Italian Broccoli

Italian Broccoli with garlic and olive oil is one of the simplest and most versatile side dishes you can make!  The fresh broccoli and golden garlic are a perfect match!  This is a 15-minute recipe that goes well as a side to almost any meal.  This will be the recipe for basic Italian sauteed broccoli.  Down below we will go over variations like red pepper flakes, anchovies, lemon, Parmigiano Reggiano, and a cold version.

Sauteed garlic broccoli, green beans with garlic and oil, and garlic sauteed broccoli rabe are a few of the easiest and best Italian side dishes. 

Broccoli is a versatile ingredient.  This pasta con broccoli recipe is an easy and delicious way to pair broccoli with orecchiette, but almost any pasta works.

Anyway, all that's needed for this recipe is broccoli, olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and salt.  Super simple ingredients!

How to make garlic sauteed broccoli

1. Begin by breaking the head into florets and chop into roughly equal size pieces.
2. Bring a pan filled with 1" of water to a boil.  Add in broccoli and close lid leaving slightly ajar.

3. After about 2-3 minutes of cooking, the broccoli will turn bright green.  Remove from heat and strain broccoli in a colander.
4. Leave the broccoli in the colander and dry the pan of any residual water.
5. Chop 5 cloves of garlic as shown.  If you like more garlic go for it!
6. Saute the garlic in a ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes or until lightly golden.

7. You do not want to burn the garlic, but definitely want to get a little bit of color like shown to get maximum flavor!
8. Add in the broccoli and saute for 3-5 minutes more.  Move the pan around and mix with a wooden spoon to thoroughly coat with the garlic oil mixture.  Add 1 tsp of kosher salt, mix and remove from heat.  Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top right before serving.

So that's how to make an easy Italian side dish. 

There are so many ways to amp up the flavor in this basic garlic sauteed broccoli.

The last step of drizzling extra virgin olive oil on top is just a good technique to use on so many dishes. 

There's debate whether one should cook with it or just save high-quality extra virgin olive oil for salads and finishing pasta dishes and sides like this one.

What I like most about reserving the extra virgin for the end is the economics of it.   

Cooking with olive oil and saving the good extra virgin for finishing where it shines through, is what I often like to do.

Substitutions and additions

• Red chili flakes - We love it this way!  Add about ½ tsp of the chili flakes (more if you like it real spicy) into the olive oil before starting the broccoli sauteing process.
• Anchovy - So delicious in my opinion, but my kids like to disagree.  Use 2-3 fillets chopped up and saute them right in the olive oil with the garlic until they're mostly dissolved, then continue onto the broccoli saute step.
• Lemon - The zest of 1 lemon added in right at the end adds a ton of vibrancy and freshness to the dish.
• Parmigiano Reggiano - Shave from the block with a vegetable peeler to add the wonderful nutty flavor of this cheese.  It looks amazing too!
• Cold - My grandmother would always make it this way.  Make the same dish, refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight and add chili flakes and lemon juice.  So good!

Top tips

• Get the garlic golden - this really makes all the difference.  To ensure the garlic turns golden without burning start the heat at low and gradually increase it.  Sometimes adding chopped garlic to a hot pan can result in burned garlic very quickly.
• Steaming the broccoli - Only a few minutes are needed, but it really helps to avoid a long saute process, that can result in charred broccoli that's still not cooked enough on the inside.
• Seasoning - salt is crucial to cooking any veggie, 1 head of broccoli will need about 1 tsp of kosher salt, but by all means, add more or less according to personal preferences.  Also if you use cheese or anchovies they are both quite salty so adjust accordingly.

More great sides

• Sauteed spinach with garlic - Baby spinach with garlic, olive oil, and hot pepper flakes.
• Green beans with tomato sauce - Classic stewed green beans in garlicky tomato sauce.
• Sauteed balsamic mushrooms - Butter and balsamic infused mushrooms.
• Italian roasted peppers - Red bell peppers with seasoned breadcrumbs.
• Sauteed zucchini and mushrooms with burrata - Sauteed veggies with garlic and oil, topped with burrata.
• cauliflower salad - Cold cauliflower with lemon, garlic, herbs, and olive oil.

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