How to Cook Broccoli in the Oven: your complete guide to making the best, crispiest oven-roasted broccoli.
Hey, friends. I have another simple side dish tutorial for you today, how to cook broccoli in the oven.
And I am SO excited about this one because if this isn’t how you’ve been oven-roasting your broccoli, your life will from here on forever be changed for the better.
Because this broccoli is the best broccoli.
We’re talking crispy, crunchy, toasty, roasty broccoli tops and creamy, dreamy broccoli stems.
We’re talking literally 5 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes in the oven.
And we’re talking broccoli so good that if you’re not careful, you’ll eat half of it off the baking tray before it ever makes its way to a plate.
If you’ve read some of my earlier side dish tutorials like How to Steam Broccoli in the Microwave , How to Cut Butternut Squash , and How to Steam Cauliflower in the Microwave , you’ll know I usually keep these posts pretty short and sweet, but this one’s a bit longer because it’s full of tons of broccoli tips and tricks from how to prep broccoli in advance to how to get the crispiest roasted broccoli.
But if you’re in a hurry, feel free to scroll right past to the recipe. 😉
Okay, let’s talk all about roasting broccoli in the oven.
How to Prepare Broccoli for Roasting
Prepping broccoli for roasting is easy. You just need to start with clean, dry(-ish), broccoli florets cut into bite-size pieces.
Why start with dry broccoli? Because wet broccoli heads will steam rather than crisp up, so for the crispiest broccoli, get it as dry as possible before roasting.
To dry your broccoli, you can leave it to dry on a towel on the counter for an hour, use a salad spinner , or wrap it in a towel and shake off as much liquid as possible.
How large of florets to cut your broccoli for roasting is up to you. I do find that smaller florets end up crispier, so I usually cut mine into small bite-size pieces.
Packaged pre-washed and cut broccoli works perfectly well for oven-roasting, and while I don’t love the extra cost or packaging, sometimes the convenience can be a real lifesaver. If using pre-cut florets, don’t be afraid to cut them into smaller chunks.
How to Get the Crispiest Broccoli
Everyone knows crispy broccoli is the best. To get the crispiest broccoli with toasted, almost burnt edges, this is what you’re going to want to do:
- Start with dry broccoli (we already covered the why above).
- Don’t crowd the broccoli. There should be enough space to lay the broccoli out in a single layer so all the edges can get crispy.
- Smaller florets = crispier broccoli.
- Flip if you really want to. Flipping your broccoli half-way through will give you slightly crispier broccoli, but I hate doing it unless I’m roasting large chunks because it takes forever. I find smaller florets already get really crispy without this step. But if you’re roasting larger florets, give it a go or use a spatula to stir the broccoli halfway through.
Those are all the tips and tricks I have for you today. Ready to roast some broccoli?
How to Cook Broccoli in the Oven
- Start with clean, dry broccoli cut into small florets.
- On the baking tray, combine broccoli and oil and use your hands to toss the broccoli so all sides are coated. For the crispiest broccoli, I recommend using the full 2 tablespoons, but if you are trying to cut back the amount of oil you cook with, you can get away with just 1 tablespoon. Arrange broccoli in a single layer.
- Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (and/or other preferred spices). Bake at 450° for 12 to 20 minutes, until stems are fork-tender.
- And that’s it! Serve alongside something delicious (like Homemade Carnitas , Oven-roasted Tri-tip , Baked Ziti, or Salsa Chicken ) before your broccoli gets cold, and try not to hog all the crispiest bits. 😉
Can I prep broccoli in advance for roasting?
Absolutely. Prepping a big batch of broccoli in advance is a great way to make sure that you have an easy vegetable side available at all times. Wash and cut your broccoli and then dry completely.
Store broccoli in a loosely covered (not air-tight) container or half-closed bag with a folded dry paper towel to help absorb moisture. Properly prepped broccoli will keep for 3 to 4 days, up to a week if you’re lucky.
When you’re ready to serve the broccoli, all you have to do is transfer it to a baking sheet, toss with oil and seasoning, and bake.
Does roasted broccoli make good leftovers?
Yes and no. Roasted broccoli is best right out of the oven when it’s still hot and crispy. Once cooled and reheated, it still maintains all that delicious roasted broccoli flavor, but it becomes quite soft and no longer has all those little crispy bits. I’ll happily eat leftover reheated roasted broccoli, but I’d rather just prep a big batch of precut, prewashed broccoli at the beginning of the week and roast it fresh every meal.
Can I roast frozen broccoli?
Yes. I find that frozen broccoli doesn’t come out crispy the way fresh broccoli does, but it still roasts up beautiful and delicious. Follow the recipe as written when cooking frozen broccoli. No changes are needed.
