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Bon Appétit

Broccoli Melts

4.8

(30)

Image may contain Plant Food Bread Lunch and Meal
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou

Here’s a working-from-home lunch that’s quick enough to make between Zooms and will send you well on your way to meeting your daily veg quota. While there’s something satisfying about the airy crustiness of a baguette, halved ciabatta rolls or slices of sourdough or whole wheat bread would work just as well.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    2 Servings

Ingredients

1

small shallot or ¼ red onion, thinly sliced

1

Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Pinch of sugar

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1

small head of broccoli (8–10 oz.)

3

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1

garlic clove

2

Tbsp. mayonnaise

1

tsp. hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha)

2

6" pieces baguette, halved lengthwise

4

slices sharp cheddar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat broiler. Combine shallot, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine; set aside.

    Step 2

    Trim and peel broccoli stem. Remove stem from crown and finely chop. Cut crown into florets, then coarsely chop into bite-size pieces.

    Step 3

    Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add broccoli; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add ¼ cup water, and cover. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and uncover. Grate in garlic; add reserved shallot mixture. Cook, stirring, until vinegar is mostly evaporated, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a bowl. Reserve skillet.

    Step 4

    Mix mayonnaise and chili sauce in a small bowl. Taste and add more chili sauce if desired.

    Step 5

    Broil bread, cut side up, in reserved skillet until lightly toasted, about 1 minute (watch carefully!). Remove from oven and spread mayo mixture over. Spoon broccoli mixture on top, going all the way to the edges (don’t be afraid to pile it on). Drape a slice of cheese over (tear in half if needed).

    Step 6

    Broil, watching carefully, until cheese is bubbling and browned, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.

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Reviews (30)

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  • Shockingly delicious. Let's be real - a Broccoli melt doesn't sound that awesome, but holy moly it was so good. I didn't have a shallot so skipped that part. Added red pepper flakes to the broccoli, no chili sauce in the mayo. Toasted sliced sourdough in toaster while broccoli cooked, then finished everything under broiler. So juicy and flavorful and filling and got my veggies in for the day!

    • Anonymous

    • 10/26/2023

  • I was really excited to make this sandwich and very disappointed in the results. First of all, it was a lot of work; chopping broccoli, cooking broccoli, grating garlic, thinly slicing red onion and mixing together the mayonnaise. All said and done, too much work for a low return in the flavor of the results.

    • Anonymous

    • Vienna, VA

    • 4/27/2021

  • Quick and delicious! Really awesome lunch time meal!

    • Anonymous

    • Houston, TX

    • 3/19/2021

  • I made some changes to make it more lazy. I quick pickled the shallots in the vinegar and roasted frozen broccoli with seasoning to cook it. I topped the toasted bread with the hot sauce mixture, broccoli, shallots and cheese and toasted it. Didn't need to use anything but my toaster oven/air fryer and it was delicious!

    • hansika

    • 3/3/2021

  • Simple and delicious. Also great with Italian bread, Swiss cheese and zucchini. Very versatile recipe, will probably try this with all sorts of veggie.

    • Anonymous

    • NY

    • 2/19/2021

  • Sooo good! Easy and delicious

    • Colleen M.

    • Wyoming, Pennsylvania

    • 2/18/2021