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    Bimi® Baby Broccoli with Whipped Cottage Cheese

    September 12, 2025 / By Natalie Mortimer

    Want the most delicious veggie side dish you’ve ever had? Break out the air fryer, and a tub of cottage cheese (yes, seriously).
    a plate of crispy air fried baby broccoli on top of whipped cottage cheese sprinkled with lemon garlic crisp and fresh dill

    Bimi® Baby Broccoli is a tender, sweet dark green veggie that’s a hybrid of Chinese kale and broccoli and I absolutely love it. Sweet and tender, it always feels a little fancier than regular broccoli. Today I’m sharing a really fun Bimi® Baby Broccoli recipe that uses an air fryer to make the yummiest veggie side dish or light main that tastes seriously restaurant-level but comes together fast. 

    a plate of crispy air fried baby broccoli on top of whipped cottage cheese sprinkled with lemon garlic crisp and fresh dill

    If you’ve never made whipped cottage cheese, get ready to be wow-ed by how silky and satisfying it can be. 

    This post is sponsored by Bimi® Baby Broccoli, thank you for supporting brands that support us! 

    ingredients laid out to make baby broccoli with whipped cottage cheese finished with lemon garlic crisp and fresh dill
    sliced garlic, lemon peel, almonds being tossed with olive oil to make a lemon garlic crisp
    sliced garlic, lemon peel, and almonds tossed with olive oil and ready to be cooked in the air fryer until crispy
    cottage cheese being whipped in a food processor until smooth with garlic, spices, olive oil and lemon juice

    Key Ingredients + Tips

    • Bimi® Baby Broccoli: Bimi® Baby Broccoli is like elongated, sweeter broccoli. It has longer, thinner stems than regular broccoli and tender, more delicate dark green florets. Look for it in the produce section.
    • Fresh garlic cloves: Two slices, one “smashed” meaning that you peel it and then turn your knife on its side and smash it with the side of the blade.
    • Lemon: You’ll use the peel as well as the juice, so get an organic lemon if possible.
    • Almonds: Buy pre-sliced or chop them up yourself.
    • Cottage cheese: I prefer full fat cottage cheese, but it’s OK to use a 2% cottage cheese.
    lemon garlic crisp fresh out of the air fryer
    baby broccoli being tossed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt ready to be cooked in the air fyer
    baby broccoli being cooked in an air fryer
    crispy baby broccoli fresh out of the air fryer

    How To Make The Best Baby Broccoli

    1. Make the crispy lemon-garlic crisp. This could be made at least a few hours ahead of time. If you don’t have an air fryer, you could sub in store-bought chili crisp and end up with a similar, still-delicious dish.
    2. Make the whipped cottage cheese. NOTE: You may want to pulse the food processor rather than let it run, because it shouldn’t take long to become rich and creamy. The thickness of cottage cheeses will vary depending on the brand and milk fat percentage of the cottage cheese you buy. I tend to favor full-fat (4%) cottage cheese.
    3. Now it is Bimi® Baby Broccoli time. This only takes a few minutes in the air fryer, but if you don’t have one, you could do it in the oven. About 30 minutes in a 400°F oven will achieve the same sort of crispness that the air fryer gives. 
    crispy air fried broccoli on top of lemony whipped cottage cheese

    Serving Suggestions 

    I love to serve this with simple proteins as a snazzy side dish for company. Any of these hunky proteins would be so good with this recipe: 

    a plate of crispy air fried baby broccoli on top of whipped cottage cheese sprinkled with lemon garlic crisp and fresh dill

    More Delicious Veggie Ideas

    Vegetables Can Be Fun (No, Really) 

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    a plate of crispy air fried baby broccoli on top of whipped cottage cheese sprinkled with lemon garlic crisp and fresh dill

    Bimi® Baby Broccoli with Whipped Cottage Cheese Recipe

    Published September 12, 2025

    By Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  4
    • Prep Time:  10 min
    • Cook Time:  15 min
    • Calories:  267

    Description

    Want the most delicious veggie side dish you’ve ever had? Break out the air fryer, and a tub of cottage cheese (yes, seriously).
    Print Recipe

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      Ingredients

      • 8 ounces Bimi® Baby Broccoli, trimmed
      • 3 garlic cloves, (2 very thinly sliced, 1 smashed)
      • 1 lemon peel
      • ¼ cup sliced almonds
      • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
      • 2 cups 2% or 4% cottage cheese
      • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
      • ½ teaspoon onion powder
      • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
      • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, (from 1 lemon)
      • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, roughly chopped

      Method

      1. Make the lemon-garlic crisp. Preheat the air fryer to 320°F. In a small bowl, combine the sliced garlic, lemon peel, almonds, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat. Transfer to the basket of the air fryer and spread out in an even layer. Cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Toss and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisped. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop.

        lemon garlic crisp fresh out of the air fryer

      2. In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, smashed garlic, ½ teaspoon of the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Blend until smooth. 

        Baby Broccoli with Whipped Cottage Cheese 5

      3. Cook the Bimi® Baby Broccoli. Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. In a large bowl, combine the Bimi® Baby Broccoli, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until coated. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook until tender and bright green, about 5 minutes.

        baby broccoli being cooked in an air fryer

      4. Spread the cottage cheese mixture on a large plate. Arrange the baby broccoli over top and sprinkle with the lemon-garlic crisp and fresh dill. 

        a plate of crispy air fried baby broccoli on top of whipped cottage cheese sprinkled with lemon garlic crisp and fresh dill

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      Nutrition Info

      • Per Serving
      • Amount
      • Calories 267
      • Protein 15 g
      • Carbohydrates 13 g
      • Total Fat 191 g
      • Dietary Fiber 4 g
      • Cholesterol 14 mg
      • Sodium 1014 mg
      • Total Sugars 6 g

      Bimi® Baby Broccoli with Whipped Cottage Cheese

      Questions & Reviews

      Rated 5 stars by 2 readers

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      • Ellie

        5-star rating

        LOOOOOVED THIS!

        Thanks Ellie!!

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