Three Amazing Brocolli Recipes You’ll Always Come Back To

Few people would name broccoli as their favorite vegetable. That is because even fewer people know how to cook these gorgeous green florets. If prepared correctly, broccoli has the potential to be outright delicious.

Luckily for you, we’re about to open up our treasure chest of broccoli recipes and tips that have been meticulously perfected and passed down through generations as family heirlooms. Let’s begin with our bag of tricks for preparing and cooking broccoli.

Cleaning Broccoli

Like all vegetables, you have to wash your broccoli before cooking. However, the problem with broccoli is that the florets have tiny crevices which can hold a lot of dirt. At the same time, aggressive washing or drying can cause the floret heads to start shedding.

Therefore, using the right technique to wash broccoli before cooking is important.

Here is our tried and tested 5-step process for cleaning broccoli.

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and dunk in your broccoli florets. Soak for 3 – 4 minutes.
2. Transfer the florets to a large colander and allow the water to drain for 5 minutes.
3. Run the semi-dry broccoli under cold running water once again.
4. Allow the broccoli to sit in the colander until the water completely drains.
5. Remove and place the florets onto paper towels and pat them until fully dry.

Cooking Broccoli

Let’s move on to the cooking technique. There are several ways you can cook broccoli. However, our favorite methods are steaming, boiling, and baking.

1. Steaming: The easiest way to cook broccoli is through steaming. You can use a steamer, a simple stovetop steaming pot, or even make steamed broccoli in microwave oven. All you need is the machine/equipment of choice, some fresh and clean broccoli, and a lot of water. That’s all you need to have a plate of beautifully steamed broccoli ready in minutes.
2. Boiling: Boiling broccoli is another easy way to cook this vegetable. Fill a large pan halfway with water and all your cleaned and cut broccoli florets. With the lid on, place the pot on medium-high heat and cook for 5-10 minutes. The result will be soft and flavorful broccoli that is ready to eat!
3. Baking: Another way we love to cook broccoli is baking. Baking allows the cooked item to retain the most flavor and nutritional qualities. Place your clean broccoli florets onto a lined baking sheet and drizzle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Bake at 425 °F for 15-20 minutes, and you will end up with the most delicious roasted broccoli of your life.

Three Amazing Broccoli Recipes

Without further adieu, let’s dive into our favorite broccoli recipes you can try out at home. We are sure that seeing broccoli as the star of the table will surprise your family.

However, the real surprise will come as they take that first bite of deliciousness that will tantalize their tastebuds.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Let’s start with our favorite broccoli dish – oven-roasted broccoli. The broccoli florets are seasoned and baked until fully cooked, allowing them to really take on the seasonings’ flavor and develop a distinct smoky/earthy flavor. Here’s how you can make this recipe.

Ingredients	Steps
Broccoli – 1 Head	Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 425°F.
Olive Oil – 3 Tbsp	Cut the broccoli head into medium-sized florets and clean well.
Minced Garlic  – 3 Cloves	Toss the florets with the garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil and place on the baking sheet.
Salt – ½ Tsp
Pepper – ¼ Tsp	Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
Grated Parmesan – 2 Tbsp	Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve hot.

Corn & Broccoli Chowder

Who doesn’t love having soup for dinner? A delicious and creamy bowl of warmth is the perfect way to end any day. If you agree, it’s time you try making corn and broccoli chowder. Flavorful, rich, and creamy, this soup has everything that soothes the soul. Read on for our secret recipe.

Ingredients	Steps
Butter – 2 Tbsp	In a saucepan, melt the butter and add onion and garlic.
Chopped Onion – 1 or ½ Cup	After 2 minutes, add flour, salt, and pepper. Mix using a whisk.
Minced Garlic – 1 Clove	Whisk in the broth and add broccoli and corn. Bring to a boil.
All Purpose Flour  – 3 Tbsp	Cook for 5 – 10 minutes at medium-high heat until vegetables become tender.
Salt and Pepper – 1 Tsp
Chicken Broth – 3 Cups	Stir in the milk and cook for 5 – 6 minutes until a thick, soupy consistency is achieved.
Broccoli Florets – 16 oz
Sweet Corn – 2 Cups	Serve hot, and enjoy!
Milk – 1 Cup	TIP: You can use vegetable broth or a vegan option instead of chicken broth.

Beef with Broccoli

A Chinese takeout classic, beef with broccoli is a mouthwatering dish packed with umami. The crispy beef strips in the spicy gravy perfectly complement the freshly cooked broccoli florets. Here’s how you can recreate this fantastic dish at home.

Ingredients	Steps
Flank Steak – 1 lb	Add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, pepper, and sesame oil to a bowl and whisk well.
Olive Oil – 2 Tbsp
Broccoli Florets – 6 Cups	Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the broccoli florets for 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Sesame Seeds  – 1 Tbsp
Minced Ginger – 1 Tsp	Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan and place a layer of the beef. Cook for 2 minutes per side until well done.
Minced Garlic – 2 Tsp
Soy Sauce – ¼ Cup	Turn the heat to medium-low and add the whisked sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Brown Sugar – 2 Tbsp
Corn Starch – 1 ½ Tbsp	Add back the broccoli florets and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Pepper – ½ Tsp	If the sauce is too thick, add some water and stir well. Take off the heat.
Sesame Oil – 2 Tbsp	Serve hot with egg-fried rice.

Final Words

We hope the above tips and recipes will help you build a newfound appreciation for this wonderful green vegetable.

Broccoli has a lot of potential and a great flavor profile, and you shouldn’t let its lack of popularity convince you otherwise. Once you try the above recipes, we guarantee broccoli will earn its rightful place among your top 5 favorite vegetables!