Parmesan Broccoli Recipe – Straightforward!, roasted

When you bite into crispy roasted Parmesan broccoli, you’ll feel like you’re eating a treat, not something packed with lighter nutrients! It’s going to become a favorite.

At a glance

What stands out: Straightforward and rich! Even professed broccoli haters will love it.

How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large rimmed baking sheet (sheet pan)
Servings: 4

Ben and we recently binge watched Stranger Things (1 and 2). It’s hard to find a show that we can enjoy together — he’s a History Channel type guy and we're a Bravo kind of girl. However, we both have been LOVING Stranger Things.

We don’t have a TV in our bedroom so we lie in bed watching it on the iPad. We do a little Instagramming here and there but it’s mainly just hanging out with each other being scared. Before we go to sleep, we typically get out of bed, go upstairs and check the kids, unload the dishwasher, turn down the heat, and turn off all the lights in the house.

The problem? We live in the country so we don’t have a lot of window treatments which is great during the day. But at night, when it’s pitch black out and you just watched Stranger Things, it’s less than ideal. It’s a love-hate relationship and we can’t wait for season 3.

Speaking of stranger things, what’s stranger than posting broccoli in the middle of cookie season? We're not always one to follow trends, so we're probably not going to start now. We're just gonna go ahead and direct you over to our cookie archives and then have you come back here and make this broccoli, because green is good and not scary at all.

And it’s no secret how much we love roasted vegetables, now is it? We've shown you already how to roast broccoli and this is a fun and simple little twist on the original method.

About This Recipe

This Parmesan broccoli starts the way most other roasted vegetables are made: clean and dry vegetables, oil, salt, pepper, and high heat. The only difference is that you sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on at the end to give it the most amazingly nutty salty flavor.

You’ll need a large rimmed baking pan, too. An aluminum half size sheet pan (18 x 13 inches) is invaluable. We use ours all the time. Have you tried any of our sheet pan meals? Take a look, you’ll find more than fifteen recipes for a complete dinner roasted on one pan in the oven!

What You’ll Need

• Broccoli: Look for firm green heads of broccoli with tightly compacted florets. If you want to use the stems, peel them and slice them into “coins.” They’re just as rich as the florets.
• Olive Oil: A couple tablespoons of oil helps to crisp up the broccoli. If you prefer, use another mild-tasting oil such as grapeseed or avocado oil.
• Salt and Black Pepper: Coarse salt such as kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper are best when roasting vegetables, providing nice little pops of flavor.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated tastes best but feel free to use what you have.

Dry Equals Crisp!

The more dry your broccoli is, the crispier it will get! Wet broccoli = steam = soggy broccoli. The goal is NOT steamed broccoli. Dry thoroughly after washing. You can even spin it in a salad spinner!

How it comes together

1. Wash and dry. Dry, dry, DRY. The drier, the better.
2. Cut into small pieces. Smaller = shorter cook time, crispier broccoli.
3. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Spread in single layer.
5. Roast at 425°F (or 450°F if you’re in a rush).
6. Push the broccoli together a bit and sprinkle on Parmesan. Stick it back in oven to let the cheese melt.
7. ENJOY!

We love this roasted broccoli topped with savory granola. The mixture of seeds and spices in this not-sweet granola brings out the nutty flavor of the Parmesan and adds a lot of nutrition. Top a bowl of brown rice or quinoa with Parmesan roasted broccoli and savory granola for a rich lunch.

Before you start

Make It Your Own

if you want to switch it up a little, try sprinkling in some breadcrumbs when you take it out of the oven to stir it halfway through. A squeeze of lemon is memorable too. Try this Lemon Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan and garlic.

If you love roasted broccoli recipes like we do, be sure to check out Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche, Baked Chicken Parmesan and Broccoli, Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad from Two Peas & Their Pod, or Slow Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Curry from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

Make-Ahead Ideas

To get a head start on this recipe, prep the broccoli up to to two days in advance. After you’ve cut it into florets, washed and dried it, put it in a resealable bag or covered container in the fridge.

Keeping leftovers

Roasted broccoli is best eaten right away but if you have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, for best results pop the broccoli into the oven or toaster oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through.

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of broccoli (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (grapeseed or avocado oil is fine, too)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, more to taste
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Wash broccoli and dry very thoroughly. Don’t skip drying — it’s important. Use a salad spinner if you have one, or just shake, shake, shake all the water out and then pat dry with a towel.
2. Cut broccoli into medium-sized spears and coat well with olive oil. Spread onto rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, flip each piece over, and bake for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan (see note) and pop back in the oven or 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
4. Serve immediately.

Notes

When sprinkling on Parmesan, push the broccoli to the center of the tray so all the cheese goes on the broccoli instead of the tray!

Feel free to use the stems as well as the florets. Simply peel the large stems and cut into coins. They are good roasted!