Smashed Broccoli with Parmesan🥗 Side

Name: Smashed Broccoli with Parmesan
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups broccoli florets; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

This roasted smashed broccoli is full of flavor from parmesan cheese, lemon, and garlic. It's the best way to enjoy veggies as a snack or appetizer!

By Jason Miller, Weeknight Cook & Household Coordinator

Prep: 20 minCook: 20 minServes: 3

vegetarian appetizer side dish snack quick american gluten-free roasted

★ 5.0 (1 rating)

Italian cooking at its best is about simplicity, quality ingredients, and respect for technique. This smashed broccoli with parmesan follows that philosophy — a handful of good ingredients, treated well, creating something that tastes far more sophisticated than the effort involved. It is the kind of meal that makes an ordinary weeknight feel like a small celebration.

Add the garlic after the other aromatics have softened — it burns faster than onions and can turn bitter if it hits high heat for too long.

This pairs well with almost any protein, from a simple roasted chicken to grilled steak or baked salmon. Make extra — it reheats well and having a ready-made side dish in the fridge makes weeknight cooking significantly easier.

Ingredients

3 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Nutrition (Per 3 servings)*

210

Calories

Protein

10g

Carbs

16g

Fat

Fiber

310mg

Sodium

* AI-estimated values only — not a substitute for professional nutrition labeling.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F/218 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Fill a large pot with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil.
While the water is boiling, prepare the broccoli and other ingredients. In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
Place a steamer basket into the pot over the boiling water. Put the broccoli florets in the basket, cover, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Check the broccoli to see if it's fork-tender at 5 minutes. Do not overcook. You want a fork to be able to glide through the florets, but they should not be so cooked that they fall apart into mush. Remove the basket from the pot. If using frozen broccoli, decrease cook time and check for doneness sooner than 5 minutes.
Brush a layer of the olive oil mixture onto the parchment paper on the baking sheet.
Transfer the steamed broccoli to the parchment and spread out in a single layer. Using the back of a glass, smash each floret until flattened.
Brush the rest of the olive oil mixture on top of each floret. Sprinkle each one with Parmesan cheese.
Bake until the cheese is crispy and the broccoli is crispy on the outside but remains tender on the inside, about 15 to 20 minutes.