Healthy Broccoli Recipes 4 Ways
Healthy broccoli recipes 4 ways are sure to pair perfectly with any meal! You are going to love how simple and easy these healthy sautéed broccoli recipes are! Made with minimal ingredients, these 4 healthy broccoli recipes are going to become your new favorite way to serve broccoli for dinner!
Why these healthy broccoli recipes work:
- Perfectly cook broccoli in just 8 minutes. Use one of these 4 flavor combinations to create the most incredible and healthy side dish!
- Sauteing the broccoli produces broccoli that is slightly caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside (but never mushy).
- All of these healthy broccoli recipes are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo, low carb and Whole30 friendly! That means they are great for when you have company over too!
- Never have boring broccoli again! You can even make these healthy broccoli recipes with frozen broccoli!
- Have a quick and easy meal by pairing the broccoli with slow cooker chicken, instant pot chicken or air fryer salmon!
Benefits of eating broccoli
- Broccoli is low in calories, low in carbs, high in fiber and protein and is an excellent source of Vitamin C, A, and a compound called sulforaphane (which is what makes broccoli have that slightly sulfuric smell when cooking). Sulforaphane has been linked to many health benefits!
- Broccoli is also a very inexpensive vegetable that can be found year round in most grocery stores!
- If you are having trouble finding fresh broccoli, you can even make these healthy broccoli recipes using frozen broccoli!
- I love to have broccoli as a healthy side dish! Other ways to enjoy broccoli include in soups, in sheet pan meals or even as salad!
How to make the best sauteed broccoli in under 10 minutes:
- Start by chopping the broccoli florets into bite size pieces.
- Preheat a large cast iron or stainless steel pan over medium heat.
- Once the skillet is hot (after 2-3 minutes or more over the heat), spray the pan in avocado oil or coconut oil.
- Add the broccoli to the hot skillet and cook for 6 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup of water to the skillet and cook 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Choose your healthy broccoli recipe ingredients and stir them in off the heat.
- Serve hot.
Tips for perfectly sauteed broccoli:
Make this recipe even faster by buying a bag of broccoli. However, take 2-3 minutes to chop the florets down into bite size pieces for even cooking.
Use oil with a high smoke point like avocado oil or coconut oil. I can usually find avocado oil in a propellant free spray can, but you can also buy your own mister bottle to easily distribute avocado oil in the pan.
FAQ’s
What to do with leftover broccoli stems?
You can chop up the stalk into small pieces and use it in this recipe, but I like to turn the leftover stalks into broccoli rice. To make broccoli rice, simply chop the broccoli stalks into 1 inch coins. Add the coins to the food processor and turn it on high for 30 seconds to a minute until they resemble rice. Store in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
You can use broccoli rice in dishes like this vegan broccoli cranberry walnut salad or these Whole30 friendly cheesy broccoli egg cups.
Can you substitute frozen broccoli for fresh in these recipes?
- Yes. Make sure you defrost the broccoli enough that you can easily separate the florets (about 1 hour in the fridge), for the best result.
- Preheat the pan, add the avocado oil and the frozen (defrosted) broccoli florets. Add a lid to the pan and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not add any additional water.
- Take the pan off the heat and add your favorite ingredients to add flavor!
How to choose the best broccoli:
- Look at the broccoli for color! It should be bright green and not yellow or brown. If the broccoli is starting to turn yellow, that is a sign that it is getting past it’s prime and may not be as good.
- Check the florets to see how tight the clusters of the florets are. The tighter those florets are, the fresher the broccoli is!
- Check the stems. If the stems are very woody and starting to brown, that is also a sign that the broccoli is old and may not be as flavorful.
How to store leftover broccoli:
Once cooked, you can store the broccoli in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tahini Lemon Broccoli
Lemon tahini broccoli is perfect to pair with any meal! The creamy lemony sauce is packed with flavor and instantly makes the broccoli irresistible! The lemon tahini sauce is just 5 ingredients and only takes 1 minute to stir together before adding it to the cooked broccoli.
