Our Favorite Way to Make Broccoli As a Side Dish

Let me just start by saying that I love broccoli. I have always loved broccoli, ever since I was a little kid who had no business thinking broccoli was something delicious. It’s one of those veggies that’s so good raw (dipped in something yummy or on its own), steamed with lemon, tossed in a stir-fry, folded into fettuccini Alfredo – the options really are endless. But when I tried this recipe inspired by Paleo Grubs, I knew I’d found the broccoli side dish recipe that I’d be using from here on out. It only takes about 20 minutes to make from start to finish and packs so much flavor. It might even be good enough to convince your little ones to eat broccoli!

Here’s What You Need:

-2 heads of broccoli
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-4 large cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-1 teaspoon Kosher salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
-Red pepper flakes, to taste

And Here’s What You Do:

    1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
    2. Cut your broccoli heads into bite-sized florets. Toss florets into a colander and rinse thoroughly. Shake broccoli to dry.
    3. Toss broccoli in a large bowl along with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix well, then spread coated broccoli (with al the garlicky goodness) onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
    4. Bake the broccoli for about 7 minutes, then remove from the oven and turn florets over. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or so, until broccoli is easy to piece and edges look nicely browned.
    5. Remove try from oven, then squeeze lemon juice evenly over the broccoli. Finish by sprinkling with red pepper flakes to taste.
    6. Broccoli is ready to serve! I put mine in a pretty bowl with a lemon wheel garnish to give it a nice touch on the dinner table.