Start your grilling season with this quick and simple oven roasted broccoli with garlic and cheese of your choice! Great side with your favorite grilled meat!
Roasted broccoli has become my favorite since the time I have tried it the very first time! Broccoli is a new entrant in Indian kitchen and we had not seen our moms using this veggie. So I figured out on my own how to make it taste best and the technique of oven roasting emerged as the winner.
We do like steamed broccoli, stir-fried broccoli as well as cream of broccoli soup but the nutty flavor of the oven roasted broccoli has knocked us off and taken our heart away! So, we are game any day for a nice platter of crunchy roasted broccoli!
Thankfully we get this super-veggie in our supermarkets regularly nowadays; they are not exorbitantly priced since these are locally produced and hence we can get our hands on the freshest variety.
I already have shared many recipes using this superfood and all of them were loved by you all! You must have heard a lot about broccoli being one of the superfoods but did you ever gave it the attention it deserves? Let me help you here!
Why broccoli is considered to be a superfood?
You have heard enough of broccoli and its nutritional benefits! Now let’s talk about it in detail, shall we? This superfood is loaded with fiber as well as antioxidants which are known to have cancer-fighting properties and vitamin C to help in iron absorption.
It is a great source of calcium to help control blood pressure and build strong bones. It’s also an ideal choice of veggie if you are aiming weight loss, the core reason being the presence of soluble fiber content which helps to curb overeating.
You must try to include broccoli in your meals as well as other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts several times per week to reap their benefits.
And guess what! You will find ample cauliflower recipes here in my blog – starting from my super-popular Buffalo cauliflower bites, my fail-proof cauliflower rice or the smoky Tandoori cauliflower and many more!
That’s not all! I have quite a few amazing cabbage and Brussels sprouts recipes too! Click on the links and discover more!
What’s the best way to roast broccoli – oven, stovetop grill pan or outdoor charcoal grill?
My today’s recipe is of oven roasted broccoli, hence I would advocate this technique over the other two, but I have my reasons too! Firstly, I don’t have an outdoor charcoal barbecue, so I don’t have the first-hand experience of using one of those.
But what I can anticipate is that the bite-sized broccoli florets can prove to be inconvenient to grill using a large equipment. One way you can overcome this is by skewering the broccoli pieces into bamboo or metal grilling sticks.
But if you don’t own this device and have only one of the two remaining options feasible for you, I would highly recommend using oven roasting method over stovetop grilling using a grill pan. Here are my reasons.
Using a grill pan over open flame will result into quick charring of the edges of broccoli florets turning them black but leaving the inside raw because ideally the heat should be at high while grilling anything; plus the stems of broccoli are quite tough which is why they take time to soften and get fully cooked.
If you don’t use high flame, the edges of the florets will never get charred and it won’t even achieve that nutty flavor which we are targeting. On the other hand if you use oven to roast your broccoli, the dry heat of the oven slowly chars the florets while softening the broccoli stems at the same time.
So you get the crispy & nutty oven roasted broccoli which are succulent and soft inside and that’s what makes the perfect side with your favorite grilled meat!
Today’s oven roasted broccoli is a pretty simple recipe and nothing can get simpler than this! Just chose the freshest possible broccoli, cut it into bite-sized florets, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle garlic, salt & pepper and optionally chilli flakes too if you like the kick.
That’s all there is to it! Shove them off into the preheated oven and relax. After the initial time is over, take the baking sheet out, sprinkle the grated cheese on the broccoli and return the sheet back to the oven until the broccoli florets are completely cooked through.
While the broccoli is being roasted, you can get your meat going to design the perfect restaurant style dining experience right inside your home! If you love this experience and love to devour broccoli, then I have many more to offer you!
Check out my broccoli and shrimp stir-fry recipe which was an instant-hit in my shrimp-lover family. For a quick & healthy snack, you can try my broccoli tater tots!
And if you want to kill the chills in air and wanna keep yourself warm, then nothing could be better than my cream of broccoli soup. Enjoy!
- Broccoli – 2 medium heads, about 500 gms in total
- Garlic – 6 cloves, minced
- Olive oil – 4 tbsp
- Parmesan cheese – ¼ cup, grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chilli flake – 2 tsp (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F and place the rack at the center of the oven.
- Cut the broccoli heads into bite-sized pieces. Trim off excess stem. Wash them thoroughly and let them sit in a colander for 15 minutes to let all excess water drain off.
- Now arrange the broccoli in a baking sheet in a single layer; arranging in single layer is important, else not all of them will come in contact with heat uniformly which is result into uneven charring.
- Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle minced garlic, salt & pepper all over. Give the broccoli florets a good mix. Once mixed, make sure to rearrange the broccoli florets in single layer again.
- Now bake the broccoli in preheated oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take them out, then flip each florets over and return them back to the oven for another 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take them out and sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese all over the broccoli. Also sprinkle the chilli flakes at this stage if using.
- Plate the baking sheet back in the oven for final 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Then take them out and serve this scrumptious oven roasted broccoli with your favorite grilled meat as the perfect side! Enjoy!
You may also like:
Oven Roasted Carrots and Broccoli | Easy Roasted Veggie Recipe
Roasted Garlic Potato Wedges *Video Recipe*
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Capers & Raisins *Video Recipe*
Roasted Cauliflower Wings | Vegan Cauliflower Hot Wings Recipe
Italian Spiced Parmesan Baked Potatoes
Vegan Five Spiced Roasted Cauliflower | Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Bites
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