Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower, seasoned with lemon, garlic and parmesan, makes a bright savory side dish perfect for dinner.
My mom almost always had a vegetable on the table at dinner. Usually it was something from the garden – peas, carrots, corn, beans, broccoli, tomatoes – you name it we probably had it. She had a big garden. Most of the time she would simply boil the vegetable and season it with a butter and a little salt.
Fast forward a few years and the trend was to steam vegetables. Boiling them caused too many nutrients to leach out into the water, which most people drained off. So as a new dietitian I most often recommended steamed vegetables to clients, lightly seasoning them with something other than butter or salt. This also kept in line with the low-fat thinking of the day.
We’ve come a long way since then, my friends. Very seldom do I bring out my steamer basket these days; and I honestly can’t remember the last time I boiled a vegetable other than potatoes. Right now, roasting is hands down my favorite way to cook vegetables. I’ve talked it about it before with my Maple Balsamic Roasted Winter Vegetables.
Why roast your vegetables?
- It’s easy to prep the vegetables, pop them in a hot oven, and forget about them till they’re done. No need to watch and see if you need more water or if they’re about ready to boil over on the stove top.
- They taste better. Roasting enhances the natural flavor of the vegetables. And anything that tastes better is more likely to be consumed by the people for whom you’re cooking.
- Clean up is a snap if you line the pan with foil. Just pull it off the pan and wash – not much scrubbing required. Even the pan I used for this Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower cleaned up easily.
[pinit]
Today we’re roasting broccoli and it’s long time friend, cauliflower, and seasoning them just right with lemon, garlic, and Parmesan. I’m in love with this flavor combination and hope you will be too. Fresh lemon juice and garlic is a must for that bright backdrop of lemon and garlic on the roasted broccoli and cauliflower. So good. And if you have any leftovers they’re great chopped up and added to a frittata – recipe coming in the future.
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Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower with Lemon and Garlic
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 small bunch fresh broccoli
- 1/2 head cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan by spraying it with non-stick pan spray. Or line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with pan spray.
- To make marinade, combine olive oil and fresh lemon juice in a small bowl. Add minced garlic, kosher salt, and cracked pepper and set aside.
- Cut broccoli and cauliflower into florets of similar size. You can use the longer broccoli stems too. Place into a large bowl.
- Swirl the marinade to mix the ingredients together again and pour all but 1 Tbsp. onto the broccoli and cauliflower. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of grated parmesan into the bowl. Toss all ingredients together until the marinade and parmesan cheese are distributed evenly. I find it easiest to use my hands to do this.
- Spread the broccoli and cauliflower mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
- Bake at 450° F for 20 to 25 minutes or just until fork-tender. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining marinade. Serve immediately
Looks delicious, Marie! I roast lemon with tomatoes so not sure why it never occurred to me to do this and I can’t wait. My mom used to boil the heck out of everything and all my veggies were soggy and tasteless as a kid. Perhaps that’s why I get so passionate about food now that I know how to cook it, lol
I might just throw the lemon in there with them. Once I tried roasting a lime because I was curious what the taste would be. I quickly figured out why there were no lime roasting recipes on Google! Blech, lol.
Sharing this deliciousness! Have a great day.