Boccoli Muffins with Brown Rice – Gluten Free +9M

Savory muffins can be a fun way to offer vegetables to picky eaters. They have a fun and “safe” shape that the kids will like, they are easy to handle…and they taste good!

Today I replaced the flour with brown rice, to give more texture, add creaminess and also offer a gluten free option.

I added broccoli as they are my kids’ favorite vegetables and they are in season right now, but feel free to substitute them with any other seasonal vegetable of your choice: zucchini, spinach, kale, carrots, sweet peas are just some ideas.

The rice muffins are a great idea for breakfast or brunch, for the lunchbox, for a party or for a picnic.

Picky Eaters tip: if you think your kids might complain about the pieces of broccoli inside the muffins…puree’ them 🙂 Instead of chopping the broccoli, place them in a food processor and blend up until obtaining a breadcrumb consistency. Than add them to the mix. You will obtain a more uniform mix and the green broccoli will not pop up at first sight once your kid will bite the muffins!!

The recipe is very simple.

Start cooking the brown rice. I usually rinse it under running water and than add it into a pot filled with water. The suggested proportions are usually 1:2, so 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. 

Bring to boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook following the cooking time suggested on the packaging (usually around 35 min). Let the rice cool down completely.

For this recipe you will only need 1 cup of cooked rice, so you have two options: you only cook 1/2 cup of rice in 1 cup of water or, as I like to do, cook the usual 1 cup of rice and use the leftover cooked rice as a side for another recipe. In my house cooked rice is always welcome 🙂

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare the muffin tin greasing it with some extra virgin olive oil and almond meal. One drop of oil and 1/4 tsp almond meal for each hole.

In a bowl combine all the ingredients starting from the cooked rice + broccoli florets chopped in tiny pieces + egg + yogurt + cheese + garlic + salt.

I used plain greek yogurt for a creamier result. For the cheese I had some sharp cheddar cheese in the fridge so I used it, but you can substitute with any cheese with a sharp flavor. Fontina, Asiago, Machego, Gouda will all work.

For a more uniform texture you can place everything in a food processor and pulse for 30 sec up until obtaining a smooth cream.

Fill the muffin tin with the mix and bake for 15/20 min. Let the cool down 5 min and enjoy!!

You can freeze the muffins for up to three months or store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Broccoli Muffins with Brown Rice - Gluten Free +9M
Ingredients
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 1/4 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp greek plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup almond meal
  • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • pinch salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare the muffin tin greasing it with some extra virgin olive oil and almond meal.

  2. Drain the rice under running water.

  3. Add the rice into a pot with water. 1 cup rice, 2 cups water.

  4. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 35 min. Let it cool down completely.

  5. In a bowl combine all the ingredients starting from the cooked rice + broccoli chopped in tiny pieces + egg + yogurt + cheese + garlic + salt.

  6. Fill the muffin tin with the mix and bake for 15/20 min. Let the cool down 5 min and enjoy!!

7 Comments

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  • Reply
    Boccoli Muffins with Brown Rice – Gluten Free +9M – MySpecialFood.com
    April 16, 2019 at 5:16 pm

    […] Savory muffins can be a fun way to offer vegetables to picky eaters. They have a fun and “safe” shape that the kids will like, they are easy to handle…and they taste good! Today I replaced the flour with brown rice, to give more texture, add creaminess and also offer a gluten free option. I added broccoli as they are my kids’ favorite vegetables and they are in season right […] Source: Boccoli Muffins with Brown Rice – Gluten Free +9M […]

  • Reply
    Alba
    April 22, 2019 at 12:11 am

    Hi!!! I was wondering how Many grams Of cheese do i Need for the recipe? Thanks

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      September 26, 2019 at 8:33 pm

      Hi Alba, 1/2 cup cheese is more or less 60/70gr.
      Ciao! b

  • Reply
    Broccoli Muffins with Brown Rice – Gluten Free Recipe +9M – Cool Home Recipes
    May 6, 2019 at 1:08 am

    […] Boccoli Muffins with Brown Rice – Gluten Free +9M […]

  • Reply
    Christina
    August 21, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    I’d really like to try this for my 11 month old, but I haven’t introduced nuts to him yet. Is there a substitute for the almond meal? Can I use muffin cups to line the muffin tin instead?

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      September 25, 2019 at 5:42 pm

      Hi Christina!
      sure, no problem. You can use breadcrumbs instead of almond meal and muffin cups will work perfectly too!
      You can even roll the mix in small balls and line them on a regular baking sheet and create broccoli balls 🙂
      Thank you for watching, ciao! b

  • Reply
    Nisha
    November 5, 2019 at 7:15 am

    Lovely! Tried this one with zucchini and onions sautéed and then added to the rice mix. Turned out very delicious

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