How to make it:
- Saute the broccoli using the instructions above.
- While the broccoli is cooking, combine tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic powder in a bowl.
- Once the broccoli is done cooking, remove the broccoli from the heat. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and stir well.
What it’s good with: Use this lemon tahini broccoli it as a side dish (it pairs perfectly with salmon or Greek marinated chicken), add it to salads, pasta, or even eat it as a healthy snack!
Notes: Tahini can also be substituted with almond butter or sunflower seed butter depending on what you have on hand.
Sun Dried Tomato Broccoli
Sun dried tomatoes will take regular old broccoli from boring to mouthwatering! This recipe is for sure going to become a family favorite! All you need is 5 ingredients to make the best sun dried tomato broccoli!
How to make it:
- Saute the broccoli using the instructions above.
- Once the broccoli is done cooking, remove the broccoli from the heat. Add the sun dried tomatoes in oil, salt and garlic powder to the broccoli. Stir well.
What it’s good with: This is a great side dish to any meal! Use it on pizza, on pasta, in frittatas or in your favorite wrap!
Notes: Use sun dried tomatoes in olive oil! Check the ingredients to make sure the sun dried tomatoes are packed in olive oil for the best flavor! Be sure to use the sun dried tomatoes and the oil in the recipe to really get the broccoli coated with sun dried tomato flavor.
Sesame Ginger Broccoli
This broccoli pairs perfectly with your favorite Asian or Thai dishes! Add some extra heat with red pepper flakes to take this broccoli recipe up a notch! You are going to love how simple this healthy Asian broccoli recipe is and will be sure to make it on repeat!
How to make it:
- Saute the broccoli using the instructions above.
- Once the broccoli is done cooking, remove the broccoli from the heat. Add the coconut aminos, fresh ginger, sesame oil, garlic powder and salt to the broccoli. Stir well. Sprinkle with optional sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
What it’s good with: Great as a side dish to any meal, but especially Asian meals! I love this sesame ginger broccoli with rice (or cauliflower rice) and ginger garlic shrimp for a super simple filling meal!
Notes: I love to buy jars of freshly grated ginger to keep on hand. This way I don’t have to spend time peeling and grating the ginger when making a quick weeknight meal!
“Bread crumb” Broccoli
This recipe for bread crumb broccoli is a fun twist on a childhood favorite of mine! My mom used to add boxed breadcrumbs to melted butter and saute it until toasted and yummy and pour it over steamed broccoli when I was a kid. This was the only way I would eat broccoli when I was a kid! So if you are a picky eater or you are feeding one, try this fun recipe!
Instead of bread crumbs, I used almond flour to keep this recipe gluten free, low carb, paleo and Whole30 friendly. Simply add some Italian seasoning to give it some flair!
How to make it:
- Saute the broccoli using the instructions above.
- While the broccoli is cooking, combine almond flour, avocado oil, salt and Italian seasoning small skillet over medium low heat (stir well to combine then flatten to the bottom of the skillet).
- Cook the breadcrumb mixture over medium low heat for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes stir the mixture well. Keep a close eye on it over the next 2 minutes to avoid burning. Take off heat as soon as the mixture starts to brown.
- Once the broccoli is done cooking, remove the broccoli from the heat. Sprinkle salt on the broccoli and stir well. Top with bread crumb mixture.
What it’s good with: this is the ultimate comfort food! Serve it as a side dish to your favorite meals! Goes great with meatloaf, slow cooker beef, or besides mashed cauliflower!
Notes: The almond flour needs to toast on the stove but can easily burn. After 5 minutes on the stove, keep a close eye on this mixture and stir frequently. Do not walk away from this mixture or it may burn.
