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.
Erika @ The Hopeless Housewife
Lemon and broccoli a great combination and you have to love how easy this is!
Frank @Memorie di Angelina
Looks like just the ticket for my New Year's resolution! And tasty, too.
Shanna@ pineapple and coconut
Making this right now!! It looks amazing!
ceecee
Hi Dara,
Had to check out why I was getting hits from your site! Thanks for including my green beans! I love broccoli too and often the kids and I eat a whole steamed pot of it! It makes a great snack! Also wanted to tell you I tried your tortilla casserole a month or so ago and JT and I love it. In fact my our version will get a blog post soon (with credit back to the original, of course!
C.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
I could definitely eat 5 cups of broccoli, love the stuff!
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts
Good for you for hitting your fiber intake so early in the day! The rest of the day is gravy as far as I am concerned.
As for your skin turning green . . . I use to work with a wonderful vegetarian woman whose breast milk had a greenish tinge to it. She loved broccoli too. (My lunch always ended up next to her bottles of EBM)
Thanks for both a deliciously simple recipe and such clear photos/directions.
Holly
I often steam broccoli and like it but it hadn't occurred to me to add lemon zest. Glad you posted this-- I'll enjoy the bright citrus on my next plate of steamed veggies, though I can't promise to eat 5 cups!!
Cassie | Bake Your Day
I can see why you ate 5 cups of this. It's amazing, Dara!
Kalyn
I would love this! I've been buying those big bags of broccoli from Costco and eat it raw with my Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip.
Carla @ Carlas Confections
My husband has recently been obsessed with broccoli, which is a very good thing! He would love this one. I think Im going to need to make it for him 🙂