Broccoli is the quintessential American vegetable to me. We put in in warm, creamy broccoli cheese soup in the winter. We ate it raw with ranch in our childhood lunch boxes. We have it in a crunchy salad in the summer. Now, we even shred it and make pizza crusts, tots, slaw, etc.
Broccoli is a star. However, when it’s so easily available and easy to cook, I can get super sick of it. The flavor is lovely, but it’s the same flavor every time!
So, I’m always looking for ways to totally re-imagine broccoli. I don’t want to cover up the flavor, I just want to play with it in an unfamiliar way.
This recipe boasts a strong hit of lemon, the salty Parmesan cheese and some funky garlic. It’s great with fish and chicken (lemon, duh!) but I actually love it with any kind of Italian or BBQ entree. It’s very light and fresh, so it’s perfect to pair with a heavy, sweet, or cheesy protein.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups of broccoli florets, cut to even sizes
- juice and zest of one large lemon
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- plenty of salt a pepper- like, at least a teaspoon each
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 450
Toss the broccoli with the olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together.
Pour onto a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Don’t worry if it gets a little charred!
Enjoy!
whenkathycooks 