Small potato and broccoli mini flans in single portions, with a melty cheese and pancetta filling, or if you prefer a fancier name, broccoli and potato flan. A potato recipe that is tasty and original and at the same time a delicious broccoli recipe, suitable even for the little ones.

We have made many potato mini flans, and like the Potato and artichoke mini flans or the Potato mini flans with eggplant, these with broccoli without béchamel and without eggs are delicious little flans that bring to the table an original appetizer and a simple, tasty main course, perfect to make kids (and those who don’t particularly like broccoli) eat broccoli. A recipe that will solve lunches and dinners without stress and with very little effort!

For this recipe of broccoli and potato flans I used very few ingredients, and to make the dish more visually appealing and fun I chose to prepare single servings. Of course, you can decide to make everything in a single baking dish and the result will be the same and equally delicious. These delightful potato and broccoli mini flans with a melting cheese and pancetta center are excellent hot or warm, they can be prepared in advance and reheated as needed, and besides being an appetizer, a side dish, or a main course, they can also be a complete one-dish meal, since they contain potatoes, broccoli, pancetta and cheese. So if you are looking for tasty broccoli recipes or potato recipes, this is perfect — and to make vegetarian broccoli flans, simply omit the pancetta. But now let’s go to the kitchen and see how to make potato and broccoli mini flans. Beforehand, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 15 Minutes
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 8
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients To make the potato and broccoli mini flans

1.1 lb potatoes (boiled/cooked)
1.1 lb broccoli
to taste salt
to taste black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste breadcrumbs
7 oz fontina (or caciotta or provola)
3.5 oz pancetta

Tools

Bowl
Pot
Muffin cups
Oven
Potato ricer

Steps To make the broccoli and potato flans

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add salt and cook for 35–40 minutes from boiling or until a skewer slides in and they are tender. Do not overcook them; if anything, leave them slightly undercooked — they will continue to cook by residual heat. Drain and let them cool gently at room temperature. Do not rinse under cold water as they would break apart. Or do as I do: place them in a bowl after washing, add half a glass of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cook in the microwave at 750 W for 20 minutes, then remove and let them cool a few minutes before pressing them with a potato ricer (you don’t need to peel them — the skins will stay in the ricer).
Separate the broccoli florets from each other, remove the toughest part of the stem by cutting it away with a knife, rinse them and plunge into boiling salted water. Cook until very tender, then drain thoroughly, place them in a bowl, let them cool slightly and mash them well with a fork.
Mix the broccoli with the mashed potatoes, combine and add salt, pepper, oil and grated cheese. Stir until you obtain a homogeneous, workable mixture; if it is too soft add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs, but it shouldn’t be necessary.
Grease the muffin cups, sprinkle them with breadcrumbs and fill them halfway with the mixture. Stuff with cubes of cheese of your choice and some pancetta, then cover with more mixture and level well.
Sprinkle with more breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at 392°F for 15 minutes, just long enough to brown the mini flans and melt the cheese.
Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before unmolding so the flans don’t fall apart. After that time, invert onto a plate and the potato and broccoli mini flans are ready to be plated, served and enjoyed.
If you like, you can prepare them a few hours in advance and reheat before serving. I do not recommend leaving them in contact with aluminum foil for many hours to avoid any transfer. Once baked and unmolded, the mini flans keep in the fridge for 2 days in airtight containers and should be reheated before eating.