Broccoli is a great all-purpose side dish, but when it’s not seasoned properly it can be kind of boring. When it comes to vegetables, broccoli included, you can never go wrong with a healthy dose of garlic and Parmesan! This quick skillet method for cooking Garlic Parmesan Broccoli is a nice alternative to oven roasting when you need dinner fast or don’t want to heat up the kitchen with a hot oven.
Why Cook Broccoli On the Stove Top Instead of Roasting?
This quick skillet method is great for two reasons: it’s faster and it makes larger servings. What do I mean by that? Well, when you roast vegetables in the oven, they not only get really tasty, but they also shrink a bit due to dehydration. I could easily eat an entire crown of roasted broccoli myself. When it’s steamed, the broccoli stays plump and fills you up faster. Gotta stretch those pennies any way you can!
Don’t Toss the Stems!
Fresh broccoli is kind of on the expensive end of the vegetable spectrum around here, so the second trick I used to keep it cost effective is to include more of the stems. A lot of people tend to cut the florets right at the base where they join to the thick stalk, but that stem is actually pretty delicious, why not eat it? To help make it more tender, peel the thicker skin off the bottom portion of the stem and cut it into thin spears (see the step by step photos below).
What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
This Quick Garlic Parmesan Broccoli combines my favorite flavors, garlic, lemon, and Parmesan, in one fast and easy dish. It would be great with any pasta, or meat dish. The flavors are quite versatile!
Easy Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
Servings 4 to 6 servingsIngredients
- 2 crowns broccoli (approx. 1 lb.) ($3.07)
- 1 lemon ($0.59)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (or butter) ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan ($0.08)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough skin from the lower portion of the thick broccoli stems. Cut the florets off the crown, including a 1 to 2-inch spear of stem on each (see photos below). Use a microplane, zester, or fine cheese grater to remove the yellow zest from the lemon. Set the zest aside.
- Add one to two inches of water to the bottom of a medium sauce pot. Place a steam basket in the pot, then add the broccoli. Place a lid on the pot and heat the water over high flame until it begins to steam. Steam the broccoli for about five minutes, or until it is bright green and can be pierced with a fork, but is still slightly crisp. Remove the broccoli from the heat and remove the lid to prevent further cooking.
- While the broccoli is steaming, mince two cloves of garlic and add them to a large skillet along with the the olive oil. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for one to two minutes, or just until soft and fragrant. Turn the heat off if needed, to wait for the broccoli to finish steaming.
- Once the broccoli is finished steaming, transfer it from the sauce pot to the skillet with the oil and garlic. Squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over top, then toss to coat in the infused oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked pepper, then top with grated parmesan and a pinch of the lemon zest.
- OPTIONAL: Place the skillet under the broiler for a minute or two to toast the parmesan and crisp the edges of the broccoli, for a slightly nutty/smoky flavor. Make sure to only do this with an oven safe skillet.
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Equipment
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Garlic Parmesan Broccoli – Step by Step Photos
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tougher skin from the lower portion of the stalks on two broccoli crowns (about 1 lb. total). You don’t have to be super technical about this part, so don’t worry if you can’t get in the nooks and crannies of the stalk.
Instead of cutting the florets off straight across where they attach to the stalk, cut down to create 1-2 inch spears with some of the stem attached. Cutting the spear section on the thin side and removing the tough skin will help it become tender during cooking (it’s usually more tough than the floret).
In preparation, remove the zest from the lemon (you’ll only need 1/2 tsp or so) and mince two cloves of garlic.
Place 1-2 inches of water in the bottom of a sauce pot, then place a steaming basket inside. Add the broccoli to the basket, place the lid on the pot, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Steam the broccoli for about five minutes, or until you can pierce it with a fork, but it’s still slightly crisp (the cooking time will depend on the size of your spears).
While the broccoli is steaming, add 2 Tbsp olive oil (or butter, if you want it more rich) and the two cloves of minced garlic to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until it’s soft and fragrant. If you need to, turn off the heat until the broccoli is done steaming to prevent browning the garlic.
Once the broccoli is done steaming, transfer it from the basket to the skillet. The beauty of steaming is that the broccoli won’t be soaking wet and won’t add a bunch of water to the skillet. Squeeze a bit of the lemon juice over the broccoli, then toss it until it’s coated in the garlic infused oil.
Finally, season the broccoli to taste with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Top with 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan (yes, that is just ONE Tbsp of Parmesan in the photo! :D ), and a pinch of the lemon zest.
And that’s it! Ready to eat! If you want to take it one step further, you can pop the whole thing under the broiler for a minute or two (provided you’re using an oven-safe skillet) to brown up the Parmesan and the edges of the broccoli. That will give the dish a nutty/smoky flavor.
Or just enjoy the full, fresh flavor just the way it is. ;)
Umm… where the zest from the lemon we graded come in?