More broccoli recipes
- Low carb cheesy broccoli cauliflower soup (Instant Pot)
- Broccoli Tots
- Broccoli Salad Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Whole30 Broccoli Cheese Muffins
- Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Broccoli Slaw Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Vegan Broccoli Casserole
- Vegan Broccoli Cranberry Walnut Salad
- Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
What you need to make these recipes:
- Cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan
- Oil Mister
- Tahini
- Freshly grated ginger
- Sundried tomato in oil
Healthy Broccoli Recipe 4 Ways
Average Total $2.55 Recipe/0.64 ServingGuided Recipe Video
Ingredients
Lemon Tahini Broccoli ($3.09 Total/$0.78 Serving)
- 4 cups broccoli florets - $1.65
- olive oil spray or avocado oil spray - $0.06
- 1/4 cup water - $0.00
- 2 tbsp tahini - $0.41
- 1 lemon, juiced - $0.42
- 3/4 tsp sea salt - $0.05
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder - $0.05
Sun Dried Tomato Broccoli ($2.13 Total/$0.53 Serving)
- 4 cups broccoli - $1.65
- olive oil spray or avocado oil spray - $0.06
- 1/4 cup water - $0.00
- 1/2 tsp sea salt - $0.03
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder - $0.10
- 2 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes in oil - $0.29
Sesame Ginger Broccoli ($2.74 Total/$0.69 Serving)
- 4 cups broccoli florets - $1.65
- olive oil spray or avocado oil spray - $0.06
- 1/4 cup water - $0.00
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos - $0.36
- 1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger - $0.09
- 1 tsp sesame oil - $0.12
- 1/2 tsp sea salt - $0.03
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder - $0.05
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional) - $0.36
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) - $0.02
Broccoli with Bread Crumbs ($2.24 Total/$0.56 Serving)
- 4 cups broccoli florets - $1.65
- olive oil spray or avocado oil spray - $0.06
- 1/4 cup water - $0.00
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided - $0.03
- 1/2 tbsp avocado oil - $0.18
- 3 tbsp almond flour - $0.27
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning - $0.05
Instructions
- Cut broccoli florets into bite size pieces.
- Preheat a cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat (at least 2 minutes)
- Once the skillet is hot, spray it with avocado oil (or coconut oil).
- Add the broccoli and let cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 6 minutes, add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet and stir well.
- Cook 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- After 2 minutes, take the broccoli off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients.
Lemon Tahini Broccoli
- While the broccoli is cooking combine the tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder in a bowl.
- After the broccoli is done cooking, pour the lemon tahini mixture over the broccoli and stir well.
Sun Dried Tomato
- Cook the broccoli as instructed. After cooking add salt, garlic powder and sundried tomatoes in oil to the pan. Stir well.
Sesame Ginger Broccoli
- Cook the broccoli as instructed. After cooking add the coconut aminos, ginger, sesame oil, salt and garlic powder. Stir well.
- Top with optional sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
Broccoli with Bread Crumbs
- While the broccoli is cooking according the the directions above make the bread crumbs in a separate skillet.
- In a small skillet over medium low heat combine the avocado oil, almond flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir well.
- After stirring well to combine, press the mixture down into one layer on the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat.
- After 5 minutes, watch the mixture well, stirring occasionally. Once you see the mixture starting to brown, remove from heat immediately.
- After the broccoli is done cooking, add 1/4 tsp of salt and stir well. Spoon the bread crumb mixture over the broccoli.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Notes
- Yes. Make sure you defrost the broccoli enough that you can easily separate the florets (about 1 hour in the fridge), for the best result.
- Preheat the pan, add the avocado oil and the frozen (defrosted) broccoli florets. Add a lid to the pan and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not add any additional water.
- Take the pan off the heat and add your favorite ingredients to add flavor!
The broccoli comes out perfect with this cooking method. I made a half batch of sesame ginger last night and ate it all. I just made a full batch and ate it all today for lunch. So So Good!!!
Just tried this and WOW!!! I was eating pieces out of the serving bowl before dinner even started!