Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (2024)

/ Updated Sep 20, 2021 / by Carolyn Gratzer Cope / 2 Comments / This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.

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This easy broccolini recipe with gremolata will brighten up your plate and your palate. It's special enough to serve as a holiday side dish, but it also makes a great weeknight dinner with a poached egg or some white beans on top.

Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (1)

Why we love this recipe

With just a few ingredients and a few minutes, this recipe packs a flavor punch. Gremolata is an Italian condiment traditionally made from parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. It's often called a "sauce," but it's more like a savory sprinkle.

Our broccolini recipe with gremolata is:

  • Vibrant and flavorful
  • Quick and easy enough for a weeknight
  • Special enough for a holiday
  • A vegan nutritional powerhouse, but you'll hardly notice

What you'll need

Here's a glance at what you'll need to make this broccolini recipe. It's not much!

Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (2)
  • Broccoliniis a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli, with long, crisp-tender stems and delicate florets. It’s mildly flavored and an absolute dream to cook with.
  • I've pictured curly parsley here because that's what we got in our farm box, but I prefer to make this recipe with flat-leaf Italian parsley. (That said, it's very flexible —so use what you've got.)
  • A good-quality olive oil is nice here, since you won't be cooking with it, and the flavors will come through. The olive oil is not part of the sauce, but drizzling a little bit on top (along with some lemon juice) really rounds out the dish.

How to make it

Here's all you need to do to make this easy broccolini recipe with gremolata. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get the full instructions in the recipe card below.

Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (3)
  1. First you'll cook the broccolini until crisp-tender. If you like, you can shock it in a bowl of ice water for a minute after cooking. This helps preserve the bright green color.
  2. Finely chop the parsley.
  3. Use a microplane to grate lemon zest and garlic onto the parsley, then mix it all together.
  4. Spoon the gremolata over the broccolini and serve. That's it!

Expert tips and FAQs

What is broccolini?

It's a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli. This is a powerhouse combination. It's got long stems that easily cook up to crisp-tender, along with delicate florets. The flavor is mild and wonderful.

What is gremolata?

It often gets called a sauce, but really it's more of a savory sprinkle. This Italian condiment is traditionally made from finely chopped parsley, grated lemon zest, and garlic. It's uncooked, so it's bright, fresh, and vibrant.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

Yes! It's great served hot or at room temperature, so you can easily make it earlier in the day on serving day.

What can I do with leftover gremolata?

It's best on the day it's made, but you can store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge and use them the next day. This is one flexible condiment. It's great on: lamb, fish, chicken, steak, eggs, beans, tomatoes...you name it.

What is the difference between chimichurri and gremolata?

Chimichurri is another great herb-heavy condiment for protein and veggies. It's richer, with olive oil as its base, and tends to include vinegar and oregano, too. Gremolata is drier and features lemon rather than vinegar. Chimichurri originates in Argentina and Uruguay, while gremolata is Italian.

How to serve it

This recipe makes an excellent side dish at the holidays or on a weeknight. Or turn it into a complete meal by adding:

  • Canned white beans
  • A poached or fried egg
  • Some leftover chicken or steak

More great recipes

  • Got broccolini? Make this frittata or this bowl.
  • Looking for flexible veggie side dishes that are special enough for a holiday? A few other favorites are green beans, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, kale, and cauliflower.

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Yield: 4

Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata

Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (4)

This simple, vibrant, and flavorful recipe works equally well as a holiday side dish and a simple dinner (just add a poached egg or some white beans). A microplane makes quick work of the garlic and lemon zest.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time5 minutes

Total Time10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound broccolini, ends trimmed
  • 1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 medium garlic clove, peeled
  • 2 lemons
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In abraiseror12-inch lidded pan, bring ½-inch of water to a boil with a good pinch of salt. Add broccolini and cook until tender but crisp and vibrant green, about 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water if you like to stop cooking and preserve bright color. (You don't have to do this, but it's a cool and reliable trick.) Arrange broccolini on a platter.
  2. While the broccolini cooks, finely chop the parsley. Using a microplane, grate the garlic and then the zest of both lemons onto the parsley. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon salt overtop and then mix it all together well.
  3. Spoon gremolata over broccolini, drizzle with olive oil and the juice from ½ a lemon and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Gremolata is a flexible recipe. Once you get to know it, you can substitute other herbs or citrus if you like.
  2. Gremolata is best used on the day it's made, but you can store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge to use the next day if you like. It's great on lamb, fish, chicken, beans, steak — you name it.
  3. This recipe is great hot or at room temperature. You can make it earlier in the day if you like.
  4. Leftover broccolini can be stored tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a a week.

