serves 4
This recipe comes from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. I stumbled on this recipe only a few months ago. I wasn’t satisfied with how my own roasted broccoli was turning out. It was good, but boring and needed a zing. I actually have deviated enough from Ina’s recipe that I’ll put mine first and her’s second. I’d like to try following her recipe 100% one day.
My eldest just got home last night since before Covid-19, and before prepared broccoli this way, and I served it with dinner last night. She went back for seconds before she was done with her firsts, lol. I thought I had made plenty extra, but could have easily doubled what I cooked.
Sidra’s Ingredients
- 2 pounds of broccoli florets cut/sliced bite sized. For 4 people you want just enough to cover a baking sheet with 1 layer.
- 3-to-4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced like almond slivers
- 2-to-4 TBL of good olive oil – when I cook this for just me and my husband, I probably use just 1 pound of broccoli and I only need about 2 TBL olive oil. If you are doing a full baking sheet then you would need ~4 TBL. You don’t want the broccoli to be dry, but you also don’t want it to be too saturated.
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- zest from a whole lemon
- then cut naked lemon into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees
- Place broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer
- Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with the olive oil
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss again
- Roast for ~20 minutes, tossing them after 10 minutes; you want the florets to be crisp and tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned
- Remove broccoli from the oven, transfer to serving bowl, and immediately add the lemon zest and stir
- Squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge(s) over the broccoli. If you start to eat it and you think it doesn’t have enough lemon punch, add more lemon.
- Serve hot
Ina’s Ingredients
- 4 to 5 pounds broccoli
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- Good olive oil
- 1½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 TBL freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 TBL pine nuts, toasted
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 TBL julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)
Ina’s Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Cut broccoli florets from the stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk
- Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart
- Place broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer
- Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 TBL olive oil
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned
- Remove broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1½ TBL olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil
- Serve hot