I found beautiful fresh broccoli at the market recently and I wondered what I would do with it. I needed something different from steamed or stir fried broccoli. Something that will involve cheese! I thought why not roast it?
Roasted broccoli is one of the easiest and quickest side dishes to make. It’s a good thing to add to your weekly menu because it cooks in 15 minutes. For the flavor, I like the idea of adding just a bit of olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Make the Roasted Broccoli
It is important to preheat the oven to 400 degrees. For easier clean up, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place all the broccoli florets in a bowl. Drizzle it with olive oil and add garlic in. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix it all together with a rubber spatula. Then sprinkle it with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Roast it in the oven for 14 minutes. Check it at 12 minutes and make sure the broccoli still has a bright green color, tender but slightly crisp. At this point take the baking sheet out of the oven and sprinkle the broccoli with parmesan cheese. Put it back in the oven for just 1 more minute then turn take it out. 
The cheese here does not melt completely and turns sort of crispy as it cools. Who doesn’t like crispy Parmesan?
Now that was easy, right? Sometimes I also make this with chopped sweet potatoes and cauliflower florets. So delicious! This will be a nice side dish to meat loaf, any roast, or chicken.
Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅛ tsp red chili flakes or to taste
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degree. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place broccoli florets in a bowl. Add the olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and toss together with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle it with red chili flakes.
- Transfer the broccoli into the lined baking sheet and spread it out. Roast it in the preheated oven at 400F degrees for 14 minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. Put it back in the oven and roast for 1 more minute just to slightly melt the parmesan cheese. Serve warm.