Food Recipes Side Dishes Vegetable Side Dishes Caramelized Broccoli with Garlic 4.3 (23) 28 Reviews This simplest of broccoli recipes will give you a new respect for the humble vegetable — all in about half an hour. By David Gingrass David Gingrass David Gingrass is a professional chef, restaurateur, and consultant with more than three decades of experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked with culinary luminaries like Wolfgang Puck and helmed multiple fine dining destinations in the Bay Area. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 15, 2025 Save Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe There's a reason why this is one of our readers' favorite broccoli recipes. California chef David Gingrass takes a simple approach, bringing out the vegetable's natural sweetness by halving the heads lengthwise and cooking them cut-side down until they reach a deep golden brown. A pinch of crushed red pepper and a few cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, are added at the end for some aromatic spice. As a final touch, Gingrass enlivens the finished broccoli with a squeeze of lemon. Because nearly all of the broccoli consumed in the United States comes from California, where the vegetable is grown year-round, that means good-quality fresh broccoli is almost always available. Frequently Asked Questions What is the best cooking method for broccoli? Broccoli is an incredibly flexible ingredient that can tolerate just about any cooking method, including blanching, roasting, baking, grilling, and even frying. That said, we're hard-pressed to think of a vegetable that's not made better when you caramelize it, and broccoli is no exception. While this can also be accomplished in the oven, caramelizing broccoli in a skillet, like we do here, allows for a bit more control over the process. In this recipe, the vegetable is placed cut side down to maximize surface area for all that delicious browning, then gently steamed until tender so it doesn't dry out or burn. What should I eat with this caramelized broccoli? It's a perfect companion for grilled steaks, salmon fillets, or chicken thighs in the summer, or as a side dish for a cozy holiday roast. For a vegetarian option, this caramelized broccoli would also be great served alongside stewy beans or over steamed white rice with a nice slab of baked marinated tofu. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Garlic can turn from toasty to burnt fairly quickly. For this recipe, the garlic is sliced instead of minced, making it slightly less prone to burning. Garlic is also a bit mellower when sliced than when finely chopped — the more garlic is broken down, the more it forms and releases the compounds responsible for its characteristic pungency. chef recommended ceramic garlic keeper hack amazon Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 heads of broccoli (1 1/4 pounds total), stems peeled and heads halved lengthwise 1/2 cup water 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Pinch of crushed red pepper 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste Directions Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Gather the ingredients. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the broccoli, cut side down, cover, and cook over moderate heat until richly browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Add the water, cover, and cook until the broccoli is just tender and the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with the garlic and the crushed red pepper; cook uncovered until the garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drizzle with the lemon juice, season the broccoli with salt and black pepper, and serve. Originally appeared: October 2007 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.