Ina Garten’s Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan
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Ina Garten’s roasted broccoli recipe is excellent and comes together quickly, a perfect veggie side dish to make year-round. Seasoned with fresh lemon zest, juice and grated parmesan, it is irresistible!

Upon seeing Ina Garten’s roasted broccoli recipe in Food52’s roundup of the 10 most popular genius recipes of 2017, I made it immediately. The recipe comes from Ina’s 2008 Back to Basics cookbook, and one bite of the sweet, slightly charred, perfectly lemony florets instantly made me one of the recipe’s many admirers. Find step-by-step instructions below.
More Easy Veggie Side Dish Ideas
- Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower Florets
- Crispy Oven-Roasted Cabbage Wedges
- The Crispiest, Best Oven Fries
- Twice-Roasted Carrots with Pepper and Almonds
- Ina Garten’s Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
PS: Favorite Ina Garten Recipes
How To Roast Broccoli Step by Step
First, gather a few heads of garlic — you need about 2 pounds:
Chop them into florets:
Then transfer them to a sheet pan:
Sprinkle two thinly sliced garlic cloves over the broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil:
Toss to combine…
… then roast until the edges begin to caramelize:
Immediately shave parmesan and lemon zest over the top. And juice half a lemon over the top, too:
Toss to combine, taste, and adjust with more salt, pepper, parmesan or lemon to taste:
Then transfer to a serving bowl:
Ina Garten’s Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ina Garten’s roasted broccoli recipe is excellent and comes together quickly, a perfect veggie side dish to make year-round. Seasoned with fresh lemon zest, juice, and grated parmesan, it is irresistible!
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe from Back to Basics. The original recipe calls for toasted pine nuts and basil, both of which sound delicious. I’ve simplified the recipe, but I don’t find the flavor to be compromised.
Notes:
- A microplane is a great tool to have for this recipe, because you’ll need it for both the lemon and the parmesan.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds broccoli, from 3 to 4 small heads
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste
- sea salt, such as Maldon, for finishing
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425° F.
- Cut the broccoli into florets. Place on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of kosher salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat evenly. Spread into a single layer. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until the broccoli is crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
- Remove the broccoli from the oven. Zest the lemon over the top, then halve it, and squeeze the juice from one half of the lemon over the top. Shave the Parmigiano Reggiano over the top to taste. Taste. Add a drizzle more olive oil if the broccoli seems dry or tastes too sharp; add more fresh lemon if it needs more bite. Add a sprinkling of sea salt if it simply needs more seasoning. Add pepper to taste. Add more parmesan if you wish. In short: season to taste 🙂
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
28 Comments on “Ina Garten’s Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan”
Those floors are beautiful. What is the wood?
Thank you Lyn! It’s engineered reclaimed heart pine. I got it from the Adirondack Wood Floor Co. I am loving the way it is looking! Going to do a separate post with more detailed renovation notes soon.
What kind of pans are you baking in?
Hi Caroline! They are just cheap pans from the grocery store — bought them so that they can fit into my portable Waring oven. They’re working out fine, but I don’t know that I love them enough to encourage you to buy them 🙂 Let me know if you want more details.
That is my family’s favorite recipe for broccoli! Leftovers are great tossed with lemon pasta or rice! Love the photo too Ali!
Oh Marilena, those leftovers sound amazing. I can’t wait till my kitchen is done so I can make double batches of this. Happy New Year friend! xo
Oh Ali! That kitchen is going to be gorgeous! You have impeccable taste and talent and I can’t wait to see the finished kitchen. – My pregnant nose can’t take broccoli or garlic at the moment, but I normally loooooove roasted broccoli this way. I’ll make this recipe after March 18th-ish. Ha! 🙂
Oh, Dana, thank you 🙂 Sorry about the broccoli and garlic … I know that can be tough. Maybe your babes will share a birthday with Tiglet?! She’s the 15th.
When you have a kitchen, include both the basil and pine nuts! It’s sooooo good.
Your kitchen is looking great – I also love the floors!
I will Sally!!! Thanks 🙂 🙂 🙂 And thank you re kitchen. It’s so fun seeing the floors. Glad you approve!
This looks great! I often roast my broccoli in olive oil and salt, but I usually stop there. I really should step it up with the lemon and cheese.
Hi Amanda! I do the exact same … maybe that’s why I love this one so much? The lemon and cheese make all the difference!
Ooo. . .I remember replacing my kitchen. It was a full gut job and the day the cabinets arrived was incredibly exciting – even if they weren’t going to be installed and useable for at least another week. It was such a thrill to have a decent kitchen at last that I didn’t even mind unpacking all the boxes and loading in. The joy of having empty shelves – in the same footprint – was extreme. i bet you and your family are eating well even with a countertop oven. the only way I got through was to make a real meal each evening. Good luck and keep posting pics.
Jane, there have been so many exciting moments — the day the truck arrived to unload the cabinets (which sat in our garage/living and dining rooms for weeks), the day the floor arrived, the day a wall came down, the day the sheet rock went up … I have loved seeing the transformation! I, too, am so looking forward to unpacking and organizing in a more thoughtful way. We have had our fair share of instant noodle soup and pizza, but I’ve tried to keep cooking because it never feels good eating out SO much. Thanks so much for your kind comment! Going to post a series of posts all about the kitchen soon!
Adding a hint of lemon to roasted broccoli makes it so so good! Thanks for sharing!
-Joe
Ooooh, I’ll try that next time, thanks!
Ohhh nice! Looks delicious!
It’s so yummy!
Amazing…!these dish looks soooo yummy & delicious, i am a chef and i have found some incredible recipe like this, so am glad reads your post, and i will make this roasted broccoli…Thanks for sharing….!
Looks super tasty. Will be trying it at home.
http://www.mecooks.com
I suppose I’m even later to Ina’s party as I’m just now crawling out from under my rock to see this but it looks incredible! Will be making this tonight with some roasted fish 🙂
Sidebar – your roasted cauliflower recipe (with parmesan, thyme, and onion) is an all-time favorite in our house, and on repeat! Think I could eat the whole thing by myself it’s THAT good but seeing as it’s one of the few vegetable dishes my husband actually gets excited about, I’m willing to share! 😉
Ha! I love it 🙂 🙂 🙂 Hope you and your husband loved this one! And I’m so glad you like the cauli recipe… I feel I could eat that entire sheet pan myself.
This was a fabulous dish. I don’t know if I will ever make broccoli another way. Very satisfying.
As Always, thank you!
Cheryl
Oh yay! So happy to hear this, Cheryl 🙂 🙂 🙂
Awesome….nothing more left to say.
Great to hear, Annier 🙂
Can you make this dish ahead of time,
I think it could be made a few hours ahead of time. Leftovers are good, but it definitely loses some of its freshness, and it’s best served warm or lukewarm if you’re serving it for company.