Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

This is a super-easy roasted vegetable recipe. It makes such a nice side dish, a great snack, a fantastic pizza topping… the list goes on. I’ve been known to roast six baking sheets of broccoli at one time, eat it for dinner one day, lunch the next, and then make pizza with it the following day. See the recipe for garlic-roasted broccoli pizza with capers in the “pasta and pizza” section. Also, this roasted broccoli is really yummy if you use it as the vegetable in the red lentils with zucchini, instead of the zucchini.

I find that it’s easy to eat lots of vegetables and resist snacking on unhealthy food as long as I have plenty of ready-to-eat vegetable dishes like this hanging around in the refrigerator.

2 pounds broccoli 4 (or more) cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2. If the skins are tough, peel the broccoli stalks, starting from the bottom, using a paring knife—the thick skin will peel away from the stalk. Then slice the stalks into coins less than ¼” thick. Keep them separate from the florets. Cut the florets into bite-sized pieces. 3. Coat 1 or 2 large baking sheets with non-stick spray or oil. (This makes clean-up a lot easier.) 4. Toss the broccoli stalks with half the oil, garlic and salt in a bowl until evenly coated with oil. Spread the broccoli stalks out into a single layer. Roast until the stalks are tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. 5. Toss the broccoli florets with the remaining oil, garlic and salt, and roast them like the broccoli stalks until tender and beginning to brown. That will take less time—more like 12-15 minutes. Eat and enjoy!