An easy recipe for healthy sauteed broccolini. Saute until crisp, add water to the pan, cover and briefly steam, just until stems are tender-crisp.
Sauteed broccolini is one of my favorite vegetables to make and serve to my family.
Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It has small florets, long stalks, and a few small leaves. The entire vegetable is edible. It is sweeter and milder than broccoli, and it cooks faster.
When making broccoli, it’s best to cook the florets and the stems separately, because the stems are so tough and need a longer time to cook. Here’s a good recipe for roasted broccoli stalks.
MY LATEST VIDEOSIt’s easier to cook broccolini, because you can cook the entire vegetable at the same time – florets and stalks.
Most recipes for sautéed broccolini will tell you to blanch the broccolini first (cook briefly in salted water, then quickly rinse in cold water or dip in ice water). But I like to sauté the broccolini first, until browned and crispy, then add a bit of water to the hot pan, cover and briefly steam, just until the stems are tender-crisp.
What to serve with sauteed broccolini? Anything, really. It’s a great side dish to practically any meat or seafood. You can also serve it alongside fried or poached eggs for a healthy meatless dinner.
I don’t like to keep leftover sauteed broccolini. It tends to become limp in the fridge and lose its wonderful crispiness. So I try to make just as much as we can eat. If I do have leftovers, I sometimes chop them up and add them cold to a salad the next day for my lunch, or mix them into an omelet the next morning.
Sautéed Broccolini
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh broccolini
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a very large, 14-inch skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and swirl to coat.
- Add the broccolini, the salt and pepper. Sauté 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until the broccolini has absorbed all the butter and parts of the broccolini are beginning to brown.
- Add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the skillet. Cover and steam for about 2 minutes, until the stems are tender-crisp. Serve immediately.
