Italian Broccoli
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Italian Broccoli is a fast, easy side dish packed with flavors. Broccoli florets are fast steamed, then sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in this dish that can be prepared in just 15 minutes!
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Years ago, when my husband was stationed in Italy with the Army, I was lucky enough to enjoy learning many new Italian recipes. One thing I noticed about cooking with my Italian friends was they let simple flavors take the center stage in many dishes.
This Italian style broccoli dish is no different. A great extra virgin olive oil along with garlic and red pepper flakes is all you need to make this vegetable dish shine!
Ingredients
- fresh broccoli
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- red pepper flakes
- salt
Step by step
- Chop the broccoli into bite size florets.
- Fill a large stock pan with about one inch of water. Bring to a boil.
- Add broccoli and allow it to steam for 2 minutes.
- Drain the broccoli in a colander and use a paper towel to quickly wipe the pot dry. Return to the stove and add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Return broccoli to the pot and allow to cook over medium heat for 3 minutes without stirring to allow the broccoli to get slightly toasted.
- Reduce heat to low and add garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally.
Variations
- adjust the heat to your taste by adding more or leaving out the red pepper flakes
- serve with a squeeze of lemon juice or sprinkle of parmesan cheese
- replace the olive oil and garlic with an infused garlic olive oil
Serving suggestions
Wondering what to serve with broccoli? This is a versatile side dish that would be great alongside pasta, chicken, pork loin, or beef. You could even serve it with my favorite grilled grouper recipe.
My favorite dishes to pair with Italian broccoli are Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Lasagna Roll Ups, and of course Pesto Garlic Bread.
If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Italian Broccoli
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Italian Broccoli is a fast, easy side dish packed with flavors. Broccoli florets are fast steamed, then sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in this dish that can be prepared in just 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound broccoli
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Chop broccoli into bite-size florets.
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Add broccoli to the pot and allow to steam for 2 minutes. Drain and use a paper towel to carefully wipe the interior of the pot dry.
- Return pot to the stove over medium high heat and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot to coat the bottom.
- Return broccoli to the pot in a single layer and allow to cook 3 minutes without stirring to toast the broccoli.
- Reduce heat to low. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat.
- Cook 2-3 additional minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: side
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 153
- Sugar: 1.6 g
- Sodium: 225.1 mg
- Fat: 14.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.5 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
