Everyone knows broccoli is healthy for your body and is a superfood powerhouse that’s high in fiber too. While it’s delicious served raw and steamed, my favorite way to eat it these days is roasted in the skillet.
Most often when I choose a recipe to feature here from a cookbook I love, I tend to skew toward the main dishes or maybe a dessert. But lately, I’ve been hearing my sister’s voice in my head, replaying her request to add more easy side dishes to my recipe list. Sides that aren’t complicated to make, or that call for too many unusual ingredients.
Just really good, simple food that compliments a variety of mains to pair it with.
So when I received the new cookbook A Couple Cooks Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food from my friends Sonja and Alex Overhiser, I found myself totally torn between several of the recipes within, and even took to Instagram stories to ask which you’d like to see between a simple broccoli side dish or Turmeric Cauliflower tacos.
I bought the ingredients for both dishes, because hey, I can always use a great side dish for my dinner menu, and was even mid-photo shoot of Sonja and Alex’s recipe for Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos when my memory was suddenly jogged as to why this recipe sounded familiar…because my friend Ali had just shared it on her site.
So instead of redoing an already done-great-recipe, I’m sharing something else –> this totally easy Broccoli with Feta side dish that is going to make my sister (and myself…and you…) totally happy I did.
So how do Sonja and Alex define pretty simple cooking and the recipes in their cookbook?
As Sonja and Alex share, “Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just starting out, our hope is that you’ll find love in the cooking process and it brings infinite value to your life.” And by balancing creative but accessible recipes with easy to find ingredients they show time and time again every level of cook can create bold, inspired flavors for wholesome recipes that are indeed both pretty AND simple.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for good, pretty, and simple eating to me.
In This Post
How to Make Easy Broccoli with Feta Cheese
This recipe really couldn’t be simpler to make and overall takes a whole 10-15 minutes to prepare, and cooked in just one skillet. Choose a good quality, heavy bottomed pan for the best even cooking. This pan and this pan are my favorites for the job and require minimal oil, keeping this dish totally on the healthy side.
I choose broccoli florets (the trimmed little broccoli crowns) for this dish because while the stalks have tons of nutritional value themselves, I more often find them of better use in soups like my Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup where they’re blended intothe soup for even more nutritional punch.
For an even bigger time saver, consider buying bagged, pre-cut florets from the produce section that are ready to go.
I was sort of surprised at first to think of using green onion in this side dish because I tend to go with red onion or sliced shallots when it comes pairing with broccoli, to add a bit of color. But that’s the exact reason that this time around going green is the thing, keeping this dish in one monochromatic hue. But if red onion is all you have, you can certainly substitute if you’d like.
Feta cheese is one of my favorite, easy flavor additions and iti totally does the job here, adding slightly salty bite that goes with all sorts of main meals.
What to Serve With This Side to Make a Meal
The question really is more what CAN’T you serve with it?
- Meyer Lemon Fettuccine to keep dinner super simple and totally vegetarian
- 10 Minute Maple Crusted Salmon
- Simple Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon Roast Chicken with Buttery Parsley Potatoes
- I meal prepped a batch of this broccoli at the beginning of the week and then added some of my roasted tomatoes and roasts chicken with a drizzle of dressing over lettuce greens and grains (think quinoa, brown rice, farro) for a super easy, super delicious lunch all week long.
- Turn this into an easy wrap with shredded baked chicken breast, sliced almonds and shredded cabbage drizzled with a few tablespoons of my Asian master sauce for another idea for a masterful lunch crunch.
Easy Broccoli with Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 large heads broccoli about 1 ½ pounds
- 2-3 green onions
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons feta cheese
Instructions
- Chop the broccoli into florets and thinly slice the green onion.
- In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil with the broccoli florets and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the green onions and season with the salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes more, until the broccoli is crisp-tender and browned in spots.
- Add the feta, season with more salt and pepper to taste and serve.
My family loved this!