Spoiler alert – broccoli is so incredibly beneficial for your health and it makes delicious broccoli dishes. Here are the amazing health benefits of broccoli plus 11 delicious and easy broccoli recipes.
Broccoli. I find there are 2 types of people – those who love it and those who hate it. Same thing with kids.
Here’s the thing – I believe people should love their food. I really do. I don’t think you should eat something that you have just because it’s healthy. It won’t make you turn healthy eating into a lifestyle. But, if your food is clean, healthy, and delicious, you’ll love it and you’ll want more. Makes sense? It’s all about setting yourself up for success.
So, instead of convincing you to eat broccoli because it’s healthy, I will teach you how to make broccoli recipes healthy but also TASTY. But I’ll also talk about broccoli benefits and broccoli nutrition. Because it’s crazy healthy for you.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF BROCCOLI
Why eat broccoli? What makes it so special? Mostly, it’s because broccoli is unbelievably nutrient-dense, meaning it’s jam-packed with nutrients. There are so many broccoli benefits. Like so so many. Broccoli is literally a nutritional powerhouse. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. I’ll talk about broccoli nutrition, broccoli antioxidants, and broccoli recipes but first, I want to focus on broccoli benefits.
Why Broccoli is Good For You:
- Broccoli can reduce inflammation due to the bioactive compounds.
- Broccoli can help to protect you against certain types of cancer.
- Broccoli helps reduce diabetes risk — eating broccoli can help to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
- Broccoli reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol.
- The antioxidants in broccoli promote heart health and decrease the risk of heart attack and other heart diseases.
BROCCOLI NUTRITION FACTS
So many amazing health benefits, don’t you think? But why? Why is broccoli this special? Because it’s filled with nutrients. The broccoli nutrition profile is quite impressive.
Here are some broccoli nutrition facts you should know:
- broccoli is rich in vitamin K, vitamin C; vitamin A, vitamin B9,
- broccoli is rich in minerals including potassium, phosphorus, and selenium;
- broccoli contains bioactive compounds;
- is broccoli a good source of protein? Yes, it is! For realz.
ANTIOXIDANTS IN BROCCOLI
Broccoli antioxidants are valuable and offer many health benefits:
- they neutralize and inhibit cell damage;
- they reduce inflammation;
- they reduce blood sugar, another reason broccoli and diabetes are linked and broccoli is recommended for preventing diabetes;
- they prevent and help manage chronic disease;
- they promote eye health.
BROCCOLI AND CANCER
Broccoli and cancer prevention is another important topic we should discuss. Cruciferous vegetables, broccoli included, contain bioactive compounds that reduce cell damage, which means broccoli can protect you against certain types of cancer including:
- breast cancer;
- prostate cancer;
- bladder cancer;
- kidney cancer;
- stomach cancer;
- colorectal cancer.
WAYS TO COOK BROCCOLI
Broccoli can be eaten raw but it can, obviously, be cooked and turned into many healthy broccoli recipes. Both options are amazing for your health. And both options will allow you to take advantage of broccoli benefits.
After all this talk about broccoli facts, broccoli nutrition, broccoli antioxidants, and broccoli benefits, it is time to move to healthy broccoli recipes. And we will. However, I want to share with you different methods to cook broccoli to inspire you to create your own healthy broccoli recipes after trying mine. What do you say? Are you in?
How can you cook broccoli:
- boiling;
- microwaving;
- steaming;
- stir-frying;
- roasting.
TOOLSET FOR BROCCOLI RECIPES
Next step – the different tools I use to make so many yummy healthy broccoli recipes for each cooking technique + tools for prepping and storing:
- to roast broccoli – rimmed baking sheet;
- to prep the ingredients for the healthy broccoli recipes – mixing bowls, kitchen blender or an immersion blender;
- to saute or fry broccoli in a little bit of olive oil – skillet;
- to store healthy broccoli recipes – airtight containers.
