Easy Garlicky Sauteed Broccolini with Lemon Recipe

Learn how to cook broccolini in a pan the easy (and delicious) way with this Easy Sauteed Broccolini and Garlic with Lemon- ready in just 15 minutes!

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Easy weeknight Sauteed Broccolini and Garlic

Made with simple ingredients, and ready in under 15 minutes, this Sauteed Broccolini recipe takes fresh broccolini to the next level!

Made with plenty of fresh garlic, lemon, dry white wine (or stock), and a hint of spice from crushed red pepper flakes, this is one of the easiest and tastiest side dishes you can make alongside just about any meal!

A little fancier and crisper than regular broccoli, this easy side dish is a simple way to bring some tasty, bright green color to your plate! And unlike traditional broccoli, you'll love the texture and flavor of the broccolini stems!  Serve this easy sautéed broccolini any night of the week!

What makes this recipe special?

The key is quickly blanching and shocking the Broccolini prior to sautéing, to give it the perfect texture, and help retain it's beautiful green color!

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make Garlicky Sauteed Broccolini:

• 2 bunches Broccolini (about 1 pound total). Trim any rough stems off, and remove any large leaves. Be sure to do more than 1 bunch of broccolini, as it loses some volume in the cooking process. 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced.
• Kosher salt and black pepper (or a pepper medley).
• Crushed red pepper flakes. This recipe calls for ½ tsp, but you can scale that down if you like less spice.
• Dry white wine, or dry vermouth. Use a wine you like to drink, if using wine, such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay. I love subbing in Dry Vermouth when I am out of white wine for cooking! Dry vermouth has a light, herbaceous flavor, and is slightly bitter and less sweet than sweet vermouth. For a recipe that calls for a small amount of wine like this one, it's perfect!
• The zest of ½ lemon.
• Lemon wedges, for serving. Adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end right before eating makes for the perfectly balanced bite! 

What is Broccolini?

Often referred to as "baby broccoli", Broccolini is actually a hybrid vegetable- a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli (gai lan), with thin stalks. A relatively new veggie, Broccolini was first introduced to consumers in the 1990's, and is widely available in most supermarkets and grocery stores.

Unlike somewhat bitter broccoli rabe, Broccolini has a bit of a sweeter flavor, and makes a perfect accompaniment to most dinners! I love it's crisp tender bite.

Broccolini cooks quickly, and has a nice bite to it. It's a great elevated side veggie for that pairs well with seared steak, salmon, chicken, pork chops and more!

How to Cook Broccolini in a Pan

1. Rinse Broccolini well, and trim and rough edges/stems off and discard. 
2. Heat a large pot of water (6-8 cups) over high heat, and bring to a boil. 
3. Fill a large bowl with cold water, and add plenty of ice (around 2 cups). Set aside. 
4. Once water is boiling, add trimmed Broccolini to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes.  
5. After 2 minutes, immediately remove Broccolini to the ice bath with a spider or slotted spoon. 
6. Let broccolini cool in the ice water for a minute or 2, then remove and drain well on paper towels, patting gently to remove excess water. 
7. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
8. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and stir. 
9. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 
10. Add dried broccolini, salt and pepper to the hot skillet, and toss to coat. 
11. Add wine.
12. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes, until broccolini is tender, and liquid is mostly absorbed. 
13. Add lemon zest the the pan, and toss to coat. (see recipe card below for full instructions and ingredients list).

Tools for the perfect Sauteed Broccolini and Garlic

Here's what you'll need to make this easy Sauteed Broccolini.

• A large pot or saucepan, for blanching the raw broccolini in boiling water prior to sautéing.
• A large bowl and plenty of ice, for quickly shocking the broccolini after blanching to stop the cooking process.
• A Spider or slotted spoon, for transferring the blanched Broccolini to the ice bath.
• Paper towels, for drying the blanched and cooled veggies well before sautéing.
• A large skillet or frying pan, to cook the broccolini.
• A zester, for an easy way to add the lemon zest at the end of cooking. I swear by my Microplane zester!
• A sharp knife and cutting board, for trimming the veggies, and thinly slicing the garlic cloves.

Storing leftovers

Store any leftover Broccolini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Substitutions and Additions

This Sauteed Broccolini and Garlic recipe is easily adapted to work with what you have in your refrigerator and pantry, as well as with your personal preferences. Here are some great substitutions and additions you can use to make this recipe your own:

• Not a fan of spice? Omit or reduce the amount of red chili flakes. A pinch of red pepper flakes is all you need, so adjust according to your spice preferences.
• Do a garlic butter spin, and swap the olive oil for unsalted butter.
• Use a little water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock in place of the white wine.
• Like less garlic? Use as many cloves as you like! I LOVE garlic, so this recipe calls for 8 whole cloves. You could easily use about half and it would still be delicious!
• Add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese just before serving!
• Swap the red pepper flakes for some Italian seasoning.
• Get fancy, and add some toasted pine nuts just before serving.

More great veggie side dishes

If you love this easy Sauteed Broccolini and Garlic recipe, you'll love these quick and easy veggie sides, too!

• Easy Air Fryer Zucchini and Yellow Squash
• Oven Roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus
• Maple Pecan Roasted Kabocha Squash
• Stuffed Pattypan Squash with Rainbow Chard, Walnuts & Goat Cheese

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