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Braised broccolini on a plate with 2 pieces of lemon on top and a striped napkin underneath.

Braised Broccolini

Beth Lee
Braised Broccolini, also known as baby broccoli, is such a simple but elegant and delicious side dish. Serve it with a quick weeknight meal or as part of a weekend dinner party menu.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 42 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch broccolini
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter
  • ⅓-1/2 cup water
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper or to taste
  • lemon wedges optional

Instructions
 

  • Wash the broccolini and just trim the bottom of the stalk a smidgen - maybe ½ inch.
    Broccolini on a wooden cutting board with a Japanese knife to cut the stalk ends.
  • Place the broccolini in the saute pan with the water and dot the top with the butter.
    Baby broccoli in a sauté pan with cubes of butter.
  • Cover the pan and put the stove on about medium (if your stove is not very hot, try medium high, at least until you hear it boiling). It will come to a boil quickly - in 2 or 3 minutes.
    Pan is covered on stove top.
  • Once it boils, turn it down to medium low (should still hear it making some noise in the pan as it cooks) and leave it covered. Check it after an additional 2-3 minutes. If a fork can pierce the stalk, it’s ready. If it is no longer bright green, it has already cooked for too long so better to check earlier than later!
    Broccolini pan covered but liquid accumulating on the clear glass cover.
  • The butter will melt into the broccolini and what’s left of the water and create a bit of a sauce. Take the broccolini out of the pan once it is ready so it will stop cooking and place it on your serving platter of choice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
    Baby broccoli cooked in pan with the cover off.
  • Optional finishing sauce: Add some lemon juice to the remaining butter/water mixture in the pan along with the salt and pepper and let it reduce for a minute (if that). Then pour this over the broccolini.
    Braising liquid reduced and still in pan.

Notes

  1. Usually I cook these as whole stalks, but another option is to cut the stems/stalks into smaller pieces so you have bite size pieces of stalk and smaller florets. Just depends on how you plan to serve them.
  2. If the stalks are thicker, cook time might increase just a bit. That's why I suggest checking at 5 minutes and then cook a bit longer if needed.
  3. Roasting is another great way to cook broccolini.
  4. Adding some sauce or crunchy toppings is a great option. Tahini sauce, oyster sauce, pomegranate molasses, sesame oil & soy sauce, for example. For crunchies, almonds, sesame seeds, pine nuts are a few examples.

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 38mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 840IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.4mg
Keyword braising, broccolini, vegetable
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