boil/steam for 2 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels, wringing out as much extra liquid as possible. Chop into small (roughly 1/2-inch) bits.
  3. Wipe the saute pan dry and heat over medium. Add the olive oil and let it heat for a full minute. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, cooking until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, seasoning with salt. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, Pecorino and more salt and pepper flakes to taste.
  4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet and lightly toast on both sides. Scoop the broccoli mixture onto each slice of bread, lay a slice of provolone over it and run under the broiler until the cheese has melted and begun to blister. Eat. Repeat. Don’t forget to share, or at least hide the evidence if you decide not to.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 261
Total Fat 12 grams
Saturated Fat 5 grams
Cholesterol 20 milligrams
Sodium 633 milligrams
Carbohydrates 24 grams
Dietary Fiber 5 grams
Protein 14 grams
Sugar 5 grams

Reviews

Rebecca Gutierrez
This is absolutely delicious!
Christopher Nash
Excellent recipe, good flavors and very easy.
Tyler Hicks
Quick and easy. I added some bacon and used swiss cheese. This recipe is a keeper.
James Johnson
So I didn’t have any red pepper flakes. I did it simple and a bit modified using other cheese but these are great! I needed to use my broccoli and couldn’t have used it any better.
Isaac Martinez
I just made this last night and it was incredible! My husband was a little skeptical, but ended up loving it!
Debra Strickland
This was delish! Have to admit that I did decide to skip the pan step and simply roasted the broccoli off on the same sheet pan I toasted my bread. Then I put it all together with the cheese and final broiling. This way I didn’t have to worry about any wet veggies making my toast soggy and I saved one extra thing to clean!

 

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