This Easy Roasted Broccoli is a side that we have almost every week at our house. I was one of those picky kids who didn’t even want to TRY anything green. This roasted broccoli will win over kids (or adults) like that…. as long as you can get them to try the first bite. 
Although my Easy Roasted Broccoli is an extremely simple side dish, it very often is what people comment on when we have them over for a meal!
Ingredients
- 2-3 heads of broccoli
- 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut your head of broccoli into florets. Start from the outside and work your way around to the center. As you continue to cut off florets moving inward, you will be able to move higher on the stalk. Cut the florets free until you have removed them all. You may want to cut some of the biggest florets in half.
- Spread the florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and stir to make sure everything is covered. Season the broccoli well with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Roast in the oven until nicely browned, about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the broccoli with the grated Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 more minutes.
Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe Details
First, don’t forget to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Once you’ve cut the heads of broccoli into florets, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil all over them and stir! (I find it easier just to use my hands to get the oil distributed evenly.)
Season the broccoli like crazy with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Put into the oven until the broccoli is beginning to look brown and crispy (usually around 15 minutes).
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese all over and put the pan back in the over for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
What Should I Pair This With?
This works great as a side for any “meat and potatoes” type dish. I serve it quite often with cilantro lime chicken and baked potatoes or burgers with hand-cut fries. If you want to serve it as a side for something Asian-inspired (like orange chicken) you will probably want to leave off the Parmesan cheese.
I also use this recipe to make Chicken Broccoli Alfredo. Roasting the broccoli in the oven before you put it in the sauce gives it such a great taste!
Are there any others of you out there who were picky eaters as a child? What changed your mind? Or are you still a picky adult? For me, I didn’t want the label of “picky eater” so that forced me to start branching out once I became a teenager. One of my favorite things about cooking is that I can work and work on a recipe until it tastes just how I want it to taste!
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