30 Tried-and-True Broccoli Recipes You Need in Your Life (2024)

FAQs

How to prepare broccoli for people who don t like broccoli? ›

Simply sautee the broccoli in a pan with just a little butter, some onions and grated garlic and voila! Add a drizzle of lemon if desired.

Boiling will remove up to 90% of broccoli's nutrients, so prepare it a similar way, such as blanching. First, get a bowl of ice water ready next to the stove. Boil water in a pot, add salt, and cook broccoli florets for 1-1½ minutes until they're just tender. Quickly cool them in the ice water.

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!

I love meal prepping with broccoli because you can pre chop it and it keeps amazingly well! You can also pre-cook and store in the fridge or freezer. Because it is fairly firm, it can freeze/thaw well after cooking.

Serving broccoli raw is an excellent option, since it retains these nutrients and the enzyme that forms isothiocyanate compounds. Before serving on a relish tray or salad, quickly blanching and cooling allows you to get even a bit more of these compounds.

Add lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, and fresh raw garlic to a bowl - stir it up and toss with steamed or roasted broccoli. Put some cheese on it, grill it in the microwave, then put some chili powder (like Tajín), or lemon juice and a little bit of salt and voilá, it tastes really good.

Broccoli is now known to improve gut health; new research has uncovered a potential molecular mechanism to explain this protection — which is good news for broccoli lovers. Share on Pinterest Like it or loathe it, broccoli should be on your grocery list.

Introducing broccoli into your daily dietary routine can yield various health benefits. Its fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants contribute to improved digestion, bone health, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are known to be excellent sources of sulforaphane, a phytochemical (plant chemical) researchers have theorized can detoxify carcinogens, including those found in tobacco smoke.

Steamed broccoli may be one of the healthiest ways to cook broccoli because it's quick and nutrients and vitamins won't be lost in the cooking water, as can be the case with boiled broccoli.

How do you make broccoli taste good without adding calories? ›

Healthiest Way to Cook Broccoli

Lightly sauteed with garlic and a splash of water. It's that simple. Cooking broccoli in this way retains most of its colour, nutritional value along with that crunch that results in a delicious side dish that even my youngest and pickiest eater enjoys.

Steaming broccoli is quick and easy, and it's considered one of the healthiest ways to prepare the vegetable. Instead of submerging the florets and stem into boiling water or roasting them in the oven, the broccoli is placed in a steamer basket over simmering water and covered with a lid.

Regularly consuming broccoli can significantly boost your nutrient intake. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and potassium. Additionally, it also contains iron and calcium, making it a valuable addition to a balanced diet.

“Broccoli always features on my suggestions for athletes. This green vegetable is packed with goodness including folic acid, magnesium, B vitamins and Vitamin K which is great for the bones. Broccoli also aids detoxification.”

If your child is hesitant at first glance, try serving a micro portion of broccoli. A micro portion is a very small portion, about the size of a small sample or even smaller. Micro portions can make a nervous or selective child feel more comfortable around a new food.

Blanching broccoli in a large pot of salt water releases bitter acids from the plant cells and rinses them away, an action that steaming doesn't provide because of the low level of water involved. Additional measures for neutralizing broccoli's bitterness include tossing it with salt and citrus sauce.

Salicylate allergy. Symptoms of a broccoli allergy usually mean that you're sensitive to salicylates, which is a natural chemical that can be found in plants like broccoli. Some people may be sensitive to even small amounts of salicylates.

As per kale, cooked leafy greens like spinach, collards and chard (silverbeet) can sub in beautifully when using broccoli as a side.