Roasted Broccolette with Garlic & Olive Oil

Have you ever seen the skinny little broccoli-looking things at the grocery store and wondered what they were?  We got some for the first time in our Bountiful Basket last week and learned that these cute little guys are called broccolette.  Broccolette is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale with a flavor closer to asparagus than to broccoli.
When I pulled the broccolette out of the fridge, I got worried for a second because of the yellow flowers.  I know that flowering broccoli is a bad sign meaning over-maturity, so I wondered if it meant the same for broccolette.  I was happy to find out that the tiny yellow flowers are perfectly normal and edible on broccolette!
If you’ve been around my blog for any time at all, you know that if I have a new vegetable to try, I roast it.  Roasting is my favorite way to cook a vegetable, especially when it gets those crunchy brown ends.  Yum.

Ingredients:
-1 bunch broccolette
-8 cloves garlic
-2 Tbsp. olive oil
-1/2 tsp. sea salt
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Wash and dry broccolette.
If you find any stems that are thicker than a pencil, cut them in half from the bottom up about 3 inches.
Leave the skinny stems alone.
Grab your garlic and remove the skins.
Cut the garlic in thick slices, anything too thin will dry out and burn.
Throw broccolette and garlic onto a foil-lined baking sheet.  Toss with olive oil and salt.
Lay broccolette out in a single layer.  Try to keep the garlic tucked in with the broccolette so it doesn’t burn.
Roast for 10 minutes then toss.
Roast for another 10 minutes then toss again.  (See above how the garlic on the outside became dry and burned…keep yours tucked in better than I did!)
Roast 10 more minutes (so 30 minutes total) or until stems are tender and leaves are crispy.  Serve immediately.
Joe has been on a broccoli kick lately, so he was excited to try this “mini broccoli”.  He and Leila especially thought it was fun to eat the tiny flowers.
We enjoyed the broccolette and will look forward to getting it again.

Roasted Broccolette with Garlic & Olive Oil

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch broccolette
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375. Wash and dry broccolette.
  • If you find any stems that are thicker than a pencil, cut them in half from the bottom up about 3 inches. Leave the skinny stems alone.
  • Grab your garlic and remove the skins. Cut the garlic in thick slices, anything too thin will dry out and burn.
  • Throw broccolette and garlic onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt. Lay broccolette out in a single layer. Try to keep the garlic tucked in with the broccolette so it doesn’t burn.
  • Roast for 10 minutes then toss. Roast for another 10 minutes then toss again.
  • Roast 10 more minutes (so 30 minutes total) or until stems are tender and leaves are crispy. Serve immediately.
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P.S. While working on this post, I couldn’t get the song, “Choppin’ Broccoli!” out of my head.  Does anyone remember this from SNL back in the day?
  • EA-The Spicy RD June 8, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Delicious broccoli inspiration! I usually steam mine, but I'm going to try your roasting method {I started doing that w/ asparagus and LOVE it} Good to know to that the yellow flowers are edible. Love the Choppin Broccoli song too!

  • Kristen (swanky dietitian) June 8, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Yum! This looks soo good! I love roasted broccoli!
    You had me cracking up with that video. I so remember that song!

  • Jessica & Tracie June 8, 2011 at 10:11 pm

    Oh my goodness! Bobby always sings the "choppin broccoli" song to me when I cook with it! I never got it! NOW I DO!! SO funny! We grilled ours and it was delicious with just a bit of sea salt and pepper!

  • Jessica & Tracie June 8, 2011 at 10:11 pm

    Oh my goodness! Bobby always sings the "choppin broccoli" song to me when I cook with it! I never got it! NOW I DO!! SO funny! We grilled ours and it was delicious with just a bit of sea salt and pepper!

  • Regan - The Professional Palate June 9, 2011 at 12:37 am

    Great post. I love broccolette (I think we always call it broccolini… is that the same thing?)… but I almost wish I hadn't read this. Because I will NEVER get that song out of my head now, ha!

  • Vitamins June 17, 2011 at 3:21 am

    Brocolette tastes good when roasted and added with olives.

  • Becca @ Our Crazy Boys June 19, 2011 at 4:01 am

    We LOVE brocolette! I might have to grab some this week and roast it!

  • Monique August 3, 2011 at 12:10 am

    Had never even known these existed until I read your post. Have made them twice now!!! (except I cheat and use bottled minced garlic instead of fresh for convenience and time).

    Thanks so much for continuing to introduce us to new veggies and great ways to cook them! 🙂

  • Sarah September 2, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    Thank you for these excellent instructions and photos — totally helpful, and now I am not intimidated to go try this recipe with the broccolette that is in my fridge (but that I had no idea what to do with before reading your blog)!

  • Lauren January 29, 2012 at 12:16 am

    Great recipe! I bought big bag frm Costco but didn’t really like eating it steamed, but LOVE it broiled! Ate about 1 bunch in one sitting 🙂 Thanks!

    • inspiredrd March 30, 2012 at 2:28 pm

      It’s hard to stop eating it, isn’t it??

  • Gina February 8, 2012 at 12:21 am

    Roasted broccoli may be one of my top three ways to enjoy a veggie and we make that weekly. Sometimes multiple times each week. My kids love how tasty they become with just some simple olive oil, garlic and sea salt.

    My kids also know that springtime around here in the northwest means broccoli and brussels sprouts rabe which they adore! Especially the flowers! We buy it at the farmer’s market and put them in a glass for a day or two before we enjoy them. My daughter thinks they’re beautiful.

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  • donna February 11, 2012 at 8:32 am

    I just bought some and wondered how to best prepare it. Your recipe was the first to come up when I searched and I luv roasted veggies. Thanks for the idea.

    • inspiredrd March 30, 2012 at 2:27 pm

      Thanks Donna, glad I could help!

  • Amanda March 14, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    Thanks for the tip! We just got two bunches of brocolette in our co-op box. I’d honestly never seen it before, and was stumped on the best way to prepare it. I roasted it per your instructions (but using a garlic powder instead), and WOW — so, so good. Thanks for the tip!

    • inspiredrd March 30, 2012 at 2:27 pm

      Thanks Amanda, glad I could help!

  • Kathy March 25, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    I don’t know what happened. I followed the recipe exactly with 1/2 bag that I just bought from Costco yesterday and it was so tough that you couldn’t eat it. Any ideas?

    • inspiredrd March 30, 2012 at 2:26 pm

      Kathy, I’m not really sure??? Were the stems really big? Did it seem less than fresh?

  • Brittany May 1, 2012 at 3:06 pm

    Thanks Alysa, I am making this tonight… glad I stumbled upon your blog.

  • Sam December 15, 2012 at 7:29 am

    Just a note, I’ve been doing this recipe for quite a while and it’s a hit everytime…. I could eat a whole bag myself!! hi hi Thanks for the recipe!

    • inspiredrd December 16, 2012 at 11:50 am

      Thank you so much for letting me know!!

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  • suzanne July 30, 2013 at 7:22 pm

    Thanks for this recipe… I made it tonight and it was SO good!

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