This 3-Ingredient Broccoli Is the Low-Effort Side I Make All the Time

When I need a fast, low-effort vegetable side dish to serve with dinner, I reach for broccoli. It’s my kids’ favorite green vegetable, and my husband’s too. In fact, we play a game of “broccoli monster” every time a dish of florets goes down on the table. “Oh no,” I warn the girls, “the broccoli monster is going to eat ALL OF YOUR VEGETABLES!”

They frantically scramble to take a portion for themselves, and I sit back and silently celebrate another nutritious win at the dinner table, trying not to crack a smile.

A Simple Level-Up

More often than not, I am throwing a packet of frozen broccoli into the air fryer, spraying it with avocado oil, sprinkling on some garlic salt, then letting it rip. But I recently discovered a combination of just two ingredients that makes for such a delicious result, we need a full roasting pan to make sure everybody gets as much as they want: bottled Caesar dressing and grated parmesan cheese.

To make this savory, cheesy, well-browned batch of broccoli, you’ll need a big bowl, a baking sheet, and a very hot oven. The big bowl allows for even tossing, so all of the broccoli gets a nice coating of dressing. You’ll preheat the baking sheet in the oven, so the broccoli starts to sear as soon as it hits the hot surface. After less than 20 minutes of roasting, it’s done.

How To Serve Your Broccoli

Once you’ve transferred all of the broccoli to its serving dish, you’ll want to use a wooden spatula or spoon to scrape the crispy cheesy bits off of the pan — they’re just as tasty as the broccoli itself and make a great crunchy topping. This also leaves less cleanup later when you go to scrub the baking sheet. 

If you want, you can do a deluxe take on this recipe: First, crisp up some panko with butter in a skillet while the broccoli is roasting. Next, top the cooked broccoli with the breadcrumbs, along with a shower of fresh parmesan and cracked pepper. Serve with a bowl of Caesar dressing on the side for dipping.

Serve your broccoli alongside a rotisserie chicken, some roasted salmon, or another simple main dish. A batch of garlic bread, buttered noodles, or any other kid-friendly carb completes the meal in my house. Whatever age your broccoli monsters are, they’ll enjoy this one. 

My Favorite Dressing Brand

As far as bottled dressings go, my favorite Caesar happens to be the least expensive and the easiest to find: a shelf-stable squeeze bottle of Kraft original. Maybe it’s because the flavor is so recognizable, indelibly stamped on my brain since childhood. It has a balance of tangy, cheesy, and creamy notes, the sort of concoction food scientists must have puzzled over in a lab until they achieved maximum deliciousness.

Obviously, a batch of fresh, homemade dressing will be better in every way, but here, when you’re just using it as a coating to roast vegetables, the bottled stuff works very well.

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Roasted Caesar Broccoli

For 4 to 6 servings, you’ll need:

• 2 pounds broccoli florets (bagged/precut or from 4 medium crowns broccoli)
• 1/2 cup bottled Caesar dressing (Kraft or your favorite brand)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place an unlined metal baking sheet in the oven. 

While the oven is preheating, add the broccoli florets to a large mixing bowl and drizzle or spoon the dressing over the florets. Toss to coat evenly, making sure all of the broccoli is coated in a thin layer of dressing. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the broccoli and toss to coat. 

When the oven is preheated, remove the baking sheet, spray it with an even coating of cooking spray, then quickly spread out the broccoli florets in a single layer. Roast the broccoli until you see some good browning along the edges of the stalks and on the buds of each floret, 12 to 15 minutes. Use a thin, flexible spatula to flip the florets, then bake until browned on the other side, about 5 more minutes.

Transfer the broccoli to a serving dish and serve right away. Refrigerate leftovers in a lidded container for up to 4 days. To reheat, air fry or bake at 400ºF for a few minutes, until heated through.