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Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 106Total Fat: 4.4gCarbohydrates: 18.6gFiber: 6.4gProtein: 4.9g

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Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (10)

About Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Hi there, I'm Carolyn Gratzer Cope, founder and publisher of Umami Girl. Join me in savoring life, one recipe at a time. I'm a professional recipe developer with training from the French Culinary Institute (now ICE) and a lifetime of studying, appreciating, and sharing food. More about me.

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Easy Broccolini Recipe with Gremolata (2024)

FAQs

How long should I steam broccolini? ›

Add about 1 inch of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add broccolini, cover and steam for about 5 minutes. Remove with tongs, season with salt & pepper, then finish with a drizzle of olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons.

Do you cut leaves off broccolini? ›

A great thing about broccolini is you can eat the entire bunch, including the leaves, stalk, and even the occasional yellow flowers.

Are you supposed to eat the stems of broccolini? ›

The best way to experience the health benefits of broccolini is to eat it raw. The stems, leaves, and florets are all edible. You can also choose to steam your broccolini and serve it as a side to complete a tasty, nutritious meal.

How do you take the bitterness out of broccolini? ›

The easiest way to rid broccoli rabe of some of its bitter flavor is by blanching it first. Just a quick dip in boiling water extracts enough of the bitterness and jumpstarts the cooking.

Is it better to boil or steam broccoli? ›

Stir-frying and stir-frying/boiling, the two most popular methods for most homemade dishes in China, cause great losses of chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugar, vitamin C, and glucosinolates, but the steaming method appears the best in retention of the nutrients in cooking broccoli.

How to steam broccoli for dummies? ›

Add the broccoli florets to a steamer basket, and place it in a saucepan filled with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Let steam for 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is crisp-tender and bright green.

Which herb is usually used in gremolata? ›

Gremolata is traditionally made with just three ingredients: flat-leaf parsley, fresh garlic, and lemon zest. You finely chop the parsley, then mix it with grated garlic and lemon zest (which work together to tame the bitter herb into gentle submission).

What does gremolata mean in English? ›

Gremolata (Italian: [ɡremoˈlaːta]) or gremolada ( Italian: [ɡremoˈlaːda]; Lombard: [ɡremuˈlaːda]) is a green sauce made of chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. It is the standard accompaniment to the Milanese braised veal shank dish ossobuco alla milanese.

What is the difference between chimichurri and gremolata? ›

While both include parsley and garlic, their other ingredients impart distinct tastes and textures — gremolata has lemon zest and chimichurri gets its acidity from vinegar. And while chimichurri incorporates olive oil and vinegar, gremolata does not, so it's dry.

Why is my broccolini tough? ›

The ends of stalks are usually quite tough so trim off and discard about half an inch of the bottom of the stem. The rest of the broccolini is tender and edible. To ensure even cooking, I like to cut the stems lengthwise to make them a bit thinner.

Can you eat broccolini when it turns yellow? ›

An internet search shows the yellow flowers indicate the broccolini has aged, but is still safe to eat.

Why is broccolini good for you? ›

Broccolini® is the super simple superfood that is rich in folate, fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants and also low in kilojoules, sugars & sodium. It's a delicious way to add more green veg to your diet to help deliver essential nutrients to keep you feeling good.

Do you cook broccolini different than broccoli? ›

Broccolini have long, firm stalks and leafy florets with small leaves. Broccolini tastes milder and sweeter than broccoli. Because its stalks are thinner, broccolini require less prep work than broccoli (which tend to have woodier stalks). Broccolini lends itself to roasting, grilling, sauteing and steaming.

What parts of the broccolini plant are edible? ›

The entire vegetable can be eaten, from the stems and the florets to the tiny yellow flowers that sometimes appear on mature vegetables. Broccolini can also be eaten raw or cooked.

Do you cut broccoli before or after boiling? ›

here's something I didn't know. until I was in my thirties. broccoli should be chopped after it's boiled.

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