Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

Roasted broccoli on a baking sheet with lemon garnish.

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

This recipe for Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan and Lemon turns boring broccoli into something crispy and caramelized in 40 minutes or less. Delicious!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings servings (1 cup each)

Calories 115kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

2 pounds broccoli florets from 3 stalks broccoli (see note 1)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (see note 2)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (1 ounce, see note 3)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
In a large bowl, add broccoli, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt to taste and pepper (I like at least 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sometimes I do a little more).
Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast until florets are tender-crisp and browning around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Video

Notes

Broccoli: Trim off the dry woody part of the stem, but the rest is fair game. Cut the broccoli florets into pieces that are all about the same size so they cook evenly.
Lemon: The zest of one lemon (about 1 teaspoon) can be added with the lemon juice. Just zest the lemon before you cut it to squeeze it.
Parmesan cheese: Any hard, aged cheese will work well instead. Think Parmesan, grated Asiago, pecorino, or Romano cheese.
Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups of roasted broccoli, enough for eight (1-cup) servings.
Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Add extra roasted broccoli to omelets, scrambled eggs, and your meal prep containers.
Make ahead: Chop the broccoli up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to roast.
High temperature formula: I like to roast every vegetable at 400 degrees and just adjust the baking time, keeping an eye out for signs of doneness. But remember the Farenheit 451 rule: books burn at 451 degrees, and so does parchment paper. That's why I chose 400 degrees as my baseline, even though some vegetables could be done quicker at a higher temp.
Keep things dry: After you rinse your vegetables, pat them dry or allow them to air dry before they go into the oven. More moisture = more steam = less toasty crisp bits.
Crowd control: Crowded vegetables create steam which prevents them from getting toasty. The baking sheet surface in contact with the broccoli is what gives your roasted vegetables those brown, crunchy bits. Also, flip your veggies halfway through cooking so the other side has a chance to get just as delicious.
Roasting frozen broccoli: Roast frozen broccoli right out of the bag, but raise the oven temp to 450. Don’t let the broccoli thaw out first, otherwise it’ll turn soft and won’t ever get crispy.
More mix-ins: Toss your roasted broccoli with toasted almonds, cooked bacon, or a pinch of red chili flakes.

Nutrition