This roasted broccoli and cauliflower recipe is crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth delicious on the inside! Sweet roasted peppers, parmesan cheese, and a squeeze of lemon contribute to the beautifully balanced flavor of this quick and easy dish. Serve with a side of marinara, ranch, or lemon garlic aioli sauce for dipping!
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One of the most nostalgic foods that I find myself constantly craving is the calamari they used to serve at Red Lobster, specifically the melt-in-your-mouth broccoli that accompanied it. As much as I love squid, it was the broccoli that stole the show every single time.
This roasted broccoli and cauliflower recipe draws inspiration from that old family favorite and makes a delicious, easy, vegetarian-friendly side dish or appetizer. Serve with a side of cream cheese garlic bread for the full restaurant experience!
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Broccoli & cauliflower: I recommend chopping florets from a fresh head of each for best results.
- Red bell pepper: Optional, but adds a hint of sweetness.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper.
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Parmesan: Freshly grated is the way to go. You can also use the Bellavitano Merlot cheese.
- Lemon slices: Lime would be great too.
- Optional ingredients: Feel free to try adding other veggies like carrots, onions, parsnips, broccolini, fennel, sweet potatoes, squash, leeks, and more.
🥦 How To Make Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
Step 1: Boil 4 cups of well-salted water. Add broccoli florets and blanch 3 minutes, then add cauliflower and blanch an additional 2 minutes.
Pro Tip: Broccoli and cauliflower should be just barely tender but still holding their shape. It should not be fully cooked or it will become too mushy in the oven.
Step 2: Strain broccoli and cauliflower in a colander, then allow them to dry on paper towels for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F.
Step 3: Slice bell pepper into strips and add to a large bowl, along with broccoli and cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper; toss until thoroughly coated.
Step 4: Spread vegetables in a single layer over a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables begin to brown slightly and the peppers soften.
Step 5: In a small bowl, mix panko crumbs, seasonings, and freshly grated parmesan. Remove pan from the oven and gently toss veggies in bread crumb mix to evenly coat, then return to the pan.
Pro Tip: This would be a good time to flip the veggies. There should be a slight char on the side of the veggies that were in contact with the pan during the first roast, so they should return to the pan charred-side up.
Step 6: Return pan to the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and crisp. You can finish them off by broiling for 1-2 minutes if they aren't crispy enough. Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
I recommend topping this roasted cauliflower and broccoli with a little extra fresh parmesan just before serving, and offering a dipping sauce such as marinara, blue cheese dressing, spicy ranch sauce, sriracha aioli sauce, remoulade, or creamy dill dressing. Drizzling everything with a little cowboy butter would be another great option.
This roasted broccoli cauliflower recipe makes a great appetizer or side dish, perfect for serving alongside blackened swordfish, reverse seared smoked ribeyes, or this frozen salmon in an air fryer. It's also great with soups like leek and potato soup with bacon or Swiss chard soup.
You can use leftover panko to make crispy panko shrimp or these potato cheese balls.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Broccoli and cauliflower can absolutely be roasted together. The important thing is that the florets are similar in size so that they cook evenly.
Blanching is totally optional, but doing so will break down the fibrous texture of the broccoli. If you prefer a melt-in-the-mouth texture, blanching is the way to go, but if you want a firmer mouthfeel, you can skip this step.
For best results, cauliflower and broccoli should be roasted between 400°F-425°F for 15-25 minutes.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Try to make the broccoli and cauliflower florets uniform in size, around 1-2" in length.
- The blanching water should be salty enough to taste like the sea. This seasons the veggies from the inside out for restaurant-quality flavor.
- Let the steam escape before tossing veggies with oil, as this will help them roast properly without becoming soggy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Leftover roasted cauliflower and broccoli can be re-crisped in the oven or air fryer at 375°F for 4-8 minutes, shaking halfway through. Keep an eye on them because the breadcrumbs can darken fast.
🥕 More Roasted Veggie Recipes
Love this roasted cauliflower and broccoli recipe? Try these roasted veggie dishes next!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Boil 4 cups of well-salted water. Add broccoli florets and blanch 3 minutes, then add cauliflower and blanch an additional 2 minutes.
- Strain broccoli and cauliflower in a colander, then allow them to dry on paper towels for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F.
- Slice bell pepper into strips and add to a large bowl, along with broccoli and cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper; toss until thoroughly coated.
- Spread vegetables in a single layer over a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables begin to brown slightly and the peppers soften.
- In a small bowl, mix panko crumbs, seasonings, and freshly grated parmesan. Remove pan from the oven and gently toss veggies in bread crumb mix to evenly coat, then return to the pan.
- Return pan to the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and crisp. You can finish them off by broiling for 1-2 minutes if they aren't crispy enough. Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Notes
- Broccoli and cauliflower should be just barely tender but still holding their shape. It should not be fully cooked, or it will become too mushy in the oven.
- This would be a good time to flip the veggies. There should be a slight char on the side of the veggies that were in contact with the pan during the first roast, so they should return to the pan charred-side up.
- Try to make the broccoli and cauliflower florets uniform in size, around 1-2" in length.
- The blanching water should be salty enough to taste like the sea. This seasons the veggies from the inside out for restaurant-quality flavor.
- Let the steam escape before tossing veggies with oil, as this will help them roast properly without becoming soggy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Leftover roasted cauliflower and broccoli can be re-crisped in the oven or air fryer at 375°F for 4-8 minutes, shaking halfway through. Keep an eye on them because the breadcrumbs can darken fast.
Nena Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe!