Ingredients
- 1 bunch of broccoli, cut into equal sized florets (around 3-4 cups)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Cabot Vermont Sharp White Cheddar)
- 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan; bring to a boil. Â Place the broccoli into the boiling water, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Â Cook the broccoli for 5-6 minutes, or until it can easily be pierced by a fork. Â Drain the broccoli and set aside to cool slightly.
- Lay the broccoli out onto paper towels and cover with more paper towels, Â Press down firmly on the broccoli to absorb as much moisture as you can. Â Another method is to put the broccoli in the center of a dish towel and ring out the water as seen here. Finely chop the broccoli.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Stir everything together until well mixed.  Fill each muffin cup in a mini muffin tin to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it’s nice and compacted.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes in preheated oven. The top will be starting to golden. To easily remove from the pan (without scratching it to death), run a plastic knife around the edges of each tot and they should come out easier.
Notes
- If they seem to be falling apart when you take them out of the pan you can (1) put them back into the oven to cook for a few minutes longer so they are a bit crisper or (2) let them sit in the pan for a few minutes to let the insides firm up a bit before removing them from the pan.  You have to be ginger with them if they’re sticking a little to the pan!
- The sharp cheddar can be substituted with whatever cheese you have on hand.
