The broccoli mac is a creation from my childhood. We were a hippie veggie family which meant that I didn’t try meat until I was seven at a friend’s house. Side note, meatloaf should not be the first thing a kiddo tries, it turned me off for a good long while, at least until I met Carl’s Jr in high school.
The good green stuff.
Wanting to be hip and cool, my parents invented the broccoli mac to rival the actual burger offered by the big clown. It has all the same fixings except that instead of a beef patty, you insert steamed broccoli. Pretty simple.
I love this sandwich. Broccoli has always been a favorite food of mine and paired with mayo, mustard and ketchup, it is simply delightful.
The best part about it is that you can fix it in a pinch. Hence, I was searching the fridge for lunch last week and didn’t have anything great to go between two slices of bread, until I spotted the broccoli and revisited this classic. Here’s how I made my sammy:
Can you tell I couldn’t wait and already took a bite? Oops.
I steamed the broccoli in the microwave. Not the best way to do this, but it’s quick, doesn’t involve pots or pans and I was hungry. You put the broccoli in a microwave safe dish with ¼ inch of water and a loose fitting lid so that things don’t explode. Microwave it for one to two minutes based on how much broccoli you’re fixing. Drain the cooked broccoli on some paper towels and you’re ready to assemble.
I didn’t have any burger buns in the house, so I used the last of the whole grain sourdough I had on hand. To toast or not toast your bread is your choice. I went with untoasted. I spread the bread with veganaise, Dijon mustard and ketchup. The fixins included lettuce, tomatoes and onion mainly because that’s all I could find. I don’t season the broccoli because the spreads have all the sodium this sandwich needed.
The warm broccoli against cool lettuce and tomato creates something very special. Just as you can make a burger hundreds of different ways, so goes the broccoli mac. When I was vegetarian, I would melt some cheddar over the broccoli. Now that I’m vegan, I keep it all plant based. Here are other broccoli mac topping options:
- Vegan Cheese (pepperjack would be delicious)
- Pickles
- Olives
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Pepperoncini
- Fresh Spinach or Arugula
- Hummus
- Roasted Garlic
- Olive Tapenade
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Vegan “Bacon”
- Onion Rings
- Vegan Ranch Dressing
- BBQ Sauce
- Insert other ideas in the comments below…
I sincerely hope you try and enjoy my big mac alternative. It would make for a great meatless Monday. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- Burger Buns or Bread
- ½ head of broccoli per serving
- Toppings of your choice
Instructions
- Steam the broccoli to crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave or 4 to 5 on the stove.
- Drain the cooked broccoli on paper towels to soak up extra moisture.
- Toast or warm the burger buns/bread
- Layer topics and broccoli between buns and enjoy!
Shared at:
Finding Vegan