These easy and weeknight-friendly recipes with broccoli are bright, delicious, and healthy.
Whether you feel like pasta, soup, stir fry, or need to use up broccoli leftovers, there is plenty of choice with these broccoli ideas.
Broccoli often gets a bad reputation due to its bland taste and texture. Yet, if cooked properly, you can turn this nutritional vegetable into tasty, elegant, and crowd-pleasing dishes.
Take your pick from 10 easy and wholesome broccoli dishes that will quickly upgrade your dinner with extra greens.
1. Broccoli pasta
Broccoli pasta is a creamy and delicious pasta dish you can make with 6 simple ingredients in about 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner. Eat it as is, or serve it with a fresh green side salad for added crispness to your meal.
2. Roasted broccoli
Roasted broccoli is a tender-crisp side dish of broccoli florets roasted in the oven and seasoned with a tasty lemon-garlic dressing. Sprinkle with shaved almonds, vegan cheese, or parmesan cheese for an extra indulgent side.
3. Broccoli soup
Learn how to make a delicious and creamy broccoli soup that is tasty and nourishing without cheddar or cream. Top the soup with homemade croutons or roasted chickpeas for a complete and satiating dinner idea.
4. Broccoli frittata
This vegan frittata is crisp on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, and for some reason, it feels like eating a regular egg frittata.
5. Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
Roasted broccoli and cauliflower is a great side dish you can make with almost no effort and a few ingredients for weeknight dinner or the holidays.
6. Tofu stir fry
Here's an easy and versatile 30-minute tofu stir fry with your favorite veggies and a tasty sauce that makes it better than a takeaway.
7. Cauliflower Alfredo with broccoli
Here's an easy, creamy, cheesy cauliflower Alfredo sauce; its velvety smooth texture pairs perfectly with chewy fettuccine pasta.
8. Tofu soup
This tofu soup is quick, tasty, and easy. You can make it in 20 minutes, with simple ingredients and seasonal veggies any time of the year.
9. Lentil curry with broccoli
Lentil curry with broccoli florets is an easy, tasty, and nourishing meal you can make in one pot with simple ingredients in about 30 minutes. Our recipe is simple yet satisfying and flavorful, and pairs perfectly with white rice, roti bread, or Naan bread.
10. Broccoli Aglio e Olio pasta
Garlic and oil pasta is an Italian pasta recipe that originated in the south of Italy, this variation with broccoli is extra creamy and with a healthy dose of added greens. It's a quick dinner idea ready in 15 minutes with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
Fresh or frozen broccoli?
We recommend using fresh broccoli. You can use the whole head, including the broccoli florets, broccoli stems, and leaves.
Frozen broccoli works, too; however, in our tests, the recipes turned out a little more watery with frozen broccoli.
Other ways to cook broccoli
Steamed broccoli
Rinse the broccoli, and cut it into small pieces. Place the florets in a steaming basket and fill a skillet with water.
Bring the pot to a simmer and steam until the stems are soft. It can take between 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the broccoli florets.
To check if they are done, slide a small knife through the stem of the broccoli. If it slides easily, the broccoli is done steaming.
Serve steamed broccoli next to your main dish, it pairs well with saucy dishes, such as stir-fries, curries, and stews:
- Orange tofu: sweet and sticky sauce coats perfectly chewy cubes of tofu, a great vegetarian dinner idea!
- Chickpea curry with creamy coconut sauce, perfectly paired with greens
- Braised tofu with s mildly sweet, tangy, and Asian-inspired sauce
- Chickpea stew with sweet potato and a Middle-Eastern spice mix, an easy one-pot dinner idea!
For many more side dishes ideas, check out our sides category page.
10 Broccoli Recipes
Ingredients
FOR ROASTED BROCCOLI
- 1 pound broccoli about 1 large head
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 twists black pepper
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoons salt
TOPPINGS (Optional)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated, or dairy-free cheese
- ⅓ cup almonds slivered or shaved, and toasted
Instructions
OVEN-ROASTED BROCCOLI
- Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Rinse and shake the water off the broccoli head. Cut the florets into similar-sized pieces.Save the stem to make our broccoli soup, or slice it thinly and add it to the florets.
- Transfer the broccoli florets onto the baking sheet and season with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss with your hands and arrange them on a single layer without overlapping.
- Bake at 400°F or 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes until the florets are tender-crisp. In the meantime, you can make the dressing.
- Transfer onto a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing.
VARIATION WITH CHEESE
- Once the broccoli are ready, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese or a dairy-free alternative and broil for a few minutes until the cheese melts.
LEMON-GARLIC DRESSING
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes to a small jar. Optionally, you can add grated lemon zest.Close and shake well to combine. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients in a small bowl.
Video Recipe
Notes
Nutritional Values
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