Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes

I love broccoli and was so glad when my kids finally came around to liking it too (it only took them 15 years or so). This year I started adding broccoli to a lot of different dishes instead of just doing the plain old steamed broccoli. Although I love it steamed, that can get pretty boring. Now I am putting it in meatloaf, pasta dishes, salads, and one of my new favorites, mashed potatoes.

I can remember when I first started trying to get my kids to eat broccoli. At first I was met with a stern NO WAY! Then over time they relaxed a bit and I was able to get it in them if I covered it in cheese. Kind of defeated the healthy part of getting them to eat it but I was just happy they were eating it.

With this recipe I was able to scale back the amount of cheese (and use light cheese to boot) but still get that kind of "comfort food" broccoli mixed with another great comfort food....mashed potatoes. What is there to not like about THIS dish?

Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes

• 1 1/2 pounds small potatoes (recommended: Yukon gold)
• 1 small head broccoli
• 1 cup milk (or chicken stock to make it even lighter)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups low fat shredded sharp Cheddar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Halve the potatoes and add to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes while you trim and chop broccoli into 1/2-inch dice. Add the broccoli to the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain and return to the hot pot to dry. Stir in the milk, butter and cheese and mash until the cheese melts into potatoes and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl, to serve.

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