While I was searching for something new to try in our kitchen, I stumbled across this recipe for Broccoli Breadsticks. We could eat all the ingredients in the recipe, and I happened to have all the ingredients except fresh basil on hand. So I modified it slightly and we decided to give it a try.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I made this recipe, but the breadsticks didn’t turn out how I imagined they would (perhaps I focused too much on the word “bread” in breadsticks). Yes, the main ingredient is broccoli, but that’s essentially the only flavor these sticks have. I think I wanted them to have a more complex flavor.

My 6-year-old, ever an honest critic, told me that he didn’t want to eat the breadsticks as I first served them because “they really weren’t any good.” In fact, I almost didn’t post this because the recipe was rather a flop as we made initially it. However, while we didn’t care much for them as plain breadsticks, I did salvage the recipe.

I took the breadsticks and tossed them into the oven with some shredded cheese on the top. Both of my boys devoured them with the melted raw cheddar cheese. I think that this breadstick recipe would actually make a decent pizza crust. We had no marinara sauce in the house, and I wasn’t ready to embark on making sauce to try it today, so we haven’t tried that yet. I think we’re going to try using this recipe as a pizza crust in the future, and I’ll let you know how it turns out.

So our assessment of this recipe is as follows: as breadsticks they were nothing exciting. If you’re looking for another form to eat broccoli, they’re okay. It’s definitely a different texture than standard steamed broccoli, but they taste pretty much like plain broccoli. As a breadstick with melted cheese, they were pretty good. They tasted a bit like broccoli with cheese. My boys loved them, and my 6-year-old asked if we could make them again. Next time, I plan to try this recipe served as a veggie-loaded pizza base. I think in that form, it will be a huge hit.

In case you want to try broccoli breadsticks a try, here is the recipe:

Grain-Free Broccoli Breadsticks Recipe

1 head of broccoli – chopped to make 4 cups
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
2 whole eggs
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons water

Pre-heat oven to 375° F.

Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.

Chop the broccoli into chunks, including the stem (remove the tough outer peel of the stem). When you’ve chopped the whole head, you should end up with around 4 cups.

Place the chopped broccoli in your food processor and pulse until it’s a rice-like texture.

Add the nutritional yeast, psyllium husk, salt, basil, eggs, and water, and pulse till combined.

Spread dough out evenly over the parchment-lined baking sheet, making it as thick or as thin as you want (I made ours pretty thin so it would crisp up a bit).

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden, crispy on the edges and cooked through in the middle.

Remove from the oven, cut, and serve.