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!

A bowl of Ina Garten's roasted broccoli florets with garlic, lemon, and parmesan.

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

PS: Favorite Ina Garten Recipes

How To Roast Broccoli Step by Step

First, gather a few heads of garlic — you need about 2 pounds:

Four small heads of broccoli.

Chop them into florets:

A cutting board topped with broccoli florets.

Then transfer them to a sheet pan:

A sheet pan filled with broccoli florets tossed with sliced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Sprinkle two thinly sliced garlic cloves over the broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil:

A sheet pan filled with broccoli florets, topped with sliced garlic, drizzled with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Toss to combine…

A sheet pan filled with broccoli florets tossed with sliced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

… then roast until the edges begin to caramelize:

Just-roasted broccoli on a sheet pan out of the oven.

Immediately shave parmesan and lemon zest over the top. And juice half a lemon over the top, too:

Just-roasted broccoli on a sheet pan topped with shaved parmesan, lemon zest, and fresh lemon.

Toss to combine, taste, and adjust with more salt, pepper, parmesan or lemon to taste:

A sheet pan filled with roasted broccoli tossed with parmesan and lemon.

Then transfer to a serving bowl:

A serving bowl filled with garlic-roasted broccoli with lemon and parmesan.
A bite of roasted broccoli with garlic on a fork.
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A bowl of roasted broccoli with lemon, garlic and parmesan.

Ina Garten’s Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan

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5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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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

  1. Heat the oven to 425° F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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