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Roasted Frozen Broccoli with an Easy Asian Sauce

Roasted Frozen Broccoli? Yes, it can be done and yes, it’s actually GOOD! Try it alone or with this easy Asian sauce for a flavorful side dish.

Roasted frozen broccoli with an easy asian sauce in a black bowl on a rustic wood table.

Roasted Frozen Broccoli with an Easy Asian Sauce is one of those recipes that happened almost as an accident.

A few nights ago, I needed a side dish and I needed one fast. My pantry and freezer were almost empty, which is rare for me. But having just completed the manuscript for my second cookbook, I’d been cooking like a fiend and had used most of what I had on hand.

Except for a lone bag of frozen broccoli that had been left behind.

Roasted frozen broccoli with an easy asian sauce in a black bowl on a sheet pan.

I thought about what I might make with it. I’d just created several broccoli recipes for the cookbook but I wanted something different (since that’s all I’d been eating for months). I adore roasted broccoli, the way it crisps up which adds so much flavor (just like brussels sprouts, amiright?).

Still…Roasted frozen broccoli??

It seemed like a recipe for disaster more than a recipe for a side dish I’d want to eat, let alone one I’d want to share here.

But I gave it a go.

The first batch was good. We ate it and enjoyed it. It’s softer than when roasting fresh broccoli, but I don’t see any way around that. It crisped up pretty well and I was relatively pleased.

But I wanted to do better. So I made it a few more times until I got the best roasted frozen broccoli possible.

Roasted frozen broccoli with an easy asian sauce in a black bowl on a rustic wood table.

The key is to start out with a preheated sheet pan. This will give you that wonderful sizzle and start the broccoli not only cooking immediately but releasing its water from having been frozen.

Another key step is to roast it at a very high temperature – 500 degrees! This is important because you really need it crisp up as fast as possible.

And finally, you want to briefly pull the pan out of the oven about five minutes after it first starts to cook. The frozen broccoli will release a lot of water which needs to be poured off (or soaked up with a paper towel, which I’ve found is easiest) so that it can roast and brown instead of steam.

Once the water has been released and discarded, this is when you’ll add the oil and seasoning. It’s also how you’ll get the best roasted frozen broccoli!

Roasted frozen broccoli with an easy asian sauce in a black bowl on a rustic wood table.

But I wasn’t done there. You can stop there and serve it as-is if you prefer, but we felt it still needed something more. (To be fair, I almost always feel that way about broccoli in general). I remembered that I had some of an easy Asian sauce in my refrigerator left from when I made these Crispy Baked Asian drumsticks. Perfect! We tossed that easy Asian sauce with the roasted frozen broccoli, and we had a winner!

Then the next night we made both the Asian drumsticks and the broccoli. With a little cooked white rice, it’s a perfect meal!

I would never have believed that I could make roasted frozen broccoli and have it turn out so delicious. Make it with or without the easy Asian sauce, but do keep this easy side dish recipe on file!

Roasted frozen broccoli with an easy asian sauce in a black bowl on a rustic wood table.

Roasted Frozen Broccoli with an Easy Asian Sauce

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Roasted Frozen Broccoli? Yes, it can be done and yes, it's actually GOOD! Try it alone or with this easy Asian sauce for a flavorful side dish.

Ingredients

Roasted Frozen Broccoli

  • 1 32 oz bag frozen broccoli florets
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp coarse salt

Easy Asian Sauce

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp Sriracha, optional
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 500 F. When oven reaches temperature, place a sheet pan in oven for five minutes to preheat.
  2. Remove sheet pan from oven and immediately put frozen broccoli on pan in a single layer. Return to the oven and cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove the pan from the oven and pour off any accumulated water (I tilt the pan until all the water is in one corner and soak it up with a few paper towels). Once all the water is gone, drizzle the broccoli with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss. Return to oven and continue roasting another 10 minutes, or until broccoli is nicely charred to your liking.
  4. Meanwhile, mix together all of the sauce ingredients except sesame seeds. Toss with cooked broccoli, top with sesame seeds and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1313mgCarbohydrates: 39gNet Carbohydrates: 31gFiber: 8gSugar: 23gProtein: 7g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Kristy Bernardo
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Lisa

Sunday 3rd of February 2019

Thank you for sharing your recipe and such helpful tips on making the most of frozen broccoli. This was delicious and I've taken your tips to other versions of roasted frozen broccoli with success.

Kristy

Tuesday 5th of February 2019

I'm so happy it's helped out, Lisa. Thank you for the comment! Cheers - Kristy

Carolyn

Monday 30th of April 2018

Love that you roasted this directly from frozen!!!

Jennifer Blake

Thursday 26th of April 2018

I could eat this all by myself! I love broccoli and the flavors of this sauce are one of my favorites.

Erin

Thursday 26th of April 2018

Roasted broccoli is the best, such a great sauce on this!

Jennifer Farley

Thursday 26th of April 2018

I love this as a healthy side dish! Yum!

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