Charred Broccoli with Toasted Pine Nuts & Garlic

A kick up a simple side dish. Broccoli is elevated by the addition of toasted pine nuts, slivered caramelized garlic, and a hint of lemon in this keto and paleo-friendly side.

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Best Broccoli Recipe - Keto, Low Carb, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, LCHF

When I was a kid, broccoli was the thing of nightmares: soft, limp, and stinky. My mom steamed broccoli until it was almost unrecognizable. In the 90s, all vegetables were either raw or steamed and served butter. Sometimes I think it was the arrival of The Food Network that changed the way vegetables were cooked in our house.

Up until two years ago, I firmly believed that broccoli belonged only in stir-fry or on party sized vegetable platters. When I started changing my eating habits by transitioning to a paleo diet, I tried Nom Nom Paleo's Roasted Broccoli & Bacon recipe. Roasting broccoli seemed like a revolutionary idea, a game changer for the otherwise haunting brassica of childhood. But sometimes even roasting it yielded soft results.

Charred Broccoli with Toasted Pine Nuts & Garlic will give you a crispy, charred floret with the smokey flavors of toasted pine nuts and caramelized garlic. A pop of lemon adds brightness and acid. Toasty. Crunchy. Not like your broccoli of the past.

What I love about this side dish is that it can support keto or paleo diets, but still has lovely flavors. Many people see eating low carb as a sacrifice of flavor, but not here. This recipe is subtle and compliments almost any meat. It's five ingredients, easy to make, and gives what can be an otherwise bland vegetable some elegance.

How to Make Keto Roasted Garlic Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 6 cups broccoli florets
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• sea salt
• black pepper

Recipe Directions

In a small saute pan over medium low heat, toast pine nuts until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet on high heat. Add broccoli florets in batches, avoid over-crowding the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes, letting broccoli blister and char on each side. Remove to a medium mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slice garlic cloves into thin slivers. Heat oil in small saute pan over medium low heat. Drop in garlic and swirl around in the oil to avoid sticking and burning. Cook for about 30 seconds until garlic starts to brown. Remove from heat. Garlic will continue to cook; look for toasty brown, not burnt.

Add the garlic and oil to the broccoli. Top with pine nuts and lemon zest. Stir until combined. Season again with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Simple Broccoli Side Dish Tips & Tricks

Carefully toast your pine nuts. Pine nuts burn easily, so a medium low heat will be best. Once that pan is hot, add the pine nuts and toss until toasted to a golden brown color on either side. Remove from heat and save for later use.

Dry fry your broccoli. I'm sorry, what? Yes, dry fry. I know that sounds counter-intuitive since frying requires fat, but in this case, you do not want to add fat. Crank up the heat on a large saute pan or cast iron skillet. Cook the broccoli in batches, avoid overcrowding the pan. You want to give the broccoli some time to cook and develop that char before flipping or tossing in the pan. Dry frying broccoli gives it an amazing char while maintaining the color and crisp texture. I suggest seasoning right after removing it from the pan.

Caramelize your garlic slivers in oil. No keto-friendly side dish would be complete without a good, healthy fat. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat. Use a mandolin slicer to cut your garlic into ultra thin slivers; if you don't have one, I highly recommend it. Super affordable game changer. You can thinly slice with a pairing knife, but watch those fingers.

Drop the slivers into the hot oil and cook for only about 30 seconds. You want a toasty, nutty brown. The slivers may not entirely be there after that cook time, but once you remove the pan from heat, they will still cook. Swirl the pan around to keep the slivers from sticking and burning. Do not discard the oil as you will need it later.

Assemble. You're kidding. That's it? Yup. This recipe is super simple. Add your broccoli to a large mixing bowl. Top with garlic in oil, pine nuts, and lemon zest. Salt and pepper to taste. I love this easy, low-carb side dish warm or room temperature.

More Keto Low Carb Vegetable Side Dishes you'll love:

• Summer Squash Cauliflower Rice Salad
• Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts
• Creamed Spinach
• Roasted Balsamic Zucchini & Mushrooms

Yield: 4 people

Charred Broccoli with Toasted Pine Nuts & Garlic

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Charred broccoli is elevated by the addition of toasted pine nuts, caramelized garlic, and lemon.

Print

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 6 cups broccoli florets
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

1. In a small saute pan over medium low heat, toast pine nuts until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet on high heat. Add broccoli florets in batches, avoid over-crowding the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes, letting broccoli blister and char on each side. Remove to a medium mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Slice garlic cloves into thin slivers. Heat oil in small saute pan over medium low heat. Drop in garlic and swirl around in the oil to avoid sticking and burning. Cook for about 30 seconds until garlic starts to brown. Remove from heat. Garlic will continue to cook; look for toasty brown, not burnt.
4. Add the garlic and oil to the broccoli. Top with pine nuts and lemon zest. Stir until combined. Season again with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

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