This simple roasted broccolini recipe will make eating your daily dose of veggies something you look forward to! It's made with butter, fresh lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and crispy bacon, and even the little ones will love this recipe!
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The Best Broccolini Recipe
Regardless of if you love or hate broccoli, I encourage you to give this broccolini recipe a try. While broccolini resembles broccoli - I promise it's quite different. In my opinion, roasted broccolini is one of the best green side dishes around.
Broccolini looks just like broccoli, except it has tall, thin stalks, and the head is less tightly bunched. It's kind of like a mix between regular broccoli and baby broccoli.
In addition to tasting great, this roasted broccolini recipe is also packed with nutrition. Broccolini is loaded with age-fighting antioxidants, not to mention fiber, calcium, and magnesium, just to name a few!
Now, of course, every great side dish needs a great main dish, and if you're looking for one to serve this delicious green next to, I have a few. My favorite thing to pair this broccolini with is this air fryer chicken, but this pork chop recipe and this creamy salmon recipe are also a couple of main dishes that compliment it really well too.
Ingredients
As I said before, the ingredient list for this roasted broccolini could not be simpler. Honestly, you probably have most - if not all - of these ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry already!
Anyway, here's what'll you need to make roasted broccolini:
- 2 bunches of broccolini, blanched
- 4 tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 clove garlic, crushed
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 slices of bacon, toasted to be crunchy
- Salt
- Parmesan cheese
That's it!
Feel free to swap the butter for olive oil when making this recipe. And if you choose to use olive oil in place of butter, try experimenting with infused olive oil. I love using lemon olive oil or rosemary olive oil when I make this recipe.
As for the rest of the ingredients, they can all be added to taste, so you get the final say in the flavor of this dish.
Add in some pine nuts when you're cooking the bacon for a little nutty flavor.
One last tip, I love adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to my broccolini to add a little heat to it. However, the red pepper flakes can also be swapped for some black pepper if you'd rather add a little spice.
With that said, if you do choose to add red pepper flakes - or black pepper - start off light. You can always add more, but you can't add less!
How To Make Roasted Broccolini
Making this roasted broccolini is as simple as cooking a veggie gets.
In less than 10 minutes you'll have savory, crispy, and tender roasted broccolini to pair alongside your main course.
So, let's not waste another second and get into it!
Step 1: Blanch The Broccolini
First, you'll need to blanch the broccolini. To do that, bring a pot of salted water to a boil on your stovetop.
Then, add the broccolini to the salted boiling water and leave it in for 2 minutes. This is what gives you that vibrant green color and makes also makes it fork tender.
After 2 minutes, remove the broccolini stems from the boiling water and put them in a strainer. Rinse the broccolini under cold water to stop the cooking process, then set it aside in a large bowl.
Step 2: Prepare The Butter and spices
Next, melt the butter in a large skillet and add the crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and salt. Also, feel free to use more lemon if you want to brighten up the flavors even more.
Now, stir everything together and add the broccolini to the skillet. Then, mix the broccolini with the ingredients until combined, and then pour everything into a bowl.
Step 3: Toast The Bacon
The next element you'll need to prepare is the bacon. And this is the step that I think makes this recipe so delicious.
So, you'll want to toast the bacon in a pan - or skillet - for 2-3 minutes or until it reaches your desired crispiness. Then, when it's looking good break it into crumbles and sprinkle it over the broccolini.
Step 4: Serving
Now to finish this delicious side dish off, add as much grated parmesan on top of the crisp, tender broccolini as you want.
With that said, the cheese is optional, but I think it brings all of the flavors together.
Finally, serve it hot, and enjoy!
By the way, if you want to cook the broccolini ahead of time and keep it warm until dinner, I recommend lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and keeping your broccolini in the oven set to 275 °F for 10 minutes before topping with parmesan and serving.
How To Store Broccolini
This recipe for broccolini will make about 4 servings, so it's the perfect side dish for a family dinner.
With that said, if you have any leftover broccolini lying around after dinner you'll want to store them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for about 3-5 days.
By the way, if you want to make extra to keep for longer, so you always have this delicious, healthy side to go with your main dishes, you can freeze the broccolini for 6-8 months. So, to freeze it, just put it on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze the broccolini until solid. Then, transfer it to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and store it.
How To Reheat Broccolini
To quickly reheat your leftover broccolini, simply pop it in the microwave and heat it in 20-second increments until thoroughly heated.
Alternatively, you can reheat your broccolini by placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cooking 'em in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes.
You can also warm it up in a hot skillet with a little butter or olive oil.
Wrapping It Up
Well, that's how to cook broccolini!
Who would have thought that roasting broccolini could be this easy? It has quickly become one of my favorite recipes to complete really any meal.
This recipe is such a delicious change up from cooking broccoli, but it's still packed with nutrients and is just delicious.
And the best part is you can customize it however you want! So, definitely feel free to use this as a base broccolini recipe and then add your own twist to it.
As always, if you give this roasted broccolini recipe a try, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know how it went.
Also, be sure to check out my Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok for more easy side dish recipes just like this one.
More Recipes
If you love veggies and want some more delicious veggie rich recipes - just like this one - I have a ton on the blog you have to try next!
Check all of these out:
- Beef and broccoli stir fry
- Roasted kohlrabi
- Air fryer brussel sprouts
- Instant Pot chicken stew
- Keto beef stew
- Oven roasted okra
- Fried eggplant
- Grilled carrots
- Roasted eggplant
Easy Roasted Broccolini Recipe Made In 10 Minutes
This simple roasted broccolini recipe will make eating your daily dose of veggies something you look forward to! It's made with butter, fresh lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and crispy bacon, and even the little ones will love this recipe!
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Side
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetable
Ingredients
2 bunches of broccolini, blanched
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 clove garlic, crushed
2-3 tablespoon lemon, juiced
1 tbsp lemon zest
4 slices of bacon, toasted to be crunchy
Salt
Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Blanch the broccoli by dipping it in salted boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Then take it out of the boiling water and put it in a strainer. Cool it under a stream of cold water and stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a hot skillet and add in the crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and salt. Give it a stir.
- Add the broccolini to the skillet and mix it with all the ingredients, pour everything into a bowl, and set aside.
- Toast the bacon in a pan for 2-3 minutes and crumble it over the broccolini.
- Add grated parmesan on top if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 133
- Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 4
Keywords: broccolini, broccolini recipe, easy broccolini recipe, how to cook broccolini, broccolini recipe easy, broccolini recipe lemon garlic, broccolini recipe garlic,
Aaron says
I never know what to cook broccolini with and everything in this recipe was fantastic!!
Jeff says
Very good. I liked better than broccoli.