A New, Higher Protein Zucchini Slice

But with broccoli!

I first encountered the zucchini slice a few years ago, when spending Christmas with Vincent’s family in Australia. It’s a savory, eat-out-of-hand brunchy bite that’s popular down there, as are lots of bar-type foods (most of them sweet) that are broadly, appealingly, categorized as “slices.”

I included my first zucchini slice recipe in Snacks for Dinner — which was featured in the New York Times. Sort of like a frittata minus the skillet and the stovetop, it’s also fortified with flour, to make it a bit sturdier and easier to cut into squares. And like a frittata, it has so much built-in flexibility that the options are pretty limitless.

Today’s recipe is a further adaptation. I swapped out the zucchini for broccoli to make it a Broccoli Slice, but know that so many vegetables would be good, so go ahead and raid your crisper — greens, cauliflower, bell peppers, potatoes, mushrooms... Just make sure to precook them, which prevents the cooked slice from having a waterlogged texture.

Secondly I approached it this time from the perspective of protein.

Thinking of sous vide egg bites, I’ve blended egg whites and cottage cheese together to create the batter, adding a little arrowroot or cornstarch, too, which has helpful thickening and setting properties. The cottage cheese works particularly well, adding richness but allows using significantly less olive oil than the recipe typically calls for.

I’ve also thrown in a bit of Calabrian chili paste. Do you cook with it? I’ve used the whole chilies off and on, but I only picked up this paste recently, and I think I like it better. The chili’s fruitiness and smokiness just seems to be more apparent in this format, and a little goes a long way.

Lastly, I think the best thing is the leftovers! They keep so well for a couple days in the fridge, and while this broccoli slice tastes good cold or at room temperature (it’s a nice, quick breakfast), for a delicious treat, quickly sear the cut-edges in some olive oil, giving it a light, salty crust.

Recipe Video