Simple Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Simple garlic broccoli with lemon is a quick and easy roasted veggie side dish.

This garlic roasted broccoli recipe is incredibly simple. It's a quick and easy weeknight side dish with just a few ingredients. Using garlic infused olive oil is a shortcut to get it in the oven quickly. But if you don't have garlic oil, just use olive oil with a couple of cloves of chopped garlic.

Throw it in the oven while you get the main dish ready—or as I often do, while the rotisserie chicken is reheating. Add a simple salad with easy chipotle balsamic dressing and you've got dinner on the table.

Roasted broccoli has a wonderful caramelized flavor, and I love the combination of garlic and lemon with roasted broccoli. I gave a pretty wide range on the roasting time for this recipe. I like my broccoli crisp-tender, so 10 minutes is perfect for me. If you like it more tender, go ahead and roast it longer.

However you like it, simple garlic roasted broccoli with lemon is a great quick and easy side dish.

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Why You'll Love This Garlic Broccoli Recipe

• Requires just a few basic ingredients
• Requires no special cooking skills
• Can use fresh or frozen broccoli
• Is healthy
• Is a side that works with practically any entree
• Versatile seasoning options

Ingredients You'll Need

• Fresh broccoli - 1 head of broccoli, cut into uniform florets
• Garlic infused olive oil - you'll drizzle this over the broccoli florets to help them crisp while roasting. If you don't have infused oil, you can also just use plain olive or avocado oil in addition to a few chopped cloves of garlic. If you do use chopped garlic, about halfway through the oven roasting, toss the broccoli so the garlic doesn't burn.
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper - add these seasonings to taste.
• Lemon wedges - serve the roasted broccoli with lemon wedges. Just a little squeeze of lemon juice adds brightness to the finished product for a flavor boost.

Directions For Roasting Broccoli

1. Preheat your oven to 400° F.
2. Cut the broccoli into florets and toss with garlic oil, salt and pepper. (See next section for the best way to cut uniform broccoli florets)
3. Roast the broccoli on a lined baking sheet for 10-20 minutes, until broccoli is crisp, tender and caramelized to your liking. Make sure the broccoli is spread out evenly and not overlapping. Use a liner, such as parchment paper or a Silpat liner, so the broccoli doesn't stick to your roasting pan as it cooks.
4. Serve with lemon wedges.

How To Cut Fresh Broccoli

For this recipe, you want to cut fresh broccoli florets into uniform sizes so that they'll cook evenly in the oven. This will keep you from ending up with charred smaller pieces while the larger ones are still trying to reach tenderness and crispness.

The secret to cutting fresh broccoli and avoiding all those tiny green dots of broccoli buds left on your cutting board is to never actually cut into the florets; instead, you'll limit yourself to cutting just the stems.

1. Start by using a sharp knife to cut and separate the thick stem from the actual head of broccoli. In doing this, you may have already created florets that naturally fall away from the stem from that first cut.
2. If not, turn the head of broccoli upside down and cut vertically down the length of each stem, but not through the green bud part.
3. Using your fingers, finish separating each stem into florets by gently pulling them apart to create a smaller size. You should be left with minimal to no little green dot broccoli residue with this method.
4. Continue this process until you've separated the head of broccoli into same-size florets.

What Do I Do With The Leftover Broccoli Stalk And Stems?

You can actually roast these parts, too! They're delicious,

Or, you can save that large stalk and, using a vegetable peeler or spiralizer, turn it into a healthy broccoli noodle salad.

Can I Use Frozen Broccoli In This Recipe?

Yes, you can use frozen broccoli. You do not need to thaw it before roasting, however, you may need to cut up the larger florets from the package so you'll have more same-sized florets that will cook evenly.

You'll need to roast the frozen broccoli about 10 minutes longer to achieve tenderness and crispness. You'll know it's done when the edges start browning.

Tip: With frozen broccoli, I recommend using an olive oil sprayer rather than drizzling on the oil.

Can I Make Roasted Broccoli In An Air Fryer?

Absolutely! Follow the directions for seasoning either fresh or frozen broccoli florets, but use less oil since the air fryer doesn't require as much to do its job.

• Preheat your air fryer to 400° F.
• Place the seasoned broccoli florets in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook in batches or use a double layer rack if needed.
• Air fry for approximately 5 minutes, giving them a quick stir or shaking the basket halfway through to make sure the florets roast evenly.

Variations

Try some different seasonings and add-ins with this recipe for different flavor profiles.

• season with crushed red pepper flakes or chili flakes before roasting
• season with chili powder before roasting
• season with Italian seasoning blend or herbs de Provence before roasting
• season with Everything Bagel blend before roasting
• add freshly minced or grated ginger before roasting and garnish with sesame seeds after roasting
• toss with toasted almonds after roasting
• toss with cooked bacon crumbles after roasting
• drizzle with balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice after roasting

How To Store Leftovers

Leftover roasted broccoli can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

You can use the leftovers in other recipes like this easy broccoli salad. You can make it with raw broccoli or use roasted broccoli.

How To Reheat Leftovers

• Oven Method: reheat in the oven on a lined baking sheet at 400° F for about 4-5 minutes, or until it's crispy and warmed through.
• Microwave Method: reheat in the microwave to warm it through, but be aware it will not crisp up using this method.

More Easy Vegetable Side Dishes

• Easy Roasted Carrots Recipe
• Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts With Balsamic
• Easy Air Fryer Asparagus
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Roasted Garlic on the Grill
• Simple Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
• How To Make Kale Chips