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Broccolini is very simple to make with my easy steamed recipe. Add an unfussy pine nut sauce and you have an elegant side dish that’s packed with flavor and nutrients!
Broccolini, a delightful hybrid of baby broccoli and Chinese broccoli (gai lan), is one of my all-time favorite vegetables. It’s both easy to prepare and packed with flavor and nutrition. Plus it’s beautiful! With its slender stems and small florets, broccolini is a versatile vegetable that lends itself well to a variety of cooking methods. My simple recipe for steamed broccolini maintains its nutrient integrity and robust flavor. I often serve with lemon and parmesan and call it good. But how lovely to level up the presentation with an elegant, vibrant pine nut sauce and watch this become every eaters’ new favorite side dish!
Notes on Ingredients
- Broccolini: Look for fresh, vibrant green stalks with small florets and easily sliceable stems. Both the entire vegetable, including the thinner stems, are edible and full of flavor.
- Pine Nuts: Toasted pine nuts make a smooth, lush sauce for the broccolini and a lovely garnish. Try gorgeous, buttery Lebanese pine nuts from my shop!
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice enhances the broccolini’s natural sweetness and brightens everything perfectly. A dash of sumac (or try red pepper flakes for some heat) as a garnish echoes the lemony flavor.
Cooking Broccolini
Steaming: Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. The salt is key here, an essential flavor maker. Add the broccolini in a single layer and steam for about 3-4 minutes until the broccolini is tender and bright green. Don’t overcook it! Pierce the stalk with the tip of a knife, looking for a slight resistance. Remove and let it cool slightly; it can be served warm or at room temperature.
Pine Nut Sauce: So easy! In a small prep food processor or a blender, blend toasted pine nuts, garlic, salt, and lemon juice with a splash of wateruntil smooth. This sauce makes a wonderful drizzle over the steamed broccolini.
Variations to Try
I like to steam the broccolini for easy and a light touch in terms of flavor and fat. Roasting or a pan sautรฉ work wonderfully and are a fun way to change up the recipe. You can use regular broccoli for this recipe too, just take care when poaching the florets; they overcook really quickly and will fall apart easily if so.
Roasted broccolini: Preheat your oven to 400ยฐF. Spread the raw broccolini on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until crispy and slightly charred. For more flavor, add parmesan cheese for the last 5 minutes of roasting.
Sautรฉed broccolini: Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Add broccolini and sautรฉ with sliced garlic. Cook until tender and starting to brown, about 5-6 minutes. Finish with a splash of soy sauce for a savory twist.
Storage
If you don’t eat it all up the first time you serve this dish, store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator. Reheat gently to maintain texture and flavor, or eat cold.
Broccolini Recipe
Ingredients
For the broccolini:
- 2 bunches broccolini
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Few grinds black pepper
For the pine nut sauce:
- 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons cool water
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Sumac
Instructions
- Fill a wide saute pan with water to an in or two from the top (enough space to make room for the broccolini). Add the 2 tablespoons kosher salt and bring the water to a boil. Lay the broccolini in the boiling water, using tongs to submerge as much of the broccolini as possible.
- Continue to boil the water for two minutes, then turn off the heat and allow the broccolini to cook in the hot water for another 12-14 minutes for al dente.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry saute pan over medium low heat, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally, until they are light golden brown.
- Transfer all but two tablespoons of the pine nuts to a food processor (prep size works fine for a single recipe of the sauce). Add the garlic and salt, and puree, stopping a couple of times to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and then the water, stopping to scrape down the bowl as you go as you puree.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce is smooth and fairly loose. Taste and add more water or lemon juice if needed.
- Remove the cooked broccolini from the pan (or pour off the water). Toss the broccolini with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, arrange on the serving platter (if using), and top with a few grinds of black pepper.
- Spoon the sauce across the center of the broccolini stems, sprinkle with the remaining two tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, and finish with a dusting of sumac, if using.
- Serve the broccolini immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Serving Ideas
Broccolini this way makes a fabulous easy side dish for lemon chicken (or chicken breasts any which way), added to grain bowls, or alongside kebabs like chicken shish tawook or beef kabobs. If you make a little extra, this delicious side dish can become an easy lunch that I always enjoy the next day for its nutrients (fiber, calcium especially). Also, so satisfying!
I ADORE pine nuts, but some in my family, not so much. Is there any alternative that could be used so that I could make 2 versions – one with pine nuts and one without? Thank you!
Hi Josephine–oh yes, you can substitute the pine nut. Try cashews or almonds; delicious.
What a delicious way to enjoy pine nuts and broccolini dear Maureen, thank you for this inspiration and happy new year!
Ozlem x
Thank you Ozlem! Enjoy!