28 Tasty Broccoli Recipes to Try (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cooking method for broccoli? ›

Steaming broccoli is quick and easy, and it's considered one of the healthiest ways to prepare the vegetable. Instead of submerging the florets and stem into boiling water or roasting them in the oven, the broccoli is placed in a steamer basket over simmering water and covered with a lid.

Broccoli is a nutritious and delicious vegetable that can be eaten many different ways. Eat it raw, with a dip or in a salad, to get the most nutrients out of it. Roast, steam, or pan-fry it for a healthy and tasty side dish or snack, or add it into recipes like pasta, stir fry, and soup.

Fresh broccoli lasts between 3 to 5 days in the fridge when properly stored. “For cut-up broccoli, I would say no more than 4 days for optimal use,” Amidor says. “But it's best to cut from the whole head right before cooking or eating to maintain nutrients.”

In conclusion, the current study clearly shows that nutrient and health-promoting compounds in broccoli are significantly affected by domestic cooking. All cooking treatments, except steaming, caused great losses of chlorophyll and vitamin C. Only boiling and stir-frying/boiling caused the loss of total carotenoids.

Steaming broccoli is a fast and healthy way to cook this nutritious vegetable. It preserves broccoli's vibrant green color and fresh flavor without the addition of oil. While boiled broccoli is often soggy, steamed broccoli is characteristically crisp-tender.

Fill a large bowl with 2 ⅔ cups cold or warm water and ⅓ cup white vinegar. Allow it to soak for 2 minutes, then dump the broccoli into a colander. Rinse the vinegar-treated broccoli very well under running water.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook, uncovered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes depending on the size of the florets. Drain into a colander, transfer to a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

You can also preserve both nutrients and the enzyme needed to form protective isothiocyanates if you steam broccoli for three or four minutes (just until crisp-tender) or microwave for less than one minute.

Its high vitamin C content boosts the immune system and promotes collagen production, wound healing, and iron absorption [15,16,17,18]. Broccoli is a good calcium source, essential for maintaining strong bones and preventing osteoporosis [19,20]. It also contains vitamin K, which is essential for bone health.

How to make broccoli taste good without adding calories? ›

Healthiest Way to Cook Broccoli

Lightly sauteed with garlic and a splash of water. It's that simple. Cooking broccoli in this way retains most of its colour, nutritional value along with that crunch that results in a delicious side dish that even my youngest and pickiest eater enjoys.

First, check the color of the florets. They should be a bright, uniform green. If they have any yellow or brown spots, that's a sign your broccoli is starting to spoil. If you notice fuzzy white or black patches growing on the florets or the stem, that tells you that mold is starting to form, and it's time to toss it.

Of course, eating spoiled broccoli is not recommended. It will not only taste and smell kind of nasty, but it can also make you sick.

Broccoli — florets and stems — must be blanched for effective freezing. If you freeze it raw, you'll wind up with bitter, drab green, shriveled stems. Blanching preserves the bright green color and tasty flavor. You can either blanch in boiling water for three minutes or steam for five minutes.

In small quantities, yes, dogs can eat broccoli. Cooked, green veggies such as broccoli can make a reasonably healthy dog treat, but owners should only offer it in moderation. This is because broccoli contains isothiocyanate, a substance that can cause digestive issues if ingested in large quantities.

Broccoli can be eaten raw, but blanching it quickly in boiling water helps give it a more crisp-tender texture and bring out its flavor. Broccoli can also be steamed, sautéed, and roasted. You could even throw long spears on the grill!

How to Clean Broccoli By Soaking It. The preferred method of the USDA for how to wash broccoli or other harder-to-clean veggies: give it a good soak. Fill a large bowl with cold or warm water. Allow it to soak for 2 minutes, then dump the vegetables into a colander and allow the soaking water to drain away.

And the best way to eat it once chopped is raw or steamed for just two to three minutes. This applies to other cruciferous veggies – like cauliflower, kale, wasabi and cabbage — too, says Ho, who's been studying broccoli for years.