4 BONUS TIPS FOR MAKING DELICIOUS BROCCOLI RECIPES
Last step before the list of healthy broccoli recipes – tips for making broccoli recipes healthy and delicious:
- For crispy broccoli, dry the broccoli before cooking – the drier the broccoli, the crispier it will get;
- Roast broccoli in the oven in a single layer so all the broccoli florets cook evenly and get to the same level of crispiness;
- Season broccoli with sea salt, pepper, and garlic, then sprinkle some parmesan to make broccoli side dishes with amazing flavors;
- If you don’t like the taste of broccoli, instead of making broccoli side dish recipes, add broccoli to your favorite recipes – in this way you get to benefit from the wonderful properties of broccoli without resenting your dinner.
EASY HOMEMADE RECIPES WITH BROCCOLI
You’ve made it! You learned everything there is to learn about broccoli and broccoli benefits. So it’s time to start cooking all these wonderful healthy broccoli recipes. You have many healthy broccoli recipes here – broccoli side dish recipes, broccoli lunch recipes, and broccoli dinner ideas.
Happy cooking! And enjoy!
1. HEALTHY BROCCOLI SALAD WITH GREEK YOGURT DRESSING
Out of all the broccoli recipes, broccoli salad is probably the most loved one. It’s yummy but, usually, not very healthy. However, my recipe is! The Healthy Broccoli Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing is better than the classic broccoli salad with mayo. And the greek yogurt is tangy, creamy, easy and totes delicious.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 226 kcal
2. ROASTED BROCCOLI
One of the best broccoli dinner ideas is Roasted Broccoli. Why? Because it’s easy to make and the flavors are so incredibly amazing.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 190 kcal
3. CLEAN BROCCOLI TOTS
Looking for a way to make your kids love broccoli side dishes? Make them these Clean Broccoli Tots! My kids love them! And they are fun, easy to do, and yummy!
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 24 mins
- Total Time: 44 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 201 kcal
4. EASY CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This Easy Cream Of Broccoli Soup is ready in less than 30 minutes and is super delicious – perfect broccoli lunch but also great as a light dinner.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 170 kcal
5. HEALTHY BEEF AND BROCCOLI
This Healthy Beef and Broccoli Recipe is one of the easiest healthy broccoli recipes. But it’s so so good!
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 306 kcal
6. SHEET PAN SAUSAGE AND VEGGIES – PERFECT FOR MEAL PREP!
If you want recipes with broccoli that do not require a lot of effort to prep, try this Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies. Like all sheet pan meals, it’s very easy to put together. And perfect for meal prep.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 536 kcal
7. FALL HARVEST BUDDHA BOWL ON CAULIFLOWER GRITS
Sometimes, all you have to do to prep broccoli dishes is to add broccoli to your favorite seasonal meals. This is what I did with this Fall Harvest Buddha Bowl on Cauliflower Grits.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 256 kcal
8. HOW TO MEAL PREP – CHICKEN (7 MEALS/UNDER $5)
Learn How to Meal Prep – Chicken and add broccoli side dishes for full, healthy meals you can store for a few days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 256 kcal
9. CHICKEN TERIYAKI RICE BOWL
A Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl is not complete without broccoli. It really isn’t! And this Chicken Teriyaki Bowl is the best broccoli lunch you can enjoy at home or at work.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 533 kcal
10. CHICKEN STIR FRY
To make stir fry broccoli recipes healthy, pair the broccoli with a lean protein such as chicken, veggies, and spices as I did with this Chicken Stir Fry recipe.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 295 kcal
11. EASY ORANGE CHICKEN
Many Asian recipes require broccoli and, aside for the broccoli benefits, you get awesome flavors and delicious meals. Take this Easy Orange Chicken for example. Its awesomeness is truly something else. Better than takeout.
Recipe Notes:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: 271 kcal
This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
The post The Amazing Benefits of Broccoli + 11 Easy Broccoli Recipes appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.
* This article was originally published here
