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
Printable Recipe
Lemon Pepper Steamed Broccoli Recipe
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
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Laura
Looks delish! Thanks for the link up 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
This is one of my favorite ways to eat broccoli too!
Maria
I could eat this every day!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen
So simple and yet so tasty. I too could eat 5+ cups of this!
Denise @ Creative Kitchen
Love this idea Dara. Wow....simple, but I've never thought of it. Thanks for reminding me how tasty broccoli is, and that we don't have to smother it with cheese to make it so.
I started back to using My Fitness Pal yesterday, and it feels SO great to be back on track with portion control and accountability. I wasn't crazy over the holidays, but it's amazing how a few pounds can creep up on you just from that extra pancake, that extra pat (or two) of butter, that extra biscotti (or two or three or four...I'm pretty sure at least 3 pounds of weight gain is from homemade cranberry lemon biscotti alone!! LOL)
I friended you there as I'd love to add you to my accountability circle. 😉 You're amazing!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
I love the freshness of the dish, simple but I bet its so tasty!
shelly (cookies and cups)
It's a little against everything I believe in, but I can eat broccoli like this all day everyday. Warm, cold.. it's kinda my favorite..well right behind brownies 🙂
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
Isn't the power of a little lemon amazing? 🙂 Yes, I'm biased.
megan @ whatmegansmaking
I love all the healthy recipes you post, and I'm always looking for new ways to eat broccoli. A little variation never hurt anyone 🙂
Sprigs of Rosemary
You're absolutely right, Dara . . . there's nothing like a simply-dressed, well-prepared dish of a great vegetable. Yesterday, after I cut a couple ripe tomatoes and tomatillos in the morning to let them sit together to mellow with a little cilantro and salt (for lunch, you know) I'd (practically eaten the whole bowl before lunch!
Love the broccoli!