A healthy side dish made simple with this easy five ingredient roasted broccolini with lemon and parmesan. Just mix, dip and roast for a delicious veggie side full of healthy goodness and flavor.

What is Broccolini?

Broccolini was developed by a Japanese seed company as a cross between regular broccoli and gai lan, or Chinese broccoli. It is sometimes called “baby broccoli” but that is actually incorrect. Baby broccoli is technically a young broccoli floret.

Unlike regular broccoli which has one thick stalk, individual broccolini has a much smaller stalk and tends to have a less bitter taste than regular broccoli. Broccolini is typically sold in a head made up of several individual broccolini stalks. Because they are thinner they also tend to cook faster!

Though broccolini can absolutely be eaten raw, the flavors are best when roasted or cooked as in this roasted broccolini recipe!

Ingredients in Roasted Broccolini

• Broccolini – remove the thick stems at the end and trim off any stray leaves.
• Fresh Lemon Juice – I prefer to use a freshly juice lemon if you can
• Garlic powder – I find this binds to the broccolini a little bit better but you can use fresh garlic if you prefer.
• Salt + Pepper – Feel free to reduce salt if watching sodium levels.
• Parmesan Cheese – I like to use shredded parmesan for this roasted broccolini recipe, however you can swap with a different shredded cheese if you prefer.

How to Make Roasted Broccolini

STEP 1: MAKE SAUCE

In a large bowl combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper.

STEP 2: DIP BROCCOLINI

Using tongs toss individual broccolini pieces in olive oil mixture and spread out evenly on sheet pan.

STEP 3: ROAST

Sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes or until broccolini is crisp-tender with lightly browned edges.

Easy Swaps + Substitutions

This lemon parmesan roasted broccolini tastes delicious as is but here are a few substitutions and swaps you can make:

• Use lime – if you don’t have lemon or prefer the taste of lime, you can easily pair it with lime instead of lemon
• Swap the cheese – not a fan of parmesan or have a different cheese on hand? Sub in your preferred shredded cheese.
• Make it spicy – add a pinch of red chili flakes to make this roasted broccolini a little spicy.
• Add herbs – when broccolini is finished roasting you can sprinkle with fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro or even rosemary!
• Give it crunch – add a sprinkle of nuts to your broccolini. Just be sure to add in the last few minutes of roasted or after done cooking as you don’t want them to burn.
• Use broccoli – while I prefer to use broccolini, if you cannot find broccolini you can always use broccoli. You may need to adjust cooking time so watch carefully.

What to Pair with Broccolini

Storage Instructions

Best served fresh though will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in microwave or oven.

More Healthy Veggie Side Dishes

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