Roasted Broccoli... Who Said Vegetables Couldn't Be Delicious?

Roasted broccoli with lemon

As every mom will tell you, you've got to eat all of your veggies before you get dessert!  I don't always abide by that rule, but I try.  Vegetables in our apartment typically rotate between a few staples: spinach, asparagus, artichokes, and broccoli.  Broccoli is a favorite of moms and dads alike, and thankfully I still like to eat my trees!  The great thing about broccoli is that there are a million-gagillion ways (almost) to cook and prepare it; from steaming to sauteeing, to blanching, to roasting - they all get the job done.  
Broccoli can get a little dry, with all of those leaves getting stuck in your teeth, and sometimes a little boring.  So one of my favorite ways to cook broccoli is to roast it in the oven.  Roasting is awesome because it's so easy, so quick, and you hardly have to do anything and it's almost always perfect!  

ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH GARLIC

This recipe serves 4 sides, or 2 hungry girls and it only takes about 7 minutes to do everything!

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch of broccoli (about 1/2 lb) cut into small pieces (3 cups worth)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 fresh cloves of garlic, generously cut into chunks
1 tbsp water
1/4 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:
Heat oven to 500 degrees (yowzah!)

Toss the broccoli with the oil and water in a shallow baking pan.  (I often toss the broccoli in a separate bowl and then transfer it to a baking sheet, covered in aluminum foil.  The shallow baking pan is a little easier and less clean up, but if you don't have one, then it doesn't do you any good.  The baking sheet works just as well.)  Don't crowd the broccoli!

Broccoli and garlic and oil on
baking sheet

Roast in oven 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown.


Remove from oven and toss with the salt and fresh black pepper.
Done and done!
        
Eating broccoli with garlic and oil is pretty standard, so I sometimes mess around with other flavors.  A favorite is to squeeze 1.5 lemons over the broccoli before you toss it; add a little lemon pepper at the end in addition to black pepper and salt.  The lemon adds a little zip to the otherwise bland vegetable and smells so good!

Roasted broccoli with shaved Pecorino-Romano cheese

        I also like to sprinkle some freshly shaved Pecorino-Romano cheese on top.  The best way to do this is to plate the broccoli onto each dish and then sprinkle with cheese.  It's best to do this when the broccoli is still hot, because then the cheese melts into gooey deliciousness!
        All of these options can be combined on top of one-another, or they can be done as their own take on broccoli.  Broccoli is about as versatile as vegetables come and can be served alongside or mixed into almost anything: chicken, fish, pasta, salad, steak, and the list goes on and on.  This recipe is easy to double or triple making it a great side vegetable to serve to guests at a dinner party (or Thanksgiving)!  You can also do the exact same thing with green beans.