If ever there was a broccoli hater, it was I. No offense to my mom, but she makes some terrible broccoli. Growing up, my mom would boil the broccoli until it was mushy and then cover it in lemon juice. Sounds gross, right? And that explains why I have always been an avid broccoli avoider…. until one day I decided to take a chance on this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. For dinner one night, I served steak, mashed potatoes, and a side of this broccoli. This broccoli was so good that my both hubby and I pushed the so-precious-you-only-get-them-on-special-occasion steak and potatoes off our plates and ate just the broccoli. I know you think I’m kidding. I’m not. In fact, after making this recipe to go with our dinner tonight, I ate some, and then ha some more, and then nibbled a bit more, and before I knew it, I had consumed a half pound of broccoli. It’s like candy, and I just couldn’t help myself, especially knowing that instead of indulging in the gooey chocolate covered caramel apple that was sitting next to me, I was making a nutritious choice. And thus begins what Brant and I have begun to call the “broccoli overdose.” I suppose there are worse ways to OD. 
roasted broccoli
1 head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
Place a cooking tray in the oven and preheat you oven to 500 degrees.
While oven is preheating, cut broccoli into bite sized florets. Add olive oil and mix well.
Sprinkle salt and sugar evenly and mix thoroughly to combine.
Working quickly, remove tray from the oven, add broccoli, shake it a bit to spread the broccoli out so that it’s in a single layer, and return it to the oven.
Cook 9-11 minutes, or until broccoli is browned where it touches the pan. Serve immediately!
10 responses so far ↓
1 Chris Davis // Feb 8, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Leave it in crowns and sprinkle the oil, salt and pepper on it and grill it on the BBQ during the summer. My favorite way to eat it. Great thing to do with Cauliflower also.
2 Brandie // Feb 8, 2010 at 6:15 pm
delicious!!! I made this tonight. And wish that I had made more of it! Thanks Paula for giving me a reason to eat (and love) broccoli!! <3
3 LeAnn // Feb 8, 2010 at 10:02 pm
SO with you! I never hated broccoli… but never loved it until I tried it roasted. Soooo yummy! I’ve actually been craving (roasted) broccoli recently.
4 Christine Davis // Feb 14, 2010 at 3:34 pm
So I made it tonight and it was very good. I would probably leave out the sugar next time.
5 paulawong // Feb 14, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Oh, I love the sugar! But that’s because the sweetness hides the true taste of the broccoli. Maybe try less???
6 Jenn N // Apr 13, 2010 at 8:53 pm
We make this all the time! I have to stop the girls from eating it all (save some for daddy!). We also roast cauliflower (so amazing) and asparagus (yummy). I don’t know why our mothers didn’t know about this, seriously!
7 Erin // Jan 3, 2011 at 11:53 am
sounds good, I’m going to try this. I’ve done almost the exact same thing with cauliflower and it is delicious! I am not a huge broccoli or cauliflower fan (ate way too much of them as a kid), so this made it a different taste for me. I’ll try this tomorrow. Thanks.
8 Nicky // Jan 14, 2011 at 6:58 pm
what about zucchini cooked the same way? would that work? like in spear form or thicker slices?
9 paulawong // Jan 14, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Roasting broccoli (or any other veggie) still makes it soft, so zucchini (an already relatively soft veggie) will get pretty soft after roasting. That said, roasted zucchini HAS to be better than any other form of zucchini except maybe grilled zucchini
10 Josh // Jan 26, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Ok, I’ll come over next time and eat your steak.
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