Here’s a tip for an easy and healthy side dish: frozen roasted broccoli! The oven gives these vegetables a makeover, turning them golden and crispy around the edges.
Can you fry frozen vegetables? Alex and I investigated this question with this recipe. We recently made frozen peas taste amazing (these lemon peas). So could you do the same thing with broccoli? It turns out it’s possible… and delicious! Frozen Roasted Broccoli comes out tender and golden and flavored with garlic, salt and lemon: it’s damn delicious. The whole pan disappeared in no time! If you’re looking for a healthy way to make frozen broccoli taste its best, here’s your recipe.
Is frozen roast as good as fresh?
Could roasted frozen broccoli really be as good as roasted fresh broccoli? Well, they’re both good: just different! Here’s what we found:
- If you have access to fresh, make this Best Roasted Broccoli. There really is nothing quite like roasting broccoli from fresh stalks. The texture is much firmer and more robust than Frozen. However…
- Frozen broccoli is much more tender, but still delicious! Frozen broccoli can stand the test! It is significantly more tender than fresh broccoli and should be handled gently. But it still comes out a little crunchy around the edges. Make sure you salt it well and you’ll want to gulp it down in one sitting.
Ingredients for frozen roasted broccoli
You only need a handful of ingredients for this healthy side dish recipe! Of course, the benefit of roasting frozen broccoli is that it’s inexpensive and easy to store. Take it out of the freezer and whip up a batch anytime! Now that we know this trick, we’re going to use it at night when our fridge is empty. Here’s what you need:
- 1 bag of frozen broccoli
- olive oil
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- lemon juice – it adds a tart taste that takes over! But it’s optional, especially if you don’t have one handy. There are no special journeys to the loading necessary.
How to make frozen roasted broccoli
Fact: Many of our side dish recipes are way quicker than this frozen roasted broccoli. So if you’re looking for something quick and easy, try these Frozen Lemon Peas or our Sauteed Spinach or Sauteed Kale (5 minutes!) or Sauteed Broccoli (10 minutes). But if you’re looking for the best way to make frozen broccoli good: this is your recipe. Here are the basic steps:
- Rinse the frozen broccoli under lukewarm water for a few seconds. Then shake off as much water as possible.
- Mix broccoli with olive oil and kosher salt. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy cleaning).
- Roast at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. Broccoli will come out with golden edges: just like fresh broccoli.
- Season with a little more salt, garlic and lemon. We like to add just a little grated fresh garlic to the mix in our roasted vegetable recipes. The lemon isn’t required, but the aroma really enhances the flavors.
The portion size is small. Double up if you want!
You’ll find that a 1 pound bag of broccoli looks like fewer florets than you can imagine! When frying, the amount is a little smaller. If you’re feeding very hungry eaters, we recommend making a double portion. Alex and I polished this frozen roasted broccoli casserole very fast.
One thing to note when doubling it: If you’re roasting two pans in the oven, it can take longer to cook because there’s more surface area to heat. Watch the pans and be aware that you may need to fry a few minutes longer.
Let us know if you try this cooking hack in the comments below!
Another recipe that uses frozen broccoli
Try our Broccoli Potato Soup! To keep this soup quick and easy, we used frozen broccoli instead of fresh. It’s like broccoli soup but in a healthy, plant-based version… and even tastier! Opt for the creamy potato and broccoli soup.
This Roasted Frozen Broccoli recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
The description
Here’s a tip for an easy and healthy side dish: frozen roasted broccoli! The oven gives these vegetables a makeover, turning them golden and crispy around the edges.
- 1 frozen broccoli pound*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rinse the broccoli under lukewarm water for a few seconds and tap the strainer to shake off as much water as possible. In a bowl, toss the broccoli florets with the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Place the broccoli on a baking sheet and roast until tender and golden brown on the underside (no need to stir!), about 25 minutes. The texture will be more tender than fresh broccoli, but the edges will still be crispy.
- When the broccoli is done, remove the pan from the oven. Season with about ¼ teaspoon more salt. Grate (or chop and stir) the garlic into the pan and add lemon juice if needed. Mix it gently with a spoon (the broccoli will be very tender, so be careful) and separate the grated garlic that clumps together. Serve immediately.
Remarks
*The serving size for 4 people is small, so double the size if you’re feeding hungry eaters. If you’re frying two pans, you’ll probably need to add a few minutes to the frying time.
- Category: garnish
- Method: roast meat
- Kitchen: Vegetables
- Diet: vegan
Keywords: Frozen Roasted Broccoli
More broccoli recipes
If you’re a fan of fresh broccoli: so are we! Here are some of our favorite broccoli recipes:
