OVEN ROASTED BROCCOLI


I admit it... I have a sweet tooth. And as the holidays approach my jonze for sweets goes into high gear -  I have a Pavlovian need to seek out as many sugary goodies as possible.

My approach to holiday cooking is:

#1 Bake as many fun, easy, treats as you have time for. Share them with people you love.

#2 Whenever you can, try to get some veggies into your system.

Maybe roasting broccoli is obvious to you, but for me it was a simple cooking revelation. Roasted this way, the broccoli retains some of its lovely crunch and has such a nice roasted flavor.

When I was growing up, we ate a lot of broccoli, always steamed and topped with butter and salt. No complaints for me there. But you can only eat broccoli the same way so many times. Rachel, a fantastic cook, said her family likes to eat their broccoli roasted in the oven. At my house, we are CRAZY for Crispy Oven Baked Kale but we had never tried broccoli that way. After Rachel’s suggestion, we gave it a go. We are hooked!


INGREDIENTS
  • broccoli
  • olive oil
  • sea salt salt
  • optional: garlic
Preheat oven to 400.

Keeping some of the stem of the florets, half/quarter/chop the broccoli into reasonable sized pieces. If your broccoli has leaves, leave them on or just toss them in the pan- they roast up nicely.


Spread broccoli onto a cookie sheet or low baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the top (just enough to coat the broccoli.) Sprinkle on some nice sea salt. Toss to coat the broccoli with the seasonings. (You can also add a couple of cloves of minced garlic to the mix.)

Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes. That’s it!

We all need a quick and easy veggie fix this time of year, don't we?

7 comments:

  1. MMMMMMM, I love broccoli any way it is cooked - we'll give this a try. We roast carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes with this same method, but never broccoli. Thanks!

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  2. delicious....i loved pan-fried broccoli tips in pasta with toasted breadcrumbs too!!! surviving the festive season without needing to buy a new wardrobe is going to be my mission!

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  3. Little Hunting Creek - love roasting root veggies too. That slight caramelization is so dreamy!

    Greenbeenfood - imagining your broccoli, breadcrumb pasta makes me so hungry:)

    Happy holidays to you both.

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  4. Whether it be raw, steamed or roasted (my favorite), we devour broccoli. Something so simple is only enhanced with crispy, roasted edges. So glad to see that you're enjoying your NZ kitchen!

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  5. Thanks Lemons and Lavender! I'm with you on broccoli - I am a fan. Now that I roast it, my family never complains:)
    Happy Holidays to you,
    E

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  6. my mother recently discovered that if you add fresh squeezed lemon juice to this very recipe you elevate the dish to a divine level!!! do try it! p.s i love your blog. i found it via foodfawker thanks to your outstanding butternut and kale minestrone. i'm making it this weekend with sweet potato!

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  7. dryflour, thanks for your nice note! Much appreciated!!
    -E

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So good to hear from you... I appreciate each and every note you leave for me!

Thanks,
E