If you are not a broccoli lover, this is the recipe that will make you see the light! If you are a broccoli lover, then let it rain, because this garlicky lemony oven roasted broccoli is going to make your side dish your main dish. I will even show you how to get perfectly crisp-tender roasted broccoli...from frozen!
Straight Up Roasting Instructions (fresh broccoli)
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Start by chopping up your broccoli.** Chop off the end of the stem and discard. Slice the stem into thin pieces, then chop into bite size pieces. Chop the broccoli from the stem-end into florets that are all about the same size.
Add the broccoli directly to your 11x17 inch pan (half baking sheet), or you can mix it in a bowl if you prefer. Add 1/3 cup oil and 3 cloves of smashed garlic. (This adds flavor and aroma. I love to eat them but you can toss them out if you are one of those heathens who doesn't appreciate roasted garlic.)
In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder*, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Sprinkle over your broccoli as evenly as possible, stirring as you pour. Try to get all the broccoli coated. Pour onto a half baking sheet (11x17 inch) if you used a bowl to mix. Don't use parchment paper, silpat, or foil. Just put it directly on the pan for the best crispy edges.
Roast at 425 for 10 minutes.
Remove the broccoli from the oven, shut the door, stir the broccoli on the pan, then return to the oven.
Continue roasting for another 5-15 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your broccoli. Taste it! Total roasting time should be 15-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar OR fresh lemon juice.
Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Blanching and Roasting Instructions (fresh broccoli)
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place TWO*** half baking sheet pans(11x17 inch) in the oven to get hot. (Or you can halve the recipe and just do one pan.)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Chop up your broccoli.** Chop off the end of the stem and discard. Slice the stem into thin pieces, then chop into bite size pieces. Chop the broccoli from the stem-end into florets that are all about the same size.
When the water is at a rolling boil, add the broccoli. Cover with a lid and set a timer for about 30 seconds.
Drain as well as you can. Do your best!
Meanwhile, mix your spices together: in a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder*, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
At this point you will need to work quickly. Take the hot pan out of the oven and dump the blanched broccoli on it. It will sizzle!
Drizzle with 1/3 cup olive oil, add 3 cloves of smashed garlic, and finally sprinkle the spices over the broccoli, stirring as best you can. Spread the broccoli out on the pan and place it back in the oven.
Roast at 425 for about 10 minutes.
Remove the broccoli from the oven, shut the door, stir the broccoli on the pan, then return to the oven.
Roast for another 5-10 minutes. Taste it! Total roasting time should be 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar OR fresh lemon juice.
In a medium bowl, dump the bags of frozen broccoli. (Frozen broccoli usually comes in 14 or 16 ounce bags, you will need about 2 pounds of broccoli; or halve the recipe and use one bag.)
Add 1/3 cup oil and 3 cloves of smashed garlic. (This adds flavor and aroma. I love to eat them but you can toss them out if you are one of those heathens who doesn't appreciate roasted garlic.)
In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder*, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Sprinkle over your frozen broccoli as evenly as possible, stirring as you pour. Try to get all the broccoli coated. Pour onto a half baking sheet (11x17 inch). Don't use parchment paper, silpat, or foil. Just put it directly on the pan for the best crispy edges.
Roast at 425 for about 10 minutes.
Remove the broccoli from the oven, shut the door, stir the broccoli on the pan, then return to the oven.
Roast for another 5-10 minutes. Taste it! Total roasting time should be 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar OR fresh lemon juice.
*I like the bright, almost bitter flavor that dry mustard brings to broccoli, but you can replace this 1/2 teaspoon mustard with almost any spice. Basil, caraway, curry, oregano, parsley, tarragon, thyme, etc. On one of my tests, no joke, I accidentally grabbed the ginger instead of the mustard. It was delicious. **Skip the chopping and buy a bag of fresh pre-chopped broccoli from the produce section!***You can roast 2 pounds of fresh broccoli on one 11x17 inch pan because they don't have as much moisture. For blanched or frozen broccoli, I recommend adding only 1 pound of broccoli to a pan. (The extra moisture needs more space for evaporation.) So for blanched or frozen, you can either halve the recipe and do 1 pound on one pan, or do 2 pounds of broccoli on two pans.