Broccoli, walnut and cottage cheese pies

Tamara West

Whether it’s a weekday lunch at home or something to pack and take to the office or school it’s always hard to come up with something different. Even on the weekends with plenty of time on my hands and a fully stocked pantry and fridge I find myself dreading the approach of noon. I’m not sure what it is that I am looking for, I just know I want something different and, for the most part, healthy. Here’s a broccoli, walnut and cottage cheese pies recipe that is a perfect weekday lunch. Makes 12.

Ingredients

12 slices	Bread, I used Freya's lower carb (Main)
1	Butter, melted, or olive oil, for brushing
2	Eggs
6 Tbsp	Cottage cheese
3 Tbsp	Walnuts, chopped
½ cup	Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup	Broccoli, in small florets, steamed
½ tsp	Salt

Directions

1. Make bread cases by brushing one side of each slice of bread with some melted butter or oil and pressing, buttered side down, in to muffin pans (if using thick bread flatten the bread out a little with your hand or a rolling pin first).
2. Bake at 170C for 20 minutes or until brown and very crisp. Take them out straight away and leave to cool on a cake rake to avoid going soggy. You can keep the bread cases in an airtight container for a few days if you are not making the pies straight away.
3. Beat the eggs and mix through the walnuts, cheddar, steamed broccoli, salt and a good grind of pepper. Fold in the cottage cheese. You want to keep blobs of cottage cheese through the mix.
4. Place the bread cases back in to the muffin pans and spoon in the mixture. Bake in a 180C oven for 15 minutes or until set through.