Last sentence of step 4: “Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked pepper, then top with grated parmesan and a pinch of the lemon zest.” :)
I had purchased some veggie microwave steamer bags on sale a while back — made this with asparagus tonight and it came out SO GOOD. Thank you always, Beth!
I know what you mean about fresh broccoli being expensive. I’ve always thought of it being cheap and have no clue why! It’s not. And those stems. I’m the biggest stem waster on planet earth and eat broccoli on average 5 nights a week and most lunches too. Love the stuff. Okay, you’ve convinced me to be less of a waster because I feel like I spend just as much on groceries as if we were eating out! Need to get more economical here.
Great tutorial, this is the same way we make our recipe.
Esta receta se vé exquisita. Por favor, me podrán enviar las recetas en español? Gracias.
You’re slipping…this is a recipe? Glad you are enjoying time with your boyfriend and glad you have a day job. All the best.
I do “quick fixes” a lot and while they might not seem like a true recipe to seasoned cooks, new and busy cooks appreciate them quite a bit. Not every recipe will be relevant to every reader.
Classy answer, Beth. The best thing about your website is that you cater to people who know their way around the kitchen, as well as people who are newbies at cooking.
I LOVE this recipe. Your website has turned a HORRIBLE cook into a CHEF! My children and husband thank you, Beth!!
YOU are amazing and don’t let anyone tell you different!! I appreciate all your recipes! :) Thank-you so much!
Why the hate? You’re not a very nice person. I loved this recipe! Thank you Beth!
C’mon. Taking pot shots at a free recipe on a great blog? Personally, I appreciate short simple techniques like this that can be easily altered and adjusted for a plethora of foods.
Perhaps you’re over-seasoning your cooking, and that’s why you’re so salty?
It’s okay if you don’t know what a recipe is, mp. That’s why we’re here, to learn and share. Here’s a famous recipe that has less ingredients than Beth’s: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce. Unfortunately, Hazan has passed, so you can’t get all inappropriately personal on her website and tell Hazan how she was “slipping”. The best RECIPE I ever learned, was when my sister served me steamed broccoli with a squeeze of lemon on top. Yes, anything with more than one ingredient and a prep instruction is, in fact, a RECIPE. Your jealousy is creepy, mp. Thank you, Beth, for another tasty way to have broccoli!
A recipe doesn’t have to be complicated to be good, even great. Thanks for this. Perfect for when I want a simple dinner.
I see a few people are mentioning that broccoli is expensive and you are so right! I recently discovered that you can roast frozen broccoli too. I buy a giant bag at Costco, so it’s much less expensive then fresh at the regular grocery store (or at least that’s the case here on the east coast of Canada). I toss it with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little garlic powder then roast it at 425° for 25ish minutes. It’s my current vegetable obsession!
I’ve always assumed that frozen broccoli would be too soggy to roast, but now I want to try it! Thanks for sharing!
This is an amazing tip! I was looking for something healthy to give my daughter for lunch and now I know I can throw frozen broccoli in the oven! YAY!
This is terrific! I love the flavor of roasted broccoli, but it takes longer than I would like usually, and I never would have thought of steaming it to get it partially cooked and then sauteing like that with the infusion of flavors. Thanks so much for the wonderful and quick way to prepare this dish.
My favorite dinner EVER when I was a kid was broccoli pasta! Basically it was just broccoli sauteed in garlic and olive oil and then mixed with pasta. I used to ask for it at every birthday. Ha! :) Anyway, this looks super tasty :)
I’ve never tried cutting broccoli like that before. I usually peel the stems, chop them off, and then dice into small pieces. This way looks easier to eat with a fork.
I’m totally with you on roasted broccoli. It’s super easy to eat a ton of it, and it’s not very filling. Steaming broccoli sounds like a great idea, and I love the flavor combination.
I have to say that I enjoy steamed brocolli–or even boiled in a small amount of salted water–better than roasted. Overcooked brocolli can be bitter, and for me it is more likely to cross that barrier in the oven than the saucepan. While several comments mentioned Italian dressing, I love the simple lemon juice treatment much more. Thanks for another quick winner!
Hi Beth! Before I forget, I love your new picture, I know it’s been up for a while but better late than never. Anyhow. Sigh. You made me feel a tad bit of guilt (in a good way!!!!) about those broccoli stems. I totally cut at the stalk and have feel bad about the waste of the stems. Okay, You’ve inspired me, because you are right! Broccoli isn’t cheap and I love it and eat it 3 or 4 times a week. Will be trying this.
YUMMERS!!! I have made this before as a quick lunch fix with some rice! If I don’t have lemon I’ve added a dash of Zesty Italian Dressing for some zing! Soo good!
I LOVE broccoli! This recipe is simple and flavourful. If you know people that have veggies, then they probably haven’t had them prepared in a delicious manner, and recipes like this can change minds. Keep up the great work!
Sometimes I take the quick way and pour on some Italian Salad Dressing. I like your better version.