Does this look like the same old broccoli that we are all used to?
It stumps me when I read stories about parents have a tough time shoving broccoli down their little ones’ throats while they make a fuss about eating their greens. In fact, the only vegetable I thought I didn’t like was green beans. That was until I tried a green bean stir fry at a restaurant in NYC. I couldn’t believe I asked for more! That’s when it struck me that it’s not about that vegetable, it’s about how it is cooked. Each vegetable is different and it needs to be cooked right to extract the maximum flavor from it.
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Serves 6
Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics – Ina Garten
4-5 pounds / 2kgs broccoli
8 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
4-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon or lime zest (I used lime)
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice (lime, again)
4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tbsp basil, julienned
Salt and pepper to season
- Cut and wash the broccoli into chunky florets (they will reduce in size after roasting). Then lay the broccoli out on a kitchen napkin to dry (like, very, very dry) while you prep things up.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
- Now in a sheet pan, arrange the broccoli in a single layer and toss the garlic on it. Drizzle with 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes or until the broccoli has browned a bit and the broccoli has a crisp-tender texture.
- As soon as you remove it from the oven, toss it with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and the rest of the ingredients – lemon juice, lemon zest, pine nuts, Parmesan and basil. Serve hot.
Some points that will help you along the way:
- Make sure to dry the broccoli very well before you roast them – if they have water on them they will tend to steam more than dry roast. You could lay them on a kitchen napkin for 30 minutes after you’ve washed them.
- Let your pan preheat in the oven so it gets scorching hot, and then toss the broccoli on it to get maximum crispiness.
- I think the lemon is the key part – don’t skimp on the lime zest – add a squeeze of the lime juice if you like (I didn’t though).
- I loved the pine nuts in them. I think walnuts would taste fab too.
I hope this works and you get your family to eat their greens. Though, I still haven’t replicated that green bean recipe, I’m so scared I might fail and go back to hating green beans!
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my wow, I'm salivating on a full stomach just reading the recipe and looking at the pictures. I know what side dish I'm making tomorrow night!
Oh, this looks divine! Would some red pepper be good in it too? With the lemon? hmmm…
Broccoli is actually one of the veg that I enjoy eating. I tend to roast them and serve with some salt and pepper or balsamic glaze. Will try this soon!
Wow. Yum! I can't wait to try this! I love broccoli and I love pine nuts even more!
Shaheen, I'm making this tonight. It looks amazing! We love broccoli!
I have a question…..you mention lime but I don't see lime in the recipe. Did you swap lemon out for it? Thanks!
~ingrid
Yummy and mouthwatering….
Thanks, all! :)
Pigpigscorner: Oh i love balsamic gladed roast veggies to. It's been a while since I made them.
Oh yes Ingid, I swapped the lemon zest with the lime zest. Good catch! Updated. :)
Broccoli is one of our favourite vegetables; and the best part is, I do not need to shove it down my kids'throats, thank goodness!! :-D They adore it anyway!!
Love your way of preparing it, will try it sometime :-)
I love Broccoli and I agree with you..how can anyone not like it..:).Lovely exotic way to cook broccoli..must try:)
lovely idea to roast. i only use broccoli like i would cauliflower. so boring i am!
i loveeeee broccoli…unfortunately i have never found fresh ones in bangalore…or may b its the area where i stay! i will def try ur recipe if i find a good one! looks so delish shaheen!
Your writing just gets better and better with time. I love the way your sttories come naturally to you. Your posts are so interesting to read. Who could have made a post on broccoli so amazing? Well done!
Making this tonite!
This is such a yummy recipe for vegetables. We use it not only for broccoli, but asparagus, cauliflower, green bean…
Mimi
Thank you all for your aweseom comments! :D
A_and_N: Let me know how you like it!
Mimi: You read my mind – I want to try this with cauliflower next.
Veda: Oh you know I did see broccoli at this gourmet food shot on MG Road/Brigade ROad (always get confused between the two). in fact, I was so exicted to see artichokes there and bought them back to Mumbai. A chef friend tells me Bangalore is the place for better vegetables.
Made this! Love it! I didn't have lime so, I just went with lemon. Thanks! I'll be making this again and again!
~ingrid
I love love love broccoli! This has fabulous flavours – I'm also a sucker for parmesan – Yum!.
I made the Barefoot Contessa roasted broccoli not too long ago, and it was so fantastic. I must say, though, yours looks much more beautiful than mine did!
This looks so good! I always look for new ideas on what to do with broccoli. this one is right up my alley! Thanks a lot.
Made it. Just finished eating it! I broiled it for about a min or two! Mine is a new oven and I'm still getting used to it.
I added lemon pepper along with lemon juice since I didn't really get great zest, but fab fab recipe. I love the crunch that broccoli so innocuously provides! Thanks Shaheen.
With Parmesan my kids would eat this. Looks so good.
I absolutely love broccoli and i love how youve roasted it here
Ingrid and A_and_N: You guys are FAST! Ina Garten is a genius!
Thanks, all.
i'm not a huge fan of broccoli, but my husband is – and i think he'll LOVE this.
Yummy!!!!
Shaheen you are nominated for a Kreative Blogger award over at my blog!
I saw the picture and immediately thought of Ina. That's a great recipe, isn't it? I also highly recommend the Roasted Butternut Squash with Pancetta and Sage from the same book.
Gorgeous photos!
I love Ina Garten too- she cooks the way I would like to. My family will love this recipe!
oh yes please! i do love broccoli, especially when cooked with lots of garlic! this looks yum ;)
Very nice! You are right about the walnuts. I tried that last night, as I ran out of pine nuts, and the taste was fantastic!
Thanks for the award, Bash! :)
Thank you all for the comments.
Tara – oh how I wish I could try the recipe you've recommended! I don't think I can get butternut squash here but I'm going to try and sub it for something – a recipe with pancetta mustn't be skipped! And I love sage.
Jason: Thanks for reporting back about the walnuts – my gut feeling was bang on. :D
That's one of my favorite recipes (it has even converted serious broccoli haters!) but I never imagined making it with pine nuts, yum!
I love roasted broccoli! One of the few veggies I eat. :)
Oh yes, I absolutely love Broccoli! I usually roast it with some lemon juice and enjoy as a snack or on the side at meals.
This version sounds fab, will definitely give a try!
err.. not a broccoli fan!! but the pine nuts and parmesan is sure tempting… going to give it a try!..
i love lil garlic chips! they scare a lot of ppl, but i love them!
I love broccoli too and so do my kids! I like it with a bunch of garlic and cilantro and olive oil, the Lebanese way, but parmesan with anything is great!
What a mix of people commenting on this post! Thank you!
Sara: Ooooh those who like garlic chips in their food are definitely good in my books! Suddenly I'm reminded of this garlic pickle with carrots and cauliflower I had at my fave Indian restaurant. I need some of that soon.
hey shaheen made it today and u know what it was super duper hit at home!!! boys and i polished it off!
WOW nandini – that too coming from a broccoli hater? Ina Garten would surely have a huge grin on her face if she reads this.
Thank you for testing this Ina recipe! I've been meaning to try it, but as I am the only one in my house that eats Broccoli, I haven't the heart to make it yet! :) Would you say that the broccoli is crunchy once roasted?
I love roasted veggies :-) Looks wonderful!
Patty: All of it isn't crunch – its tender in the inside and the caramelised parts get crunchy.
fantastic, loved it
Where do you get Parmesan in Mumbai which doesn’t cost an arm n a leg?! Godrej has but really expensive
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