Roasted Broccolini Recipe - Wholesome Yum (2024)

FAQs

How do you roast broccoli without it getting soggy? ›

Because wet broccoli heads will steam rather than crisp up, so for the crispiest broccoli, get it as dry as possible before roasting. To dry your broccoli, you can leave it to dry on a towel on the counter for an hour, use a salad spinner, or wrap it in a towel and shake off as much liquid as possible.

Broccolini, the cousin of broccoli, is the perfect vegetable. Not only is it a milder flavor than traditional broccoli, but it provides more health benefits, too! This hearty green veggie has all these wonderful vitamins and minerals that promote oral and overall health: Vitamins C, B1, B2, B5, B6, E, K, PP.

You don't want little ones to burn before larger ones become tender! Don't let things get too crowded! If the florets are too close together on the sheet pan, they will steam in the oven, and they won't get brown and crisp. Make sure to spread your florets in an even layer with a little space between each one.

Broccolini also contains the antioxidant sulforaphane. Sulforaphane can: Neutralize toxins in your body. Reduce inflammation.

Don't Crowd the Pan.

If the florets are too close, they will steam instead of roast. If your roasted broccoli comes out mushy, it is likely the pieces were too close together.

Some broccoli varieties are more bitter than others and bolt quicker, choose heat tolerant varieties or quick maturing varieties. Even if the head is small, pick your broccoli when the florets are tight, close together and bright green.

Broccolini is full of sulfur-containing compounds like sulforaphane, which is largely responsible for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This veggie may also support heart health and blood sugar control.

Broccoli and cauliflower both are high in fiber they aid to digestion. But consuming these in larger quantity can cause bloating, excessive gas and discomfort. They can also interfere with the thyroid function. It can contributes to the formation of kidney stones when consumed in large amount.

Broccoli and broccolini can be a safe low FODMAP option if you are eating for IBS, just be mindful of which parts of the vegetable you are eating. On top of their excess fructose content, remember that both are cruciferous vegetables that can be particularly bad for causing gas.

Like other vegetables, broccoli can harbor a host of contaminants. "It's important to wash any vegetables, as they can carry Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria,” registered dietitian Chelsea Edwards tells Southern Living. "Not washing your produce increases the risk of one of these foodborne illnesses."

Is it better to roast or steam broccoli? ›

In this regards, it is likely that broccoli cooked by steaming will be better fit for human consumption than other cooking methods. In conclusion, the current study clearly shows that nutrient and health-promoting compounds in broccoli are significantly affected by domestic cooking.

Anticancer effects of sulforaphane

Besides the chemoprevention properties of SFN, over the last decades, its anticancer effects have been widely reported by different in vitro and in vivo studies against different cancer types including breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, lung, and gastric cancer (15, 18–21).

Best Source of Sulforaphane: Broccoli

Sulforaphane can be obtained from all cruciferous vegetables like kale, cauliflower or kohlrabi, with broccoli being the best source by far. Broccoli sprouts may be up to 25 times more potent than regular raw broccoli.

High doses of sulforaphane produced marked sedation (at 150–300 mg/kg), hypothermia (at 150–300 mg/kg), impairment of motor coordination (at 200–300 mg/kg), decrease in skeletal muscle strength (at 250–300 mg/kg), and deaths (at 200–300 mg/kg).

Obviously you have to wash the broccoli first, but the problem is that broccoli really tends to hold water in all of those little florets. However, the drier the broccoli, the crispier it will get when you roast it; wet broccoli steams. Since crispy is what you're going for here, you need to dry the broccoli.

Once tender, carefully pour the florets back into the cleaned colander over the sink to drain. Leave the broccoli in the colander to steam for another minute before serving; this helps stop the broccoli going soggy.

Don't crowd the baking sheet.

If you crowd and overlap the veggies, they will steam and get mushy, not what we want! Roast vegetables at a high heat, 425 degrees F and make sure you preheat the oven so it is HOT when the veggies go in!

To avoid soggy broccolis try steaming it for 2 minutes and check the texture, if required cook for a minute more but not more than that. After this, you put the boiled broccoli into ice water, the constant shock will make them crispy.