Lemon Pepper Steamed Broccoli Recipe

I ate five cups of broccoli the other day. Five cups! By noon, I hit my daily fiber requirements, and I'm pretty sure that my skin turned a light shade of green. As crazy as it may seem, I just couldn't leave this steamed broccoli alone. It was that good and didn't even meet the bare minimum requirements for the term "easy". In fact, I am almost embarrassed to post the recipe. Steam broccoli, add lemon zest, pepper and salt, and eat. See what I mean?

It was a little birdie on my shoulder (you know, the hallucinogenic one that appears after you consume five cups of cruciferous vegetables) that insisted that I post the recipe. It reminded me how non-plussed I become after multiple nights of steamed broccoli, and that maybe everybody would appreciate a little variation on the theme.

In other words, the birdie made me do it.

If you are watching your sodium intake and you're eating this broccoli with a dish that's already salted, feel free to eliminate the sprinkle of salt. If you're eating it alone by the bowlful (ahem), that little sprinkle adds something special. This would be the perfect side dish for Southwestern Roasted Chicken with Cumin, Chili Pepper & Cilantro or Baked Tilapia with Pesto & Breadcrumb Crust.

The recipe:

Set a medium-sized saucepan filled with 1 inch of water over high heat, and bring the water to a boil.

Place the broccoli in a steamer basket, place inside of the saucepan (be sure the bottom of the basket does not touch the water), cover and reduce the heat to medium.

Steam the broccoli until just tender when pierced with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the broccoli to a serving bowl. Add the olive oil, grate the zest of the lemon over the broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Serve.

Other healthy vegetable side dishes:

Cookin' Canuck's Spaghetti Squash with Swiss Chard, Dried Cranberries & Dijon Vinaigrette
Cookin' Canuck's Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Spices
Within the Kitchen's Healthy & Easy Ginger-Garlic Green Beans
Ring Finger Tan Line's Asian Inspired Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Lemon Pepper Steamed Broccoli Recipe

This is an easy way to spice up steam broccoli. A little lemon zest and pepper, and a sprinkle of salt make a surprisingly tasty side dish.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 Cups Broccoli

Calories: 62kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces about 5 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large lemon for the zest only
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

• Set a medium-sized saucepan filled with 1 inch of water over high heat, and bring the water to a boil.
• Place the broccoli in a steamer basket, place inside of the saucepan (be sure the bottom of the basket does not touch the water), cover and reduce the heat to medium.
• Steam the broccoli until just tender when pierced with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer the broccoli to a serving bowl. Add the olive oil, grate the zest of the lemon over the broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Serve.

Notes

WW (Old Points) 1 / WW (Points+) 2

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cup | Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 77.8mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

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