This recipe for roasted broccoli with a lemon and garlic sauce is my favorite vegetable side dish to get my whole family to eat their greens.
Does your family willingly ask for vegetables, or do they run and hide when they see them on the table? Our oldest has gone in waves of liking and not liking certain foods over the years. On the other hand, our youngest has always been our more adventurous eater. They have always LOVED broccoli, which I have always been happy about.
My husband, who I have always said, was my third child, is the one who is the pickiest eater in the entire family. Not because he has the most intolerance, he actually has the least, lol. He's not as much of a vegetable fan as my girls and I are. With that being said, though, he loves it when I make this roasted broccoli with lemon recipe. It's about the only way he won't ask for it to be doused in cheese or raw and covered in ranch dressing, lol.
If you love broccoli, don't forget to check my gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup recipe, a family favorite.
Watch How to Make Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
Ingredients for making the easiest vegetable side dish
- Broccoli
- Avocado or Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Salt
- Pepper
Prepping tips before they go into the oven for the best results.
- Wash and dry the broccoli - You want to make sure to get as much of the liquid off the broccoli as possible. Moisture on the broccoli will prevent it from getting brown and crisp, and you will end up with mushy broccoli.
- Cut the broccoli into equal-sized pieces - This helps the broccoli roast at a similar rate. This includes the stalks; don't discard them; cut them up into similar sizes as the florets, and roast them.
- Do NOT over-crown the pan - Allow the pieces of broccoli to have some room on the baking sheet. Aim for the veggies to be in a single layer on the pan with a little bit of room between each of the pieces.
How to make the best oven-roasted broccoli.
- Make the lemon and garlic sauce.
- Roast the broccoli.
- Toss the lemon sauce over the broccoli.
- Roast the broccoli until it's tender crisp, and enjoy.
I told you it was super simple, but don't let that fool you because you will come back for it repeatedly. After all, it's DELICIOUS!
FAQ
Fresh broccoli can seem intimidating to buy, but for this particular recipe, I prefer fresh. There is just something about how the florets soak up the sauce that makes it a hundred times better, and it just soaks up the lemon sauce perfectly.
Don't get me wrong, I buy and use frozen broccoli a lot of the time. This particular recipe I reserve for the good fresh head of broccoli.
While roasted broccoli won't spoil in the fridge, it won't stay good for more than 2-3 days. Make sure you store the roasted broccoli in an airtight container. Broccoli loses its flavor after a few days. If you plan to keep leftovers of roasted broccoli, I would suggest keeping some of the lemon and garlic sauce and drizzling it over after you reheat the broccoli.
Do NOT use the microwave; this will turn the broccoli to mush. Instead, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and roast the broccoli on a baking sheet for about 4-5 minutes, or until it is firm.
More easy side dishes to love.
- Creamed Spinach
- Grilled Asparagus
- Smothered Roasted Cauliflower
- Lemon Brown Butter Potatoes
- Skillet Bacon Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
📖 Recipe
Video
Easy Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 Large Head of Broccoli fresh
- 2 TBS Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
- 1 TBS Chopped Garlic
- 1 Whole Lemon juiced and zested
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut the broccoli into equal pieces. I like to cut the pieces in the middle, so they lay flat on the baking sheet. This lets the broccoli get perfectly roasted when it cook1 Large Head of Broccoli
- Take half the avocado oil, toss the broccoli in it, and spread it in a single layer on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.2 TBS Avocado Oil
- Roast the broccoli for 20
- While the broccoli is roasting, combine the remaining oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper into a small bowl.2 TBS Avocado Oil, 1 TBS Chopped Garlic, 1 Whole Lemon, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper
- When the timer goes off, remove the broccoli from the oven and drizzle the mixture over the broccoli. Use a spatula or tongs to toss the broccoli and then return the broccoli to the oven for another 20 minutes.
- Once the broccoli is done, toss with additional lemon juice if desired and enjoy!
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