Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan
A simple one-pan broccoli recipe I've made three times in the past ten days. Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, orange juice, and oregano deliver a wild ride of big flavor.
I discovered this gem of a braised broccoli recipe in a round about way. It’s the sort of thing you can throw together on a weeknight, in a single pan, with next to no fuss or time commitment. It incorporates a blast of orange and a bit of fresh oregano into a tomato base, and is finished with a sprinkling of cheese. I added some crunchy toasted almonds because I couldn't help myself. Simple, vibrant, and amazing.
Let’s talk about how I ended up cooking this recipe on repeat. I saw an old friend, Lucy Attwater when she came through San Francisco for a photoshoot. Lucy and I met when she was the stylist on a feature I did with Whole Living Magazine. Thankfully, we kept in touch over the years! That night we were chatting over drinks, and she was telling me about a fantastic shoot she'd just come from related to True Food Kitchen. Ditte Isager was the photographer and the cookbook was related to Dr. Weil's restaurants. It sounded great, I made a mental note to keep an eye out for the book - but as many of you know, these things can take time and the book wouldn’t be published for months.
A year and some passes, and I was emailing with Sebastian Beckwith (a friend who runs In Pursuit of Tea). He mentioned that he was having dinner at Ganso, a Ramen / Japanese Comfort Food restaurant opened by a mutual friend. He was there with Dr. Weil, who btw, has a fantastic new book out - True Food.
I was clearly meant to track down a copy and spend time with this book. So I did. It has been out on my counter for a few weeks now, filled with inspired, clean-eating recipes, beautiful photography & design. It is printed on uncoated paper and beautifully done on many fronts. I think it will resonate with many of you.
I’m including a sampling of spreads from the book here so you can get a sense of the project. Many of the recipes in it are wonderful, but the Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan (recipe below) was the breakaway hit in our kitchen, and I've cooked it three times in the past ten days.
Braised Broccoli: Serving Ideas
Today's recipe is a fantastic, versatile recipe and a power side. Here are a few of the ways we’ve enjoyed it.
- Frittata Sandwich: Leftovers are welcome as a component on these frittata sandwiches.
- Avocado Asparagus Tartine: I also love it as a component on this tartan, in place of the asparagus.
- Mushroom Lasagna: The braised broccoli is an easy side for this lasagna.
More Broccoli Recipes
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Double Broccoli Quinoa
- Broccoli Soup with Coconut Milk
- all broccoli recipes
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Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan
I've been using fire-roasted tomatoes here, and they're extra delicious. I also can't help but at a few almonds for a bit of crunch.
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 14- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 head of broccoli or broccolini, florets and stalks trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings
- 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
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In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat combine the orange juice and tomatoes.
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Bring to a boil and stir in the broccoli. Stir in the oregano and red pepper flakes, then cook until the broccoli is just tender and bright green - a couple minutes. Do your best to avoid overcooking the broccoli.
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Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the cheese and almonds before serving.
Serves 4-6 as a side.
Adapted from True Food: True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure by Andrew Weil, M.D., Sam Fox, and Michael Stebner
Related Recipes
Broccoli Apple Salad
A dreamy broccoli apple salad made from all-star ingredients. Bright broccoli florets, crisp apples, crunchy fried shallots, candied nuts and slivered red onions are tossed in a honey-kissed, creamy, almond dressing.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
A simple, everyday broccoli soup made special with crusty, mustardy croutons and cheddar. Perfect for those days when you need some extra nutritional punch.
Double Broccoli Quinoa
For the broccoli lovers out there (or anyone who strives to be), this is your recipe. Cook up lots of broccoli, and puree half of it into a pesto. The other half is cut into little florets. Toss the broccoli with some quinoa, sliced avocado and a drizzle of feisty chile pepper oil.
Broccoli Soup with Coconut Milk
This broccoli soup with coconut milk is so good and super easy. It's a simple broccoli and spinach affair made with a coconut milk broth a topped with good stuff like pan-fried tofu croutons, toasted almonds, and shredded scallions. Time to break out your blender.
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I have a head of broccoli languishing in my fridge and a fruit bowl full of oranges, so now dinner is all set for me. Gorgeous recipe, and I can't wait to check out Dr. Weil's book!
