Stuffed Potato and Broccoli Nests: Vegetarian Appetizer for the Holidays
Let’s start with an exciting idea for your holiday menu. These potato and broccoli nests stuffed with ricotta and mushrooms are the perfect vegetarian appetizer: simple, quick to prepare and delicious.
Simple Procedure
The process is truly intuitive. After cooking the potatoes and broccoli, mash and season them. Form balls and create a central cavity, turning them into small “baskets”.
The heart of the dish is the filling: a soft ricotta cream and mushrooms sautéed in a pan with oil, garlic, and parsley.
Finally, straight into the oven! The result? Super tasty baskets, ideal to enjoy hot and cheesy or even cold as finger food for a buffet.
[Inspo: blog Simply Delicious with my personal modifications]
Here are more ideas to enrich your holiday menu:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, Fall, Winter
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, and it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 21.2 oz potatoes
- 8.8 oz broccolini (net of waste)
- 8.8 oz champignon mushrooms
- 4.2 oz ricotta
- 1 egg white
- 2.1 oz provolone (grated or other stringy cheese)
- 1.8 oz grated parmesan
- 1.4 oz breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 sprigs chopped parsley
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste mixed peppercorns
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Braising Pan
- 1 Slotted Spoon
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Knife
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Small Glass
- 1 Grater
- 1 Teaspoon
Steps
After washing the potatoes under running water, boil them whole for about 22 minutes from the time the water boils. The tines of a fork should easily pierce them.
In the meantime, in a pan, blanch the broccoli florets in salted water for 8 minutes.
After this time, drain them very well using a slotted spoon.
Once the potatoes are cooked, mash them while still hot until they become a puree with a potato masher.
Add the well-drained broccoli and continue mashing until you achieve a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Add the egg white to the mixture and mix well with a spoon.
Finish with grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, adjust salt and pepper.
Work with a spatula until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth, removing the lower part of the stem where the soil is, then slice them starting from the cap with thin and sharp cuts.
Now proceed to chop the mushrooms very finely with a knife.
Once this operation is completed, in a large pan, brown a clove of garlic with the oil for a couple of minutes.
Add the chopped mushrooms and let them brown for about 8-10 minutes.
Then adjust the salt and pepper, flavor with chopped parsley, turn off the heat and let cool.
Take the potato and broccoli mixture and, with slightly damp hands, form balls of about 80 g each.
Place them one by one on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and create a cavity in the center using a small glass like the one for an amaro. Alternatively, you can also shape the cavity in the balls with your hands.
Mix the ricotta with a few tablespoons of milk and a pinch of nutmeg and fill each cavity.
Finish with a spoonful of sautéed mushrooms.
Finally, a nice sprinkle of grated provolone. Bake in a preheated static oven at 375°F for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and a light crust has formed.
Serve while still warm!
And voilà…the potato and broccoli nests stuffed with ricotta and mushrooms are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉Potato and broccoli nests stuffed with ricotta and mushrooms can be stored in the fridge in suitable containers for refrigeration for 1-2 days and heated for a few minutes in the microwave as needed or just before serving.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣The Stuffing: The beauty of this recipe is its versatility. The filling can vary according to your creativity and the seasonality. I used champignon mushrooms, but you can experiment with porcini, chanterelles, honey mushrooms, pioppini, or mixed. Naturally, it can be enriched with other types of stringy cheese like scamorza, taleggio, or mozzarella (preferably the type for pizza); similarly, other types of vegetables can be used based on the season. Finally, the ricotta cream can be replaced with béchamel as in the original recipe or, for an even healthier option, with a fake cauliflower béchamel, blending this vegetable with part vegetable broth, part milk, and a drizzle of oil.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Is it possible to make these nests with just potatoes?
Certainly, it’s a more caloric and less healthy option, but you can use about 28 oz of potatoes to get the number of nests specified in the recipe.
