Roasted sweet baby broccoli topped with a Spanish romesco sauce made from piquillo peppers, almonds, garlic, and seasonings. Packed with flavor, this recipe is sure to spruce up broccoli in way you’ve never experienced!
Sweet baby broccoli is a hybrid between broccoli and Chinese kale – this tasty vegetable has been incredibly popular since it was first introduced to the US by Mann Packing, under the catchy name ‘Broccolini’. It’s a star ingredient in a lot of vegetable dishes as well as a delicious side.
It’s a simple way to put a delicious dinner on the table. I love roasting veggies when I have a chicken in the oven. I just toss them in during the last 15-20 minutes the chicken is cooking and they are ready to go in time for dinner.
Romesco is a Spanish sauce hailing from the Catalonia region. It’s tomato-based, with a savory mix of garlic and nuts incorporated. It’s perfect for drizzling over vegetables, not to mention over some expertly roasted sweet baby broccoli.
How to Make This Recipe
The broccoli leaves are edible, so there’s no need to remove them. Trim the stems if they are particularly thick so that everything is evenly cooked
Evenly line up your prepared baby broccoli on a baking tray, and put it into your pre-heated oven (photo 1 – 375F). Roast the sweet baby broccoli for around 16-20 minutes, until they are tender when tested with a fork (photo 2).
Romesco Sauce Recipe
While the broccoli is roasting, you can make a start on the Romesco sauce. In a food processor or blender add the drained piquillo peppers, some slivered almonds (less 1 tablespoon), olive oil, garlic clove, apple cider vinegar, paprika, parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes. Blend the ingredients until you have a smooth sauce.
To serve, lay your roasted sweet baby broccoli on a platter and drizzle your fresh Romesco sauce over the top. Garnish with slivered almonds and some shaved parmesan (if you like). You can also serve the sauce on the side, but it does look so spectacular atop the roasted broccoli!
More Vegetable Side Dishes
Fill your table with these side dishes to satisfy your appetite.
Roasted Sweet Baby Broccoli with Piquillo Pepper Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 oz jar roasted red piquillo peppers drained
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 bunches sweet baby broccoli
- Optional: shaved parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Roast the sweet baby broccoli 16-20 minutes until fork tender, depending on the thickness of the sweet baby broccoli.
- In the meantime, Add the drained piquillo peppers, slivered almonds (less 1 tbsp), olive oil, garlic clove, apple cider vinegar, paprika, parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- To serve, add the sweet baby broccoli to a serving dish. Top with 1 tbsp of slivered almonds, shaved parmesan (optional), and either top with romesco sauce or serve on the side.
Notes
- The leaves are edible, so there’s no need to remove them
- Trim the stems if they are particularly thick so that everything is evenly cooked
- Sweet baby broccoli is a hybrid between broccoli and Chinese kale – this tasty vegetable has been incredibly popular since it was first introduced to the US by Mann Packing, under the catchy name ‘Broccolini’. It’s a star ingredient in a lot of vegetable dishes as well as a delicious side.
We just try this tonight and my wife and 3 children absolutely love it. Last night we tried the garlic and tomato confit… It reminds me of an authentic Italian restaurant we used to always go to In San Francisco… It was absolutely perfect thank you again
This makes me so happy to hear, Ario… thank you for sharing this with me! I love hearing feedback on my recipes 🙂