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Creamy Broccoli & Bacon in a garlic parmesan sauce is a delicious way to use broccoli and perfect to serve as a side dish!
Pan fried broccoli and crispy bacon are baked into a cheesy creamy parmesan garlic sauce topped with bubbling mozzarella. Creamy broccoli and bacon is guaranteed to convert ANY non-vegetable lover into a full-blown enthusiast! The bonus? It’s both keto approved and low carb.
CREAMY BROCCOLI
Here at Cafe Delites, we love a bake. Whether it’s a Chicken and Corn Enchilada Bake or a Cheesy Chicken and Roasted Tomato Mozzarella Pasta Bake, we’re all for it! Recently, the Creamy Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts version has been doing the rounds and a lot of readers have been writing in to ask if they can swap out the sprouts for broccoli.
The funny thing is, this is a recipe I grew up with and one of the only ways I would eat broccoli. My mother would make a white sauce from scratch with butter and flour, but to keep things low carb, I’ve altered the recipe slightly for gluten free and low carb followers. Also, this version is MUCH easier.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
This creamy broccoli recipe has everything you love!
- Bacon
- Butter
- Garlic
- Cream
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY BROCCOLI
Fry the bacon in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat until crispy.
Use some of the bacon fat for added flavour to cook the onion.
Scrape up any browned bits leftover from the bacon and add the broccoli.
Sauté garlic with the broccoli until fragrant.
Pour in the cream, add the bacon back in.
Top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and broil until cheese is bubbling and golden.
CRISP BROCCOLI
The way you cook your broccoli is a personal thing and this recipe is really forgiving in that way. Simmer it in the cream sauce for only 2-3 minutes before broiling in the oven. Remember, the longer you cook it, the softer it gets.
SOFT BROCCOLI
For softer broccoli, simmer for at least 6 minutes in the sauce before broiling. You can also cover with a lid for a minute or two to ensure softer broccoli pieces.
CREAMY BROCCOLI SAUCE
No flour or béchamel sauce needed. For readers using a reduced fat or light cream, you have the option to thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) before adding to the sauce; however, if you use heavy cream you won’t need to thicken it. Just simmer it until reaching your desired thickness.
You can also swap out mozzarella cheese for other cheese. Some options include Provolone, White Cheddar, Gruyere, or even Swiss. A pimped out version of Broccoli Cheese Soup, you will love it!
TO SERVE
Serve Creamy Broccoli and Bacon as a side to any main like Roast Beef Tenderloin, Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken, and Pork Roast with Crackle. Alternatively, serve as a comfort dish with dipping breads like our Individual Garlic Cheese breads, No Knead Artisan Bread or Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits.
BROCCOLI RECIPE ON VIDEO!
MORE BROCCOLI RECIPES
Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Sheet Pan Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli & Green Beans
Mongolian Beef And Broccoli
Crispy Broccoli Parmesan Fritters
Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pumpkin Alfredo
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Creamy Garlic Parmesan Broccoli & Bacon
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups light cream (or for a richer sauce, you can use heavy or thickened cream)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water cornstarch slurry
- 1 pound broccoli florets from 2-3 broccoli heads -- stems removed
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper to season
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese fresh shredded or grated
Instructions
- Preheat broiler (on medium heat of you have the option).
- Fry the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate to soak up some of the oil. Set aside.
- Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons for added flavour (adjust this amount to your liking). In the same pan, melt the butter, add the onion and cook until transparent (about 2 minutes), while scraping up any browned bits leftover from the bacon. Add the broccoli and season with salt and pepper and cook while stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes, or until just turning vibrant in colour.
- Add in the garlic and stir it through the broccoli for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Pour in the cream, reduce heat down to low and let simmer for about 3-4 while stirring occasionally, or until the sauce thickens to your liking* (SEE NOTES) (If sauce is too thin, stir in the cornstarch slurry to combine.)
- Add the bacon and give everything a good mix to combine all of the flavours together. Top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Broil until cheese is bubbling and golden, and broccoli is done to your liking (about 2-3 minutes).
- Season with a little extra pepper, if desired, before serving. You can also sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, thyme or rosemary.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I forgot that I had no parm and used cheddar instead, still really, really good. Everyone loved it. Thanks!
This dish was amazing!! Followed the recipe exactly as written. This will be on my table for Thanksgiving!
I added some shredded rotisserie chicken to make it into a whole meal and I didn’t have mozzarella cheese so I used shredded cheddar and instead of shredded parmesan I used the grated 😋 HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Delicious! I’m going to pretend that it’s healthy so that I can eat an extra serving 😂
Hands down, best broccoli ever!!!! Love this recipe, thank you!!!
Adding shrimp or crab would be awesome.. But it was good as is.
This is one of our absolute favorites! It is so so good I make it once a week. Easy and delicious, thank you! 🙂
Recipe looks delish! Is the nutrition per serving or for the whole dish? I recently started Keto and found some awesome recipes on your site. But I see that this recipe has 8 carbs (7 net carbs) which seems like a lot for me for a side… unless its for the whole dish! Thanks!
Made this twice in the past two weeks. So so delicious and a hit. No leftovers….. everyone wants the recipe!! Highly recommended.
It was delicious. I’ll recommend this to a lot of my friends. Love i