It’s a simple and delicious vegetable side dish you can make in about 15 minutes. I have quite a few vegetable recipes on this website. I usually skip the starch at dinner and serve a vegetable side (or two). So, I’m always looking for interesting veggies to make for my family. Along with roasted broccolini and grilled broccolini, this sauteed broccolini recipe is one of my favorites. It’s easy to make, especially when you use my method of sauteing first and then briefly steaming the stems in the same pan if they are still tough. And it’s delicious!
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Card
Fresh broccolini: You can find it in the vegetable aisle, usually next to the broccoli. It’s sometimes labeled as “baby broccoli.” Unsalted butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great. Olive oil works, too, but I prefer butter. To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. You can also use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder and experiment with adding more spices if you’d like - ½ teaspoon of thyme is good, in my experience, and I also sometimes like to sprinkle the finished dish with red pepper flakes and/ or grated parmesan. You start by melting the butter in a large saucepan. When the butter starts foaming, add the broccolini and season it with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Check to see if the stems are fork-tender. If they are, you’re done! If they’re still tough (this happens with relatively thick stalks), add a bit of water to the skillet, cover, and steam until the stems are tender-crisp, 1-2 minutes. How long you’ll need to saute (and then steam) the broccolini will depend on how thick the stems are. As you can see in the photos and video on this page, the broccolini I used today had thin stalks, so it was ready fast. Thicker stalks will require a slightly longer cooking time. In fact, if the stems are very thin, you can skip steaming altogether and simply saute the broccolini for 2-3 minutes on each side. So check the stems after the first stage of sauteing. If they’re fork-tender, they’re ready to serve. I often serve it with baked pork chops, pork medallions, parmesan chicken tenders, or reverse-seared steak. In the photo below, you can see that I served it for dinner one evening with salmon steak: You can also serve it alongside fried or poached eggs for a delicious meatless dinner. But if you end up with leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave. I sometimes chop them up and add them cold to a salad the next day for lunch or mix them into egg muffins or an omelet (such as this egg white omelette) the next morning.
