Home > Healthy Recipes > Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili

Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili

By Chef Devan

|

Updated on

What is broccolini, baby broccoli or broccolette? They’re all just fancy relatives of broccoli.

I love broccolette (fancy broccoli) because it’s slightly sweeter and quicker to prepare than normal broccoli. It’s an easy weeknight dinner side dish that I cook when I want something healthy but delicious. And I’ve got a really quick method for making a delicious infused garlic chili oil that you will want to put on everything.

Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili

What’s the Difference Between Broccolette, Broccolini and Broccoli Rabe?

Basically, broccolette and broccolini are sweeter and more tender than normal broccoli. Broccoli rabe or rapini, on the other hand, are much more bitter.

Here’s a rundown on the differences between broccolette, broccolini and broccoli rabe, rapini and baby broccoli.

Broccolette/ Broccolini – These two names are actually the same and this is what we will be cooking today. This vegetable is a cross between regular broccoli and Chinese kale (gai lan). The result is sweeter, more tender broccoli with thinner stems.

Other names include asparagus broccoli, baby broccoli and bimi.

Broccoli Rabe/ Rapini – Although this vegetable looks similar, the flavour is much different. Broccoli Rabe is closely related to the turnip family so it has a much stronger bitter flavour. It can be a wonderfully tasty vegetable but needs extra acidity to balance the bitterness.

If using broccoli rabe, you can still use this same recipe here but be sure to add lots more lemon juice to counter the bitterness from the broccoli rabe (use an extra half lemon, juiced).

broccolette raw on a plate.
These beautifully thin stems will cook as fast as the florets.

Broccolette Nutrition

Although normal broccoli has a little bit more nutrition than broccolette, it’s still a very smart choice. It’s so rich in vitamin C that you can get your full daily recommended intake with only 1 cup of broccolette! Other nutrients include potassium, iron, dietary fibre and vitamin A.

How to Get Bright Green Broccolette

Pro Tip – Boil the broccolette in boiling, salted water to ensure it stays bright green. If you use warm water instead of boiling, your vegetables will turn grey. Make sure that the water is hot!

Like all green vegetables, broccolette contains an enzyme that will turn the vegetable grey when heated. To prevent this, you must cook the broccolette at a constant boiling temperature which will destroy the enzyme and stop the greying. Salted water will also help to keep your broccoli bright green.

What about Refreshing in Ice Water?

Refreshing is a fancy term for dunking food in ice water. This stops the cooking of the veggies and also helps to prevent the green vegetables from turning grey. It’s not really necessary if you are at home and going to eat it right away.

This method works great if you want to cook the broccolette ahead of time and finish later – as cooks do before service in a restaurant.

I Can’t Find Aleppo Chili Flakes

Aleppo chili is amazing but can be hard to find. If you can’t find Aleppo chili then use 1/2 as much regular dried chili flakes.

It’s a little bit milder than normally dried chili but packs a lot more flavour and also gives the food a gorgeous red colour. I highly recommend you find this one!

A garlic, chili and lemon infused olive oil.
This oil is loaded with flavour and only takes 5 minutes to prepare.

How to Save Time at Home

A Microplane is easily one of the best time-saving tools that you can buy for your kitchen. Using a Microplane in this recipe means that you can make a delicious garlic-infused oil in minutes.

It’s frequently used in restaurants because it saves time without sacrificing flavour. Zest the garlic and lemon together to make a delicious flavoured oil in minutes.

How To Nail this Recipe

Here are a few tips for success:

  • Broccolette will cook faster than normal broccoli.
  • Use a large pot of boiling, salted water when cooking green vegetables and make sure it stays boiling while cooking. This will keep the broccolette bright green.
  • Make the infused oil to quickly add everything together in one step and save time.
  • Use a Microplane to quickly purée the garlic.
  • Immediately turn off the heat after adding the garlic-infused oil to the broccolette to avoid burning the garlic.
  • Use Aleppo chili flakes. If you can’t find Aleppo chili then use 1/2 as much regular dried chili flakes.

What To Serve this Dish With?

This dish is meant to be a side dish to the main course or with a bunch of other side dishes.

I would like to eat this dish with:

Or More Keto Recipes…

Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili
Print Pin
5 from 5 votes

Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili

A quick and tasty method for broccolette, broccolini or baby broccoli. Quickly blanched and sautéed with garlic, lemon and an Aleppo chili infused oil. Vegan, keto, and gluten-free.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 people
Calories 228kcal
Cost $8/6€

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 400 g broccolette
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp olive oil for cooking
  • ½ pc lemon juiced

For the Infused Oil

  • 1 clove garlic peeled
  • 1 pc lemon zested
  • ½ tsp Aleppo chili or ¼ tsp regular chili flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking

Instructions

  • Cut a small amount off the end of the broccolette. Trim the big stalks in half along the stem.
    Trimming the broccolette.
  • Blanch the broccolette for 1 minute in a large pot of boiling salted water. Allow to dry on a plate with paper towel.
    The broccolette drying on paper towels.
  • Make the infused oil by Microplaning a clove of garlic and a zest of a lemon into the olive oil. Add the chili and mix.
    Microplaning the garlic into the oil.
  • Sauté the broccolette in a hot pan with a tsp of olive oil. Don't let the olive oil burn, but make sure that the oil is hot before you add the broccolette. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until the broccolette is very hot.
    Quickly cooking the broccolette in the pan.
  • Once the broccolette is hot, add about ⅔ of the infused oil and turn off the heat. Season with salt, lemon juice and toss around to mix well.
    Adding the infused oil to the broccolette.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!
    Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili

Notes

Sometimes the garlic can clump up in florets of the broccolette so be sure to mix well otherwise you will get a big bite of garlic!
You can save the infused oil for up to one week in the fridge. It works great with almost any green vegetable or drizzled over pizza, pasta and bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 649mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3678IU | Vitamin C: 184mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 2mg
Liked this recipe?Follow @Bdeglazed!
Sauteed Asparagus WIth Citrus Mayonnaise
This tasty sauteed green asparagus with citrus mayonnaise is ready in less than 20 minutes. Gluten free and vegetarian.
Check out this recipe
Vegetarian green asparagus with citrus mayo
Stuffed Chicken Leg with Bacon, Porcini, Walnuts and a Date Sauce
This stuffed chicken leg should do the trick for a special occasion like Valentine's Day, date night or anytime you need something a little extra nice.
Check out this recipe
A close up of a stuffed chicken leg sliced on a board.
About Chef Devan

With exceptional talent and passion for gastronomy, Chef Devan has over 15 years of experience across the culinary world, bringing a wealth of experience to the table, even from Michelin-starred restaurants. He's here to help you captivate the senses and delight everyone with easy recipes you could cook at home. Learn more about Braised and Deglazed's Editorial Process.

2 thoughts on “Sautéed Broccolette with Garlic, Lemon and Aleppo Chili”

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating