Bacon Broccoli Cheese Bites

I always have a hard time thinking of what to have as a side dish. I try to avoid rice and too much potato with the points being so high, and I am not one for eating vegetables by themselves. These cheese & bacon broccoli bites are how I got around that. Chopped broccoli, crumbled bacon, panko and a handful of light cheese, spooned into a mini muffin pan and baked until the tops go golden and crisp.

They come out looking like little veggie tots, and one batch makes 24. Put a few next to chicken on a weeknight, or set the whole plate out with a dip. Either way they are sure to please, and only 1 Point each.

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Why you’ll love these broccoli cheese bites

• A vegetable side you actually look forward to. Broccoli, bacon and melted cheese in a crisp little bite is a very different proposition from steamed florets on the side of the plate.
• 1 Point each. Frozen broccoli does the heavy lifting, and the panko and cheese are used with a light hand, so you can put three or four on your plate without much math.
• The mini muffin pan does the shaping. No rolling, no forming patties by hand. Spoon, pat down, bake.
• A side dish or an appetizer. These tasty cheese & bacon broccoli bites are a perfect side dish, or make them as an appetizer for your next party.
• Broccoli that gets eaten. Crisp edges, bacon and cheese are a much easier sell to a picky eater than a bowl of florets.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 24

Serving Size: 1 bite

1 WW Point Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)

Ingredients

• 3 cups frozen broccoli
• 6 slices bacon (I use Oscar Mayer center cut to keep the points low)
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (Japanese style)
• 2 tablespoons white flour
• 2/3 cup light shredded cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• Dash of salt and pepper

Frozen broccoli is the shortcut here, and it is a good one. It steams in the microwave in five minutes, it chops down small without the stems getting in the way, and it costs a fraction of fresh in the middle of winter.

Center cut bacon is worth seeking out. Six slices sounds like a lot until you remember it is spread across 24 bites, and the center cut keeps the points where they need to be for this to stay a 1 Point side.

The panko is what makes these crisp instead of soft, and the egg plus egg white is what holds everything together. Both are doing a real job, so those are the two things I would not fiddle with.

How to make bacon broccoli cheese bites

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 24 cup mini muffin pan.
2. Cook the bacon on the stove and set it aside to cool.
3. Steam the broccoli. Put the frozen broccoli in a microwave safe dish with 2 tablespoons of water, cover it, and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Chop it small. Cut the broccoli into very small pieces. A food processor works, I just prefer a knife. Crumble up the cooled bacon.
5. Mix everything together in a bowl: broccoli, bacon, panko, flour, both cheeses, the egg and egg white, and a dash of salt and pepper.
6. Fill the pan. Spoon the mixture into the sprayed mini muffin cups and pat each one down a bit with the back of the spoon.
7. Bake 15 minutes, then turn each bite over and bake another 10 minutes, so both sides get crisp.
8. Serve warm with your favorite dip.

Variations and substitutions

• Use fresh broccoli. Steam about the same volume of small florets until just tender, then let them cool and drain well before chopping.
• Change the cheese. Sharp cheddar gives you the strongest broccoli cheddar flavor. A light three cheese blend melts smoothly. Swiss is lovely with the bacon.
• Skip the bacon. Leave it out and you have a straightforward cheesy broccoli bite that vegetarians can eat.
• Add a little heat. A pinch of cayenne or a spoonful of diced jalapeño in the mix wakes them right up.
• Swap the dip. Sweet chili sauce is what is in the photos and it suits them well. Light ranch, a little marinara, or plain Greek yogurt with garlic all work too.

Any swap changes the points, so recheck them in the app if you change the cheese or the bacon.

Tips and tricks

• Squeeze the broccoli dry. This is the whole game. Steamed broccoli holds a surprising amount of water, and wet mix gives you soggy bites. Press it in a clean tea towel before it goes in the bowl.
• Chop smaller than you think. Big florets make the bites break apart when you turn them. You want pieces about the size of a pea.
• Pack them in firmly. Pat each cup down with the back of the spoon so the mixture holds together as one bite.
• Don’t skip the flip. Turning them at 15 minutes is what crisps the bottoms, and it is also the easiest moment to loosen any that want to stick.
• Let them sit for a minute before you lift them out. They firm up as they cool and come out of the pan much more willingly.

Storing and reheating

Cooled bites keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about four days. They also freeze well: freeze them in a single layer on a tray first, then bag them, and they will not stick together.

Reheat them in a hot oven or the air fryer for a few minutes to bring the crunch back. The microwave works in a pinch but you lose the crisp edges, which is most of the point.

More easy sides and bites

More broccoli and cheese: my Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup is only 2 Points a cup. If the mini muffin pan trick works for you, my chicken, bacon and cheese mini bites use the same pan and the same idea with shredded chicken instead of broccoli. And for another vegetable that disappears off the plate, try my buffalo cauliflower tots.

If you are still stuck on what to put beside dinner, there are plenty more Weight Watchers side dishes where this one came from.

5 from 4 votes

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Bites

By: Drizzle

Servings: 24

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Chopped broccoli, crumbled bacon, panko and light cheese baked in a mini muffin pan until the tops go golden. A Weight Watchers side dish or party appetizer at 1 Point per bite, 24 bites to a batch.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 cups of frozen broccoli
• ▢ 6 slices of bacon, I use Oscar Mayer center cut to keep points low
• ▢ 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, I use the Japanese style, 1/2 cup based on my label is 3sp
• ▢ 2 T white flour
• ▢ 2/3 cup light, reduced fat grated cheese, I use a 3 cheese blend
• ▢ 2 T finely grated parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 egg white
• ▢ Dash of salt & pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350F, spray a 24 mini muffin pan.
• Cook your 6 slices of bacon on the stove and set aside. Place frozen broccoli in a microwave safe dish and add 2T water, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Chop broccoli up into very small pieces, you can use a food processor if you wish, I just prefer a knife. Crumble up your cooked bacon. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
• Using a spoon fill a 24 sprayed mini muffin pan with mixture, pat down a bit with your spoon.
• Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then turn over and bake another 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite dip.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish

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