How can I get really dark, almost burnt broccoli?
Okay, if you’re like me and prefer broccoli that’s basically been charred within an inch of its life, here’s a little extra tip for you.
After prepping your broccoli on the pan with olive oil and seasoning, give it a light spray all over with a cooking spray like PAM. The extra oil will really help everything crisp up extra well.
Bake for an additional 5 minutes or so over the recommended cooking time, until the florets are as charred as you want them, keeping a close eye on the broccoli in the last few minutes of cooking time.
More Easy Vegetable Sides
- Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Zucchini
- Microwave Corn on the Cob
- Microwave Baked Potato
- Microwave Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 pound of broccoli
- ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ▢ Salt
- ▢ Pepper
- ▢ Garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Start with clean, dry broccoli and cut it into small bite-size florets.
- On a baking sheet, combine broccoli and oil and use your hands to toss the broccoli so all sides are coated. Arrange broccoli in a single layer.
- Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (and/or other preferred spices). Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, until stems are fork-tender.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
This easy Chicken Parm Soup is basically deconstructed chicken parmesan in a bowl. Big chunks of chicken in a rich tomato soup with the pasta of your choice and p-l-e-n-t-y of gooey mozzarella and Parmesan.
Chicken Parmesan Soup is a perfect soup for chilly winter weeknights. It’s warming and delicious and could not be easier to make.
If you’re craving a big bowl of comfort food, this soup totally delivers.
Incredibly Easy Chicken Soup
I wrote this recipe to use leftover cooked chicken , so you can use leftover chicken you have on hand or grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and use the white meat from that (save the thighs and drumsticks for lunches and the carcass to make soup !).
Since you’re starting with cooked chicken, this soup comes together super quick and easy in one pot with minimal fuss.
Ingredient Notes
- Cooked chicken: To save time, I call for cooked chicken in the recipe, but if you don’t have any cooked chicken on hand, not a problem. I’ve included instructions for cooking your own in the recipe notes, and it will only add a couple of minutes to the overall cooking time.
- Tomato paste: You won’t use a full can of paste in this recipe, so check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipe ideas to use up the leftovers.
- Crushed tomatoes: The recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, but you can use canned diced tomatoes if you don’t mind a chunkier soup. If you want to use canned whole tomatoes, lightly puree them with an immersion blender or chop them by hand before using.
How to Make Chicken Parm Soup
Cook onions until softened in a large pot.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is lightly browned before adding the tomato paste and cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes.
Add pasta and spices and cook until pasta is al dente.
Stir in cooked chicken and Parmesan and dish into bowls.
Top each bowl of soup with mozzarella and enjoy!
Soup Variations
- Pasta shape: Feel free to get creative with the pasta here. Medium shells or orecchiette work great or try subbing in cheese tortellini for an extra cheesy soup.
- Creamy chicken parm soup: Add ¼ cup to ½ cup of heavy cream to the soup when you stir in the chicken and parmesan for a rich and creamy soup.
What to Serve With Chicken Parm Soup
Can I freeze chicken parm soup?
I don’t recommend freezing soup with pasta and cheese because the pasta bloats in the freezer and cheese can become grainy. But if you leave out the pasta and parmesan, this soup freezes extremely well.
- To freeze, cook the soup according to the recipe, simply omit the pasta and the parmesan.
- Then freeze the soup either all together or in single-serving portions.
- When you’re ready to eat, defrost the soup in the refrigerator and then reheat in either the microwave or on the stove.
- Boil the pasta separately (use 4 ounces for the entire batch or 1 ounce for single servings), and then drain and add them to the heated soup. Stir in parmesan and then dish up the soup and top with mozzarella.
See my post How to Freeze Soup for more tips and tricks.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Quick Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Easy Chicken Francaise
- Chicken Shawarma
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Chicken in White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
- Pesto Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ ½ large onion finely diced
- ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 33g ) tomato paste
- ▢ 4 cups ( 2 14.5-ounce cans) chicken broth
- ▢ 2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes *
- ▢ 4 ounces (about 1 ⅓ cup) penne or favorite pasta for soup
- ▢ ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ ¼ heaping teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded, white or dark meat is fine*
- ▢ ½ cup ( 2oz ) shredded Parmesan
- ▢ 1 cup ( 4oz ) shredded mozzarella divided
- ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to soften and turn translucent around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic begins to turn golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook, watching closely, until the paste begins to stick and caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth and crushed tomatoes, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go making sure to dislodge any cooked-on bits.
