This is the recipe you want if you want some slightly unique, restaurant-quality broccoli within the next three days! This is also fantastic if you want to save time but still seeming like you didn’t skimp when entertaining guests and serving a lot of food. This recipe demonstrates how to shock your greens to keep them vibrant while creating a display that demonstrates how much you value your meals.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 25 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl or pot with half ice and half water. When the water comes to a boil, add the broccoli florets using a strainer with a handle if possible. Allow the broccoli to cook for 1 to 2 minutes until just tender. Immediately remove from the boiling water, using the strainer or draining, and transfer to bowl of ice to stop the cooking process. Immerse the broccoli completely in the ice water for a minute or two. Remove and place in a dish that has been lined with paper towels. This part can be done up to two days in advance.
- In a cup or small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese and brown sugar; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the broccoli and season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the broccoli, then cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and dust with the Parmesan cheese mixture.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 81 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 2 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 144 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I’ve made this for a couple years now and still love it planing on making it for thanksgiving
Not bad but not brilliant. Followed recipe and didn’t think it was worth all the steps and dirty pots and dishes. I did add Walnuts after tasting this and they added the needed flavor.
Super tasty. I’ve always roasted my broccoli, but didn’t have the oven space last night. Tried this and it was even better than the roasted version I usually make. Family loved it.
We did not enjoy this recipe at all. The broccoli preparation was fine and I will use that with a garlic butter finish next time but the parmesan cheese/brown sugar part wasn’t good and also didn’t look very presentable. Thank goodness tried first for just my family.
I would give this 4.5 stars if I could. It really IS good! Just knocked off half a point because I had to use 3 dishes to make it…and I could have used a 4th if I served it at the table (I just had my family serve themselves from the frying pan on the stove!). Flavor is great. Was going to skip the sugar as we are cutting down on sugar, but when I saw how little it was I used it. Added just a hint of sweet. Only used 1/4tsp of red pepper flakes.
Best broccoli ever! Try it, it is amazing.
Delicious and a nice change of pace without getting too caloric.
Delicious and a nice change of pace without getting too caloric.
We are big broccoli eaters and was looking for a break from the norm. This was super easy and the kids loved it!
Such an interesting flavor combination! I kept coming back for more of the sweet, salty and spicy mixture.
This is outstanding! I am testing recipes for this years Thanksgiving dinner and needed a vegetable which I could prepare both ahead of time without compromising the texture of the vegetables. I just made this and wish I made more! I am tempted to eat my husbands as he is not home from work yet:) I made this exactly as directed and will definitely be making this again as my family eats broccoli once or twice a week. Thank you for a great recipe! I would not change a thing!
Loved this quick dish. It came out better than I’d expected. This is going to be one of my go to quick veggie dishes.
Used a dash of cayenne since I didn’t have red pepper flakes. Went light on the brown sugar. Great recipe.
This tasted ok, but not wonderful. Probably won’t make it again.
Loved the method! Left out the sugar as didn’t want any drastically new flavors on the table – sometimes I’m just not in the mood for the evaluations I receive 🙂 Well received by the family!
We loved the garlic lemon roasted broccoli. I will make it every time I am cooking broccoli.
It was perfect! I just added a pinch of cinnamon powder in the cheese mixture as well. Thank you for a great recipe. For a change I enjoyed my Broccoli.
We love broccoli here and we couldn’t eat this! Made it again but didn’t pre-cook broccoli, didn’t use pepper flakes, didn’t use brown sugar or parmesan cheese. I sauteed raw broccoli in olive oil until crisp tender, added some salt, pepper, minced garlic and 1 – 2 Tablespoons of water, put a lid on it and steamed 2-3 min until broccoli was tender. That’s it! DELICIOUS!
I had leftover veggies from a crudites. I used this recipe to cook then. They were delicious. my kids ate every last piece. This is my go to recipe for veggies now. you can use it with anything!
This is my new favorite way to cook broccoli! I did omit the brown sugar because I am trying to cut back on my sugar intake, but it tasted awesome even without it. Definitely recommend this recipe if you’re tired of the same old steamed broccoli like I was 🙂
I didn’t think that the ingredients blended at all – I could taste the individual flavors, and they didn’t support the broccoli. The red pepper flakes were completely overwhelming, and I cut the amount in half to begin with. Why anyone still boils a fresh vegetable (and cooks it in advance) these days is beyond me – it’s much too easy and fast to quickly saute or micro-steam instead and serve immediately.