Oven Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan may seem like the perfect side dish, but it’s also the perfect meal. Piled high, you can can easily learn how to roast your broccoli and gobble up an entire bowl of broccoli in minutes.
Broccoli roasted in the oven and produces a tender healthy side dish that pretty much goes with any meal. These little green stalks can be eaten a variety of ways and taste great simply seasoned or smothered in garlic, cheese, herbs and spices.
Roasted on its own with a bit of black pepper, sea salt and lemon is one of the more popular ways to enjoy oven roasted broccoli as well.
Broccoli is a Great Side Dish!
Before we get started on learning how to make perfect oven roasted broccoli, know that while this classic recipe is great on its own, its just as good with some 5 minute cheese sauce for broccoli to pour on top as well.
We tend to eat broccoli at least once, sometimes twice a week. It’s an unassuming veggie the kids seem to enjoy and its pretty quick to get on the table. As a side dish, broccoli is fast and easy and there are so many different recipes to prepare broccoli and keep things interesting.
Personally one of my favorite ways to enjoy broccoli is straight up Roasted broccoli with garlic!
How to Easily Roast Garlic Broccoli
Scroll to the bottom for a printable version of this post, including all measurements and instructions, so you can follow along in your kitchen without being on your phone. Here is what you need to gather to get started:
- raw broccoli – Break down into broccoli bites for this recipe right off the stalk.
- olive oil
- minced garlic – I buy mine in a jar and keep it in the fridge. I use it for all my recipes!
- Salt and Pepper – I prefer peppercorn pepper and sea salt.
- Shredded Parmesan cheese – One of the few things I like to buy a little more premium is Parmesan. Opt for good shredded or shaved Parmesan over canned.
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How to cut and prepare broccoli for roasting
If you purchase a full stem of broccoli, you need to prepare it in bite sized pieces before oven roasting.
- First, don’t throw away your broccoli stems! Chopped into bite sized pieces they are fantastic, full of vitamins and minerals, and because of the texture, kids often like them better. Plus, unless you bought only the crown, you paid for them!
- Even if you don’t want to roast the stems, pop them in the fridge to add to casseroles or salads another day.
- To cut florets, lay the broccoli on its side. Find the top of the stem and make a clean chop across. Then work your way around the broccoli cutting the florets off as you go. If you end up with a piece with a stem longer than you would like, go back and trim the stem to your liking. You can continue to divide the florets into as small of pieces as you like.
Oven Roasted Broccoli
Preheat oven to 425 and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set baking sheet aside. In a large bowl, drizzle fresh chopped raw broccoli with olive oil.
Add minced garlic and mix well to evenly coat broccoli. Take your time with this, mixing well and making sure garlic and oil gets on broccoli pieces.
Spread broccoli onto prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Season broccoli with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Prior to serving and while still on baking sheet, sprinkle broccoli with shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately while hot.
Roasted Broccoli with New Flavors
Overall, I’m generally a veggie purist. A bit of oil, salt and I’m good to go for my broccoli side dishes.
With a bit of experimentation, however, I’ve found that my kids are much more likely to eat a particular vegetable dish when I jazz up the flavorings a bit more than that.
- Garlic and Parmesan, like featured here, go well with just about any main dish you want to pair it with, but the options don’t stop there.
- Balsamic vinegar
is one of my favorite roasting flavorings – it caramelizes in the oven to create this thick, almost smoky sauce that coats the veggies.
- If you want something with a bit more tang, lemon juice or Italian dressing are other options that pair well with a whole lot of main dishes. Just be sure not to add too much liquid so your broccoli can still crisp up in the oven.
- To keep things simple, I also like thyme or herbs de province on all kinds of veggies, but especially broccoli.
Common Broccoli Cooking Questions
- Do I have to steam broccoli before roasting? NOPE! Raw Broccoli is exactly how you should do it.
- Does Broccoli get soft in the oven? Yes! It will soften up right in the oven on this method.
I want to thank you for visiting my site and trying out my recipe! If you love this recipe, or had changes that made it delicious, I love to hear about that!
Please feel free to leave a comment to let others know your chef skills. Additionally, I do check comments often and answer them if you have questions about this recipe.