savoury crispy broccolini

This post is all about broccolini and my love for it. Before you turn away, this recipe is something to get excited about! I promise. It’s one of those dishes that you can serve as a side for a dinner, or toss in your salad bowl for lunch. This Crispy Broccolini is such a crowd-pleaser, and even those who turn their noses up at the broccoli family (AKA the Picky Husband) will be pleasantly surprised!

You may be wondering why I chose broccolini over broccoli? I honestly love roasted broccoli, just drizzled with some oil and some sea salt. But I find broccolini is prettier to present and it is slightly different in texture than it’s other family member. It’s finer and more delicate. Also, it’s just a nice change-up from the typical vegetables that make it into my fridge week after week. The taste is similar to broccoli but the grilled broccolini is just something else.

This grilled broccolini was adapted from my mom! Is it surprising that my mom is still reminding me to eat my greens and I’m in my late twenties?! NAH, that’s what mom’s do! Ok, I don’t really need reminding to eat my greens, but my mom killed it with these flavours, that it was too good not to share!  Nice work mom.

where to buy broccolini?

Where I live you definitely can’t find broccolini at every grocery store. If you live in BC, I find that Save-On Foods always has some. They rarely let me down. Broccolini can be grown year-round but it’s peak seasons are October- April, so during that time, you could check local Farmer’s Markets as well. Broccolini should be easily accessible in a larger city. Maybe you’ll even be brave enough to try and grow it in your own garden! You could have this grilled broccolini every night of the week then!

how to cook broccolini in a pan?

This recipe takes at the most 15 minutes to make. So the basics of how to cook broccolini in a pan must be straightforward, right? You got it. This recipe involves sautéing broccolini in an oiled pan with grated ginger and finely chopped garlic. And then at the end when everything is coming together, you drizzle tamari and nutritional yeast on top. This recipe uses simple ingredients and the end result is grilled broccolini that is absolutely mouthwatering. You could probably eat the whole plate of it on your own.

Here are a few reasons why I love this crispy broccolini, so listen up!

1. This is such an easy recipe to make on a weeknight to make sure you get your veggies. This crispy broccolini takes 15 minutes at the most to make and is loaded with the amazing flavours of ginger and garlic. This recipe also works as a delicious vegan side dish.
2. Recently we had a friend over for dinner who typically doesn’t like any greens, broccolini included. I served this crispy broccolini as a side dish and he LOVED it. He was shocked, but it was the ginger and garlic flavours and how the broccolini was cooked which appealed to his tastebuds. I think for the most part he just eats steamed broccolini when he does eat it, (which I still love steamed broccolini) but to the average Joe, they might find it a bit more on the bland side.
3. My sister recently followed this recipe but actually used asparagus as the base because she couldn’t find broccolini. But the asparagus worked great in this dish too! I tell you, you could probably cook any vegetable the way this grilled broccolini is cooked and it would be delicious. So this base recipe is a super versatile method of whipping up some tasty veg.

The flavours of ginger, garlic, nutritional yeast and tamari are so simple but yet so complimentary of one another. It is Picky Husband Approved and let’s be honest we all know he usually hates his greens. No more sleepless nights worrying about what you are going to serve as a vegan side dish for dinner- problem solved right here, right now.

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