The Ultimate Parmesan Roasted Broccoli is truly the best roasted broccoli you will ever have. It’s nutty, cheesy, and so yummy, it’s the perfect side!
I love a good, simple veggie side dish. There’s just something about highlighting the beautiful natural flavor of these nutrient warriors! Today I decided to do an homage to the simple, delicious, and flavorful broccoli.
And an homage it was, chock full of perfectly crisped up garlic, bright lemon juice, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Whoops, I forgot my little secret weapon, roasted pecans! Let’s get into it.
The Ultimate Roasted Broccoli
So let’s talk about this parmesan roasted broccoli. I always try to find recipes that enhance the flavor of something I’m not a fan of and make it more enjoyable to eat. Which is exactly what this recipe does! We’ve got garlic (we all know I love my garlic), we’ve got roasted pecans, olive oil, lemon juice, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. A simple, yet perfect combination.
Ingredient Notes
- Broccoli – Fresh cut so that we just have the florets in manageable bite sized pieces.
- Garlic – Fresh and we’re using a lot. We want to thinly slice up this ingredient so that it’ll crisp up nicely on top of our broccoli, so splash out on the fresh stuff!
- Olive oil – We want a few glugs of some nice stuff to roast up our broccoli nicely.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed from approximately 1 lemon.
- Pecans – This is my flavor secret weapon so be sure to roast these up fresh before hand and chop them up.
- Cheese – Parmesan cheese grated up fresh, some good stuff.
How To Make Roasted Broccoli
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Prep Broccoli: Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks and cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. I cut mine in really small florets because I wanted bite size florets.
- Season: Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Roast: Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned. Stir the broccoli once part way through cooking.
- Finish & Serve: Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with lemon juice, pecans and Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer. Pop them in the oven and toast until browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 5 minutes.
Yes, the answer is always yes. I probably will never say no to this question. I strongly considered adding bacon to this recipe, but then I decided to keep this dish healthy-er so I opted not to. But if you want to add some bacon you can always crisp it up over top the broccoli.
This side dish is perfect alongside many savory mains, pair them up or just eat a big bowl on their own, I won’t judge.
Tips
- Try out different blends of spices, herbs and nuts for a variety of flavor combinations!
- Make sure to flip your broccoli (you only have to do this once) to ensure even roasting.
- If you’re allergic to nuts, you can leave them out! I would replace them with bacon if I were you. Just saying.
- This recipe can be made vegetarian/vegan.
Storing Leftovers
This recipe is so easy to make and store! Just refrigerate in an airtight container and it’ll stay fresh for up to a week.
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The Ultimate Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup pecans toasted and chopped
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Prep the broccoli: Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks and cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. I cut mine in really small florets because I wanted bite size florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Bake: Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned. Stir the broccoli once partway through cooking.
- Finish the dish: Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with lemon juice, pecans and Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe is so easy to make and store! Just refrigerate in an airtight container and it’ll stay fresh for up to a week.
- Try out different blends of spices, herbs and nuts for a variety of flavor combinations!
- Make sure to flip your broccoli (you only have to do this once) to ensure even roasting.
Do you think pine nuts would work instead of pecans? My daughter is allergic to pecans, she loves Broccoli though so I’m looking forward to trying it.
Sure, pine nuts would be great. 🙂
This is a go to recipe!!!! My family LOVES it😋
Do you think jarred garlic would work the same? I always have a hard time thinly slicing garlic. I’m hoping to make this for Thanksgiving.
For sure, that’ll work just fine.
This was delicious!! Didnt end up adding nuts but the smoke and garlic flavors were enough to satisfy, especially with the lemon!! a great Pinterest find!
i was given this recipe to serve as a side at a wedding reception. may respond after results on April 2, 2016.
Can this be made ahead of time?
You could, but I would still heat them up before serving.
What would be the best way to reheat this? Thank you!
I would reheat it in the oven at around 450 for 4 to 5 min until crisp again.
Do you know how many calories per serving this dish is?
Every oven is different, so the cooking/baking time is always a guide.
Your cook time is 20 to 25 minutes, not 10 minutes
Yeah, where does it say 10 minutes?
Do you think bacon would put it over the top? I love broccoli and bacon combination. I want to fix it for Christmas dinner. Also, have to use dairy free cheese due to allergies.
Thanks
Jackie
Well bacon always makes everything better 🙂
Excellent idea! Will try it tomorrow. Do you think it could be kept in the fridge for a few days? Thinking of having it ready after work for quick dinners.
Thank you 🙂
I think it’ll be fine for 3 or 4 days. 🙂
I usually roast mine like this on top of the stove in olive oil with garlic, onions, black pepper, and parsley. I’m going to have to try with parmasean this time tho. This looks delicious
This was great. I could have eaten it all myself!
This recipe sounds wonderful to me! We love broccoli, but can you please tell me how you make toasted pecans?
Thank You
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
For this recipe I bought already toasted pecans, but to toast pecans is pretty simple. Just put some pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop them in the oven at 350 F degrees for a few minutes, maybe 5 or so.
I was pretty skeptical when I read the title of the post. But after I read the recipe, ya know your assessment could very likely be right. It certainly has all the right stuff—-now where have I heard that term before. Lol
LOL, you’ll love this broccoli if you try it. 🙂
What would be the best method of reheating this?
You can microwave them, or pop them in the oven at 375F for about 5 minutes if you want to keep that crispiness.
Jo – I think I love you. And that is a fact! This roasted broccoli side dish looks like just to ticket to making broccoli delicious but still healthy (because obviously, cheesy sauce will also do the trick!). Hubs and I eat broccoli because it’s good for us and not because we love the taste. Pinned!
LOL I agree with you, this would be just as good drenched in cheese sauce…I suppose this is a bit healthier. LOL
This looks delicious. Perfect after all the Memorial Day barbecues!
can you use frozen broccoli? maybe defrost them first? Do you think it will work?
I’m not sure if they will be as good as fresh broccoli, haven’t tried it with frozen, it might work though.
I really like this recipe, however my garlic always burns when I make it. Any suggestions? I mince my garlic.
You can try some powdered garlic instead!