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Everything is more delicious with broccoli! Here are the best broccoli recipes to eat more of this healthy vegetable.
Are you a broccoli fan? This healthy veggie hasn’t always been the most popular. But today, just like Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, it’s made a major comeback into fresh and healthy meals! Alex and I never hated this vegetable growing up, but we most certainly weren’t eating it in ways that lived up to its delicious potential.
Here we’ve collected our best broccoli recipes that are the top ways to eat this super nutritious vegetable! From our 10-minute side dish to a cheesy broccoli casserole or creamy soup, there’s something for everyone in this list. Ready to learn how to cook broccoli?
And now, our top broccoli recipes!
What’s more comforting than broccoli smothered in Parmesan and cheddar? This cheesy broccoli has just the right nuanced flavor from the Parmesan and cheddar cheese, the best tender texture, and the perfect warming vibe. Even better, it’s done in under 10 minutes! It's a total crowd pleaser: and a healthier spin on the classic.
Roasting makes broccoli as irresistible as french fries! This is our favorite way to cook it if you have the time. Oven roasted broccoli comes out perfectly tender and charred, with crispy dark brown parts. It has a mild, almost sweet flavor. Stir in a little grated garlic, olive oil and lemon juice after roasting to make the flavor pop!
Also try: Perfect Roasted Broccolini, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli and Carrots
This tasty mac and cheese is all about balance. It’s got big flavor, a bit less cheese per serving than the standard recipe, and it’s loaded with broccoli for a dose of nutrients and fiber. What’s not to love?
Here’s one of our best go-to broccoli recipe secrets, and we make it almost every day. Try this Pan Fried Broccoli! It comes out perfectly crisp tender and full of savory flavor: and that’s not easy to do with broccoli. Home cooks often overcook broccoli or don’t season it enough, making a brown-ish green, lifeless mess. Here’s how to pan fry it so it’s the most delicious thing on your plate!
Want to make broccoli taste irresistible? Try this broccoli stir fry! This healthy green veggie is covered in a sauce that’s so flavorful, you’ll forget that it’s good for you. The broccoli is accessorized with bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic and ginger, and an incredibly savory sauce. There’s so much flavor going on, it’s one of the best ways to eat your colorful veggies. You can serve it two ways: as a side dish, or add a protein and serve with rice, and you’ve got dinner!
Here's another great broccoli recipe: easy stovetop broccoli! You'll steam the broccoli until it's bright green and crisp tender, then mix with olive oil, salt, and red onion slivers. Add a sprinkling of feta cheese to put it over the top! It takes only 10 minutes to make and it's a crowd pleaser. (Also try our Instant Pot Broccoli. And, did you know you can roast frozen broccoli?)
Here’s a broccoli soup that will become an instant favorite. It’s impossibly creamy, whole food plant based (WFPB), and it tastes like the coziest bowl of comfort. This easy and healthy soup is vegan and gluten-free, so it works for a variety of diets. It tastes like that cozy and comforting broccoli cheese soup from a can...but 1000 times better!
Here’s a fresh spin on the classic broccoli slaw! And who knew it could be so irresistibly tasty? This recipe you can make with store-bought broccoli slaw bags or fresh broccoli and carrots. It’s got a creamy dressing that’s equal parts savory, tangy, and a little sweet. Try this stunner of a broccoli recipe…you won’t be disappointed.
There’s something about that classic American broccoli recipe: you know, the one with raisins and a mayo-based dressing? It’s a retro salad, where the florets are marinaded until they’re soft and savory sweet. It’s oddly satisfying and gives us all those nostalgic vibes. Here’s a new and improved version of to make it fresh and healthy: but it keeps all the character and deliciousness of the original. In fact: we think it’s even better.
Want to dress up broccoli to take it to irresistible status? Try this Parmesan broccoli recipe! It’s crispy, crunchy, and impossible not to take another bite. (We dare you.) Roasting broccoli brings a sweetness and lightly charred edges to this healthy green vegetable. Combine that with savory Parmesan cheese, and it’s got rock star status. The only problem with this recipe? It disappears really fast.
Looking for a tasty brunch or simple dinner starring broccoli? Try this Broccoli Quiche recipe! This one has a deliciously savory egg custard, studded with tender broccoli, garlic and onion and flavored generously with cheddar cheese. It all results in a stunning savory pie that works beautifully for brunch, lunch or a simple dinner paired with a green salad.
Looking for a healthy and easy weeknight meal? Try this shrimp and broccoli! The pair are cooked with soy sauce and and rice vinegar until bright and savory. The contrast of the crisp tender broccoli against the juicy shrimp is perfection. Serve it with rice or soba noodles to make it a complete meal that comes together quickly!
When you’re not sure what vegetable to roast…pick two. Try this Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower! Our favorite side dishes for weeknights are Roasted Broccoli and Roasted Cauliflower, so why not combine them?
