Broccoli Recipe

This tasty stovetop broccoli recipe is one your family will love! Delicious and tender, it’s my broccoli recipe for picky eaters!

Broccoli is a tasty and nutritious vegetable for your family’s meals. It is delicious in salads like my Broccoli Salad, soups like my Broccoli Cheese Soup, side dishes like this one, and so much more!

My family enjoys this broccoli recipe as a side dish – it’s cooked until tender yet retains so much flavor. I’ve named it “broccoli for picky eaters” because the ones I know enjoy it! This is very similar to how my Mama would prepare it to get me to eat it as a child, so I adapted it long ago when I started cooking it myself. While we love broccoli prepared in many other ways, I can always count on this stovetop broccoli recipe to be a crowd-pleaser!

Broccoli can be deliciously prepared in so many ways. However, what we may love as adults might not meet the expectations of our little, sometimes picky eaters. My mama found that I would eat it as a child when it was prepared very similarly to my current recipe, so I used it and slightly changed it to meet the taste preferences of my own family. It’s easy to prepare, so let me share how I cook this broccoli for picky eaters.

How to Make the Best Stovetop Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

There are a few ingredients you’ll need to prepare this broccoli recipe:

• broccoli – fresh bunches, or heads, of broccoli that have been washed well
• olive oil – extra virgin olive oil
• butter (optional) – While it may be optional, I find that it adds a rich flavor that makes it so delicious that everyone loves it.
• salt and pepper – use to taste
• water

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare. Clean the bunches of broccoli, then cut the stalks up close to the florets as evenly as possible. Clean the stalks with a vegetable peeler to remove any leaves. Then, slice the florets on the stalks into approximately 1-inch pieces.

Cook. Place the florets into a large, heavy-bottomed pot, cover with water, and add olive oil. Cook as directed until you can pierce the stalk with the tines of a fork (about 20-30 minutes). I cook this broccoli longer than I would if I wanted it to turn out somewhat “crisp.” Again, this broccoli is tender to chew and has a lot of flavor that picky little ones (and adults) love.

Serve. Remove the florets with a slotted spoon and put them into a serving bowl. If you’re using butter, add it to the warm broccoli, along with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Storage Tips

• Best eaten warm after it’s cooked.
• Place cooled broccoli in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Here’s my broccoli recipe for picky eaters. I hope you love it too!

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Stovetop Broccoli Recipe

Robyn Stone

5 from 3 votes

Learn how to cook broccoli on the stovetop that your family will enjoy with this easy, delicious recipe. It's so tasty and tender that I call this my broccoli recipe for picky eaters!

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 bunches broccoli, cleaned
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ water
• ▢ butter, optional
• ▢ salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Cut florets off each bunch of broccoli, taking care to cut florets into similar sizes as much as possible for even cooking. Clean stalks with a vegetable peeler to remove any stems or leaves. Cut upper part of stalk closet to florets into 1-inch thick slices.
• Add broccoli to a heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with water and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes or until the stalk of a floret can be easily pierced with a fork.
• Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon into a serving bowl. Serve warm with butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Tip – Don’t cover the pot with a lid. Cook the broccoli florets covered with water and cook as directed uncovered. This should keep the broccoli bright green while covering it will make it turn a dark brown-green. 

Storage Tip:

The broccoli tastes best when eaten warm after cooking it, but it can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 640mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1263IU | Vitamin C: 181mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo