Roasted Broccolini Recipe
Roasted Broccolini Recipe
Description
Broccolini or baby broccoli is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer stalks, and with a little bit sweeter of a taste than typical broccoli. It is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan, which is also known as Chinese broccoli. They both are great for a healthy diet, but broccolini actually has more calcium and Vitamin A!
When I first tasted oven-baked broccolini in a restaurant as a popular side dish, I decided to try it at home and I realized how easy it is to make! You just need a couple of ingredients and the oven does the rest!
This easy roasted sweet baby broccoli recipe can be served as a side dish to any type of entree.
Ingredients
How to cook baby broccoli
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
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Mix olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside
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Wash and trim the bottoms of the sweet baby broccoli
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Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange the florets in a single layer and drizzle the olive oil mixture on top or you can use a brush to coat
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Bake for 15 minutes in the oven
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Remove from the oven. Place on a serving plate
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Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese and crushed walnuts on top
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Garnish with lemon slices and serve. Bon Appetit!
Note
Tips to make roasted broccolini recipe:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the stems are pretty thin, broccolini doesn't take long to cook. Roast them for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is crisp-tender and beginning to char.
Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Since broccolini is so thin, it cooks quickly and benefits from faster, higher-temperature cooking than harder vegetables like potatoes. They need to stay longer in the oven so you have to cook them at a slightly lower temperature.
Since these thin florets can burn easily, try to coat them evenly with a generous amount of olive oil mixture. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and do not overcrowd the pan for maximum nutty caramelization.
Place them on a serving plate. Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese and crushed walnuts on top. Garnish with lemon slices and you can squeeze lemon juice if desired.
Since it is a great side dish, you can pair it with any type of main dish according to your taste (meat, chicken, fish, seafood, or pasta)
Frequently Asked Questions
As they cook, vegetables give off moisture, and when arranged too close together it results in a soggy outcome. To achieve beautiful browning and crisp, roasted perfection, vegetables need some breathing room. Arrange vegetables in a single layer and don't overcrowd the pan.
If the oven temperature is too low, they'll turn out soft and soggy instead of crispy and caramelized.Turn the oven temperature up to 400°F to 425°F. The high heat will quickly coax out all those naturally sweet flavors while keeping the vegetable tender-crisp. Everything will be golden brown and delicious!
There's a compound in broccoli that not everyone can taste – but it can make it bitter and basically unpalatable. Bitter broccoli is caused by higher levels of a compound called glucosinolates. This is produced when the broccoli plant is stressed and bolts, producing long stems with flowers,or in poor growing conditions. The age of broccoli can also cause it to turn bitter. Adding salty, sweet or sour flavorings helps block bitterness, so try a little salt or a squeeze of lemon. Other good toppings for bitter veggies include soy sauce, mild-flavored vinegar or honey.
Broccoli can be eaten raw, but blanching it quickly in boiling water helps give it a more crisp-tender texture and bring out its flavor. Broccoli can also be steamed, sautéed, and roasted. You could even throw long spears on the grill!
It's definitely hard to find a spice or herb that doesn't work with broccoli or broccolini. Any combination of garlic, salt, pepper and any classic herbs, (basil, rosemary, sage, parsley, tarragon, thyme, etc.,) is a surefire way to treat these veggies right.
The perfect temperature– 400 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature for most roasted vegetables. It allows for a crispy, perfectly browned exterior and a fork tender interior. But it will vary based on the types of veggies and oil used. If your veggies are not browning enough, try increasing the temperature.
Toss the broccoli florets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer them to the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes.
If you are roasting over 425 degrees Fahrenheit , olive oil might not be the right choice because it has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. Vegetable oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil, so it's better for high-heat cooking like searing. You can also use canola oil or coconut oil but olive oil is the oil that's extracted from olives, and this Mediterranean food is one of the healthiest cooking oils in the world.
It doesn't need to be steamed, but it's so much better if you take the time to do it! A quick blanch in boiling water (30 seconds) starts but does not finish the cooking process. It absorbs water into the broccoli, then we roast it to evaporate all the moisture on the outside and get those crispy edges.
