Simple Roasted Broccoli with Garlic – drizzled with a touch of olive oil and seasoned with salt pepper. Crispy, tender and delicious! Gluten Free + Whole30 + Paleo
Did you know that roasting veggies actually makes them taste better?
No, really. The dry heat from the oven caramelises the natural vegetable sugars, mellowing out bitterness and adding a new depth of flavour.
Every time I make roasted broccoli I ask myself why I’m not making it everyday. It’s hands down the tastiest way to eat broccoli and that’s just a straight up fact as far as I’m concerned. Not to mention is dead easy to make
Tips for Making Perfect Roasted Broccoli Every Time
- Dry it. If you wash your broccoli just before roasting make sure to pat off any excess water before roasting. Too much extra water will just cause the broccoli to steam in the oven instead of crisping up.
- Chop it. I recommend chopping up the broccoli into flat, bite-sized pieces lengthwise before roasting. Chopping the broccoli up this way will do two things:
- Flat pieces of broccoli equals more surface area of broccoli in contact with the hot baking sheet which will make for a crispier final product.
- Small pieces of broccoli will cook faster.
- Flip it. About halfway through your cook, remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip over the broccoli to ensure both sides can crisp up. This doesn’t need to be perfect. If you’re in a rush you can just quickly kind of toss it all together and stir with a spatula, but if you have the time I think it’s worth it.
- Burn it? It sounds weird and wrong but don’t be afraid to let the ends blacken up a bit before taking them out of the oven. Maybe it would sound better to say it’s charred, yeah? Charred broccoli = crispier broccoli.
A few More Notes & Questions
Can I roast broccoli from frozen?
- Yes! Though keep in mind you may need to add a about five or so minutes in the oven and it will probably not get as crisp since frozen broccoli will have a higher water content so it’s going to steam more in the oven.
What about the stalk?
- No need to toss that out – roast it too! After you remove the florets from the larger stem, peel off the outter layer of stem and then slice it up into 1/4 inch slices. Roast that along with the rest of the broccoli and you’re good to go.
LO BLOUSTEIN says
i’m confused about the garlic with the peel still on.
at what point does it get integrated into the actually broccoli eating?
Sarah says
Hi Lo! The garlic is more there to impart the aroma/flavour. It’s left in the peel so that it doesn’t burn under the high oven temperature. If you like you can always remove the peel and mix it in with the broccoli at the end