Weekday Meals: Roasted Broccoli

Ah broccoli.  

Who decided that the the main way to cook and serve it was steamed and smothered in cheese?  Don't get me wrong, I love broccoli.  But lately I'd grown a little tired of the same 'ole, same 'ole.  When Jason brought some home the other night, I was determined to do something different.  I roasted cauliflower all the time, so I figured it couldn't be that much different to roast broccoli.

The verdict?  Delicious.  Broccoli is sturdy enough to stand up to roasting and the little charred bits just added to its flavor.  Bread crumbs and salty parmesan cheese pushed it over the top.  Best of all, it was super easy to prepare.  Watery steamed broccoli is officially a thing of the past.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces.  I also roasted the stalks.
• 3 Tbs to 1/8 cup olive oil.  You want to lightly the coat all of the pieces, but you don't want them to be wet.
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs.  I used panko, because regular ones will work fine.
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
• Salt and pepper to taste.  Go easy on the salt though, because Parmesan is pretty salty itself.

Instructions:

• Preheat your over to 450.
• Place the broccoli in a roasting dish.  Drizzle the olive oil over the broccoli.  Toss to coat.
• Repeat with 1/2 of the bread crumbs and 1/2 of the cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the remaining bread crumbs and cheese on top of the broccoli.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender and the cheese and crumbs and golden brown and crunchy.

Serve with some fresh fish and a homemade spicy remoulade.

Healthy, delicious, and easy.  Perfect.