Mealtimes are crazy hard right now. I am dealing with a four year old who won't eat anything he doesn't know for SURE he likes, and a 1 year old who is more interested in throwing food on the floor for the dogs than he is in actually eating it. It takes literally all of my patience to stay calm and just take it all as it comes. We have a few rules that help me keep my cool:
Whatever mommy makes is what's for dinner. She is not a short-order cook.
If you don't like it, don't say it out loud.
Ask to be excused and clear your dishes.
We manage to stick to those rules, which is OK with me. I don't (usually) force anyone to try what's on their plate unless I am 100% sure it will not make them throw up. (Yep. That's happened before. Lesson learned.)
Lucky for all of us, there are some super healthy foods that my kids love and one of them is roasted broccoli. This, I'm convinced, is the ONLY way to eat broccoli on its own. It's easy and mostly hands-off, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights when you need something healthy to have alongside that macaroni and cheese. Because we all need mac & cheese nights every once in a while!
I've made roasted broccoli enough times to know that I do NOT like it when it is still raw and just kind of toasted around the edges. I want my roasted broccoli to be crisp-tender with deeply golden, roasty, slightly crispy places that make each bite have nice depth of flavor. I have also learned that this does not require globs of olive oil. It's all about oven temp, friends! A hot oven, a parchment lined baking sheet, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper is all you need. And if you're feeling really crazy, you can lay a few lemon slices on top of the broccoli.
So, before you write-off broccoli as a veggie on the no-one-likes-it list, try this. And make extra because it seems to disappear from the pan before it reaches the table!
Perfect Roasted Broccoli (with air fryer option)
Makes 4 Servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
3 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut any large broccoli florets into smaller pieces. You don't want them to be super tiny or they will burn. Too big and they won't cook all the way through. Take a look at the photos in the post to see the best size.
Arrange the broccoli on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is tender and deep golden in places.
For air fryer:
Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss broccoli florets with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Add to the air fryer basket in two batches, cooking each batch for 8 minutes. As they cook, take the basket out every 2-3 minutes, shake the broccoli around, and check for doneness.
Serve and enjoy!