- Cover and bring to a simmer, adjusting heat as necessary. Simmer for 8 minutes. Add pasta, basil, and oregano, and cook, covered, until pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in cooked chicken and parmesan and heat until chicken is warmed through and parmesan is melted.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This American goulash recipe is an easy one-pot meal made with ground beef and macaroni pasta in a tangy red sauce and covered with cheddar cheese. It’s classic American comfort food.
Did you eat American goulash growing up? I didn’t, but I got completely obsessed with it a while back when I was working on my Hungarian goulash recipe . This American version has total grown-up Hamburger Helper vibes and feels like such a nostalgic treat every time you make it.
It’s simple to throw together, and even though it requires a slightly longer cooking time than most of my favorite weeknight meals, most of the cooking time is hands-off so it’s still a great candidate for busy nights when you need something easy and filling for dinner.
What is American goulash?
American goulash, also known as chop suey and in casserole form, the Johnny Marzetti, is an Americanized version of Hungarian goulash, a dish that was brought to the United States by Hungarian immigrants.
It’s almost always made with ground beef, pasta (usually macaroni), and tomato sauce (either homemade or store-bought), and seasoned with Italian seasonings.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: I prefer to use 85% ground beef in this recipe, but you can use whatever ground beef you have on hand.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste helps add depth of flavor to the sauce. You won’t use a full can in this recipe, so check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipe ideas to use up the leftovers.
- Crushed tomatoes: This is my preferred brand of canned tomatoes. If all you have are diced, diced will work here too. You’ll just have a chunkier red sauce.
- Elbow macaroni: Classic American goulash uses elbow macaroni, but you could also use other small-to-medium pasta in this dish like medium shells or rotini.
How to Make American Goulash
Cook the onions in olive oil until they begin to soften.
Brown the beef, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks.
3 Add the garlic and then the tomato paste and spices. Cook them until the garlic and spices start to smell amazing.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, give everything a good stir, and then simmer covered for 25 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente.
Add cheese, cover the pot, and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes for the cheese to melt.
Uncover, admire all that beautiful melty cheese, serve, and enjoy!
What to serve with American goulash?
Serve the goulash with a couple slices of crusty bread and a simple vegetable side like:
- Garlic and Butter Green Beans
- Broccoli in the Oven
- Roasted Zucchini
- Roasted Green Beans
What is the difference between American and Hungarian goulash?
Even though American goulash evolved from Hungarian goulash , they are two extremely different dishes. Where American goulash is usually made with hamburger and macaroni, Hungarian goulash is made with chunks of beef chuck roast, which cooks with thinly sliced onions and beef broth for about 2 hours to make a thick and rich stew, that is served over egg noodles or potatoes.
Both versions are delicious but are very different.
Can I freeze American goulash?
I don’t love freezing recipes that contain pasta as the pasta will bloat slightly in the freezer and have a different texture after reheating. But if you don’t mind the slight texture change, you absolutely can freeze this dish.
Just freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating. DO NOT try to microwave still-frozen pasta to reheat. It will turn the pasta to mush.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. Make the dish completely but don’t add the cheese. Store covered in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, reheat the goulash gently on the stove. Once hot, add the cheese, cover and let sit until the cheese is melted and then serve and enjoy!
Why are my noodles taking forever to cook!!?
I feel your pain! Pasta in one-pot pasta dishes always takes longer to cook than when boiled in water, so don’t worry if your pasta seems to be taking a while. Just keep cooking it with the lid on, stirring every few minutes, and it will reach al dente eventually. I promise!
More Comfort Food Favorites
- Easy Stroganoff
- Pork Ragu
- Beef Short Ribs
- Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
- Easy Lasagna
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ ½ large onion diced
- ▢ 1 pound ground beef *
- ▢ 4 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- ▢ ¼ cup ( 60g ) tomato paste
- ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ▢ Pinch red pepper flakes optional
- ▢ 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes *
- ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
- ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ▢ 2 bay leaves
- ▢ 6 ounces ( about 1 ½ cups ) elbow macaroni
- ▢ 1 cup ( 4oz ) shredded cheddar cheese preferably sharp
Instructions
- In a large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until the edges begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking the meat into crumbles as you go, until meat is browned.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding tomato paste, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes. Stir until the meat is well-coated and you can really begin to smell the garlic and spices, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, soy sauce, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves, stir in the macaroni, and cover. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Turn off heat and add cheese. Replace lid and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
How to Cook Broccoli in the Oven (The BEST Crispy Oven-roasted Broccoli)
Ingredients
- 1 pound of broccoli
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Start with clean, dry broccoli and cut it into small bite-size florets.
- On a baking sheet, combine broccoli and oil and use your hands to toss the broccoli so all sides are coated. Arrange broccoli in a single layer.
- Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (and/or other preferred spices). Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, until stems are fork-tender.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
