Broccoli Mash with Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms & Ham Bits
Run boiled broccoli through a food processor with coconut milk and it becomes a smooth, savory base rather than just another vegetable side. Top it with sautéed mushrooms, crispy ham bits, and drained Brussels sprouts, and you have a full dinner plate — 328 kcal, 20g protein, and 14g fiber in 20 minutes flat.
Three of the ten most skipped ingredients on FitChef sit on this plate together: mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and coconut milk. If you are someone who keeps all three on your plan, this recipe has your name on it.
Ingredients
- garlic 1 clove
- broccoli florets (frozen) 3 cups
- vegetable bouillon 1 cube
- Brussels sprouts (frozen) 1 cup
- mushrooms 1.25 cup
- onion 0.5
- olive oil 0.5 tablespoon
- diced ham 1.5 ounce
- coconut milk 1 fluid ounce
Method
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Chop the garlic roughly. Place it together with the broccoli florets in a pan with plenty of water, bring to a boil, add the bouillon cube and cook until tender, about 6 minutes.
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In another pan, cook the Brussels sprouts in boiling water for about 6 minutes until tender.
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Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and slice them. Slice the onion into half rings.
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Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the onion for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and ham bits and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Drain the Brussels sprouts well and add them to the mushroom mixture. Stir and cook for a minute.
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Drain the broccoli and puree it in a food processor with the coconut milk until smooth.
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Serve the broccoli mash on a plate and top it with the Brussels sprouts stir-fry.
Drain the broccoli well before you purée it. Boiled florets hold more water than you would expect, and too much liquid turns the mash soupy instead of creamy. If you have a fine-mesh sieve, press the broccoli gently to get the extra water out before it hits the food processor.
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?
Yes. Fresh broccoli florets work the same way — just extend the boiling time to 8–10 minutes instead of 6, since fresh florets are denser than pre-blanched frozen ones. Cut them into roughly equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly before puréeing.
Why not cook the Brussels sprouts and broccoli in the same pot?
The broccoli boils with garlic and a bouillon cube, which infuses the purée base with savory flavor. The Brussels sprouts are cooked plain so they bring their own taste to the stir-fry topping without garlic or bouillon residue. Splitting them keeps the two layers of the dish tasting like two distinct components.
Is 14 grams of fiber a lot for one meal?
It is substantial. Most adults aim for somewhere around 25–30g of fiber per day, so this plate covers roughly half of that in a single sitting. A pooled analysis of 62 clinical trials found that even 8g of daily fiber produced measurable changes in body weight without calorie restriction. This meal nearly doubles that dose from whole-food sources — broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I skip the coconut milk?
You can, but the mash will be drier and less smooth. A splash of regular milk, a spoonful of Greek yogurt, or even a few tablespoons of the broccoli cooking water will give you a similar creamy consistency without the coconut flavor.
