Once You Add These Popular Crackers To Broccoli, You Won't Want The Veggie Another Way
Roasting is an excellent method for preparing satisfying and flavorful vegetables. It's easy to do and adds quite a delightful taste and texture, particularly with cruciferous varieties, including Brussels sprouts and broccoli. If you're looking for ingredients that will elevate your roasted broccoli, one popular brand of cracker is a surprisingly effective choice. Ritz Original Crackers are buttery and crispy, and, when crushed, provide the perfect complement to a batch of roasted broccoli.
Largely considered the crunchy old-school shortcut that makes nearly any casserole taste better, Ritz crackers are popular for much more than just serving alongside peanut butter or cheese. Consider the way making a dish au gratin can easily enhance it with the simple addition of breadcrumbs, butter, or cheese. Crushed Ritz crackers add the essence of butter and breadcrumbs with minimal effort, giving your roasted broccoli an au gratin-style feel.
For a bigger flavor, try mixing up the popular cracker crumbs with Dijon mustard, olive oil, minced garlic, and a sprinkle of salt to accent the broccoli. Between the tender texture of roasted broccoli and the bold crunch of seasoned Ritz crackers, there is a lot to enjoy. It can be an ideal side dish to pair with your favorite proteins or even the base of a wholesome, vegetarian-friendly entree.
Preparing Ritz crackers for adding to broccoli
This is just one of the many creative ways to use Ritz crackers, allowing you to fully customize your roasted broccoli. While the crackers are popular on their own, crushing them up into crumbs gives them even more versatility. Whether you choose to use a food processor or a plastic bag with a rolling pin or mallet, you can control just how coarse or fine you want the cracker crumbs. Depending on the style you choose, you can make your roasted broccoli more like a casserole, similar to an au gratin dish, or any other way.
For example, finely crushed Ritz crackers can be used as a perfectly portioned sprinkle atop a dish of roasted broccoli, along with shaved Parmesan. Mix up crushed Ritz crackers with hot sauce and spices to bring some heat to your roasted broccoli. On the flip side, you could combine the crushed crackers with a miso yogurt dressing for a delightfully tangy, cool drizzle over the vegetables.
The biggest benefit to working with Ritz crackers is that they are popular and ubiquitous, so they are likely to be in your pantry in a pinch or easy to pick up at your local grocery store. These simple snack crackers are the perfect accompaniment to your broccoli, accentuating its natural flavor from the roasting process without overshadowing it. Let yourself get creative and enjoy wholesome vegetables with a satisfying crunch.