This looks absolutely delicious and up my street! For a vegan version would you use a nut-nutritional yeast parmesan replacer or just add a few more almonds and more salt? I don't want to miss out! And Leah's suggestion above sounds delish too!
I took the recipe in a bit of a different direction and used coconut milk and fresh roma tomatoes in place of the canned ones. It was fantastic!!
I can't wait to get my hands on this book. I've flipped through it at B&N many times now, and it is certainly gorgeous. I actually worked at True Food, the restaurant, for awhile and became even more attracted to eating a more anti inflammatory diet the more I learned about it. All to say, it's wonderful and I'm so glad to read your review.
I made this for lunch, I used fresh cut tomatoes and tall organic broccoli stalks. I cooked the sliced stalks longer, and the leaves were last. It was perfect! My boyfriend even slowed down as he inhaled it and gave a moment of happy contemplation of the flavors. Lovely recipe, A keeper for sure.
I had my doubts when reading the recipe (tomato and orange?) but forged ahead bravely. It's a keeper! Delicious! My husband and I enjoyed it a lot. I zested the orange before I juiced it, and stirred the zest in after adding the broccoli, so it wouldn't cook too much. I toasted the sliced almonds in a small heavy skillet and then let them cool slightly. Used a potato peeler to get some Parm shavings, and ta-da!
Is Parmigiano-Reggiano a vegetarian cheese? If not, has any substitute? Thanks for a lovely recipe! HS: Hi Mochi - the traditional kind is typically made with animal rennet, but where I live Parmesan-style cheese is available made with vegetable rennet. You could certainly swap in the cheese of your liking here.
I just made this to go with baked cod for our dinner tonight. It was delicious--the orange gave a light, refreshing tone, and the red pepper flakes added just enough heat to keep it intriguing. (I used 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed OJ plus a little bit of orange zest. I also forgot the olive oil). THANK YOU for sharing the recipe, Heidi! You're such an inspiration to me :)
OK, I am really trying to imagine the taste here, but I cannot get over the pairing Orange/Parmesan, although even the pairing orange/tomato makes me think... and broccoli with tomato too sounds incredibly 'unfamiliar'. Maybe I am too much of an Italian limited by my taste buds and tradition, but I don't think that I would ever have the courage to make this :-). But if you made it three times already, and liked it, I am curious and I would probably taste it if someone else made it and offered it to me (thus hoping that they wouldn't expect me to eat a full plate of it!). Where is Dr Weil from? ciao Alessandra
Broccoli with almonds, I've done. Broccoli with parmesan, I've done. Broccoli with orange, I've never even considered. Thanks for always pushing us just a little farther!
This cookbook looks amazing! I just added it to my Christmas list. I can't wait to try this dish. Broccoli is a family favorite.
This cookbook is right up my alley and it sounds like the two of you had a wonderful time getting to know each other. The parmesan and broccoli sound wonderful together and the whole thing looks so fresh and nutritious! Can't wait to pick up a copy of the book!
OMG this looks DELICIOUS! I'm stealing this and making it for a friend's house warming party this weekend... :)
Braised Broccoli with orange and Parmesan ,what a great idea. I would never have thought of this combo Thanks for sharing
You know, I would not have thought to combine broccoli and orange, but this sounds fantastic! Yay! :)
Tried this last night and wow, what a great combination of sweet and salty with the parm and citrus. Loved it!
This looks and sounds so yummy!
Sounds like a nice dish for tonight's easy weeknight meal, and my children LOVE broccoli, which we have at least once a week. Btw Heidi, I could not wait until Christmas, so I picked up your "Super Natural Every Day" book over the weekend and we have already made your Multigrain Pancakes, Chanterelles Tacos, Black Sesame Otsu over the Thanksgiving break and they were all so easy and delicious. I cannot wait to try more recipes soon, I have been eyeing at your Macaroon Tart. THANK YOU TONS for sharing your passion for food & cooking with us all. Back to my kitchen now to prep for my classes. Good day! :-)
I've been eyeing this book the last few weeks...thanks for the inspiration to put it on my Xmas list!
I love Andrew's work; this looks amazing, Heidi! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!