Here’s a modern spin on wild rice casserole that’s cozy and all about whole foods! Why relegate this healthy whole grain only to wild rice soup? There are plenty more ways to serve it, and this one is truly spectacular. It’s broccoli cheese flavor, flecked with savory bits of sauteed broccoli, gooey white cheddar, and a creamy easy-to-make filling. It's a crowd pleaser!
Also try: Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
Want to make broccoli into a meal? A combination of whole grain, veggies, protein and a sauce makes dinnertime delicious. This one is irresistibly good, pairing the grain with tender roasted broccoli and cauliflower, crunchy raw veg, and finished off with a creamy pop of tahini sauce. Serve it in a shallow bowl and well, it’s swoon-worthy.
Here's another 10-minute broccoli recipe: this time, it's sauteed! Now, it sounds basic. But you’ll be surprised at the amount of flavor it’s possible to get from perfectly cooking this healthy veggie. Broccoli is often overcooked, leaving it soggy and without flavor. Here's how to cook it so it’s lightly browned but perfectly crisp tender and flavorful!
Have you tried the revelation that is grilled broccoli? This is one of our very favorite grilled vegetables. The grill transforms this tasty veggie to be crisp tender and charred, with a hint of smoke. Cook it simply with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice, and it’s a fantastic side for any grilled dinner.
Here's a unique broccoli recipe: throw it into a smoothie! This Magic Broccoli Smoothie makes nutritious vegetable taste sweet and creamy. You can barely even taste that it’s there! Throw it into this beautifully green smoothie as a healthy breakfast or snack.
The perfect pairing? Broccoli cheese sauce and a baked sweet potato! The creamy, savory sauce is a fantastic match for the lightly sweet potato. The sauce has a healthy spin, made creamy by a little bit of cheese and a bit of white beans whizzed together in a food processor. White beans bring lots of creaminess and plant based protein to this tasty main course.
Roasting broccoli with carrots is the perfect spin on this tasty side dish! The bright green florets border on savory-sweet, and mixed with the sweet orange carrot rounds, the contrast is just perfect. The variation of flavor, texture and shape is just enough to make these roasted vegetables seem like a new innovation.
Last up in our broccoli recipes: combine it with salmon in a bowl meal! The tender, seasoned fish is offset with rice, crisp tender broccoli, and covered in an easy, creamy flavor popping sauce. Try the Tahini Dressing or Miso Dressing, and prepare to be amazed.
Broccoli nutrition
Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat! It’s a cruciferous vegetable (a what?). That simply means it’s part of a vegetable family that includes cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. Here’s what’s great about broccoli:
- It’s a great source of fiber. 1 cup of raw broccoli has 2.3 grams of fiber, or about 5 to 10% of your daily need. (Source)
- It’s also high in protein for a green vegetable. 1 cup has 3 grams protein. (Source) That’s a similar level to asparagus and potatoes.
- It’s very high in Vitamin C. ½ cup has 70% your daily value of Vitamin C! (Source)
Enough about broccoli. What is broccolini?
What’s broccolini? While it looks like baby broccoli, it’s actually not! Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. The cross combines the long stems of Chinese broccoli with the florets of broccoli, and has a milder flavor than broccoli.
Fun fact: Did you know broccolini was invented in 1993? While it sounds like an Italian ingredient with hundreds of years of history, it’s not even 30 years old. Look for it next to the broccoli in your local grocery store. Try our Perfect Roasted Broccolini: it’s a quick way to make this unique vegetable taste incredible.
Don’t confuse broccolini with broccoli rabe! Broccoli rabe is a bitter green that’s more closely related to a turnip than broccoli.
20 Tasty Broccoli Recipes
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This quick broccoli and cheese recipe is everything cozy, cheesy, and warm: in less than 10 minutes! It’s the ideal easy side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, stem on (about 3 large heads or 6 heaping cups florets)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Chop the broccoli into medium sized florets (leave a good amount of the stem for a nice shape; see the photo or How to Cut Broccoli).
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat it on medium high heat. Add broccoli and salt. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until starting to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the broccoli, followed by the cheddar cheese. Add ¼ cup water to the bottom of the skillet and cover with a lid. Cook another 1 minute until cheese is melted and the water cooks out. Serve immediately!
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Broccoli
- Diet: Vegetarian
More delicious vegetable recipes
Broccoli is one of the 20 best vegetables you can eat! And there are so many tasty vegetable recipes for getting more vegetables on your plate. Here are our top favorites:
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Lemony Steamed Green Beans
- Best Brussels Sprouts Recipe
- Crispy Breaded Cauliflower
- Best Vegetable Side Dishes
- 25+ Favorite Side Dish Recipes
I love, love, love broccoli, even in the oven with fresh parmesan and lemond.
Sonja, I love this recipe! What strucks me is that most people around me don’t really eat broccoli. I absolutely love it and try to eat it every week. This will deffinaltey help to give me some change, because I always eat the same haha
Can’t tell when this was written, but I definitely think you now want to say broccolini is “not even THIRTY years old.” Thanks for the recipes!
Haha, you are absolutely right! As much as my brain might want to think it’s 2010, we’re nearing on 30 years since 1993. Thank you!