Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Another title for this post could have been "World's Easiest Side Dish." Now, many people think of broccoli as the flavorless and/or mushy steamed traumatic veggie of their childhoods. Watch as this baby is subjected to broccoli for the first time:





However, roasting the broccoli does magical things. It makes it crunchy and full of delicious, almost nutty flavor that is further enhanced by the parmesan cheese.

This healthy, tasty side dish also makes for a great snack. My roommate and I eat this stuff like it's popcorn. We have even been known to roast up some of this broccoli as drunk food... THAT'S how good it tastes!

This is super easy to make, so go ahead, give broccoli another chance.


Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccoli

• Grated parmesan cheese. Grate it yourself if you can, but the kind in the plastic canister is fine, too.

• Olive oil

• Garlic salt

• Pepper

If you notice, I don't really have amounts for any of the ingredients. That's because you can pretty much eyeball how much seasoning and cheese you need based on how much broccoli your bunch yields.


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the broccoli and cut the stalk away from the florets (the nice bunchy part at the top).




Most people don't realize you can eat the stalk too and end up throwing away half their broccoli! Just peel the stalk with a peeler or a sharp knife to get rid of any leaves and to take off the tough outer peel. I just said "peel" a lot. Peel, peel, peel.

Anyways, it should go from looking like this....




...to this!




Slice up the stalk into thin chips. These are actually my roommate's favorite parts, as they become nice and crispy in the oven.

Cut up the florets and put them and the chips onto a baking sheet covered with foil for easy cleaning. Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat evenly.





Pop the pan into the oven for about 25 minutes. The broccoli is done when it has become nice and browned around the edges. About five minutes before it's done, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss to coat evenly, and put it back in the oven to finish roasting.





When the broccoli is done, put in on a plate or bowl, top with some more parmesan, and enjoy!





Do YOU have any recipes for easy vegetable side dishes? Have you replaced pizza and Chinese food with roasted broccoli as your drunk food of choice? Let us know!