As some of you know, from reading my posts, I often have dinner parties with the crew – and I pick the theme / main course and then text out to the crew and ask – whose bringing veg, starch, salad, appetizer, dessert, whatever it is we need to finish the ‘party’. The crew respond with items like – I’ll make a cake. I’ll bring a veg. etc. I * highly * recommend this approach for organizing a crew of people – it makes it so much easier on the host – and you can get together more often with just a little contribution from everyone. One time Jody brought the most delicious and easiest steamed garlic butter broccoli you have ever tasted.
This broccoli was so so so good – I could have eaten the entire bowl. Jody laughed at me. Just steam some broccoli and add garlic and butter ! She said something to the effect of – this is the easiest thing to make – stop gushing over the broccoli. If I’m remembering correctly – below shows the night I was first introduced to Jody’s amazing and easy steamed broccoli with butter and garlic.
David’s favorite vegetable is broccoli so I serve a lot of broccoli in this house. So it’s an easy sell in our house –> What’s for dinner ? Some protein + broccoli. 😆
Now – I know the easiest way to make it crazy delicious without any fuss. All you need are a couple of key ingredients !!!
![Cleaned and prepared broccoli
]](https://bridgetskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/StockCake-Fresh-broccoli-bunch_1730740252.webp)
First : Steaming Broccoli
Jody makes hers in the micro – by putting just a couple of Tbl of water into a corning ware casserole type pan and covers the pan – and steams the broccoli for a minute or two, stirs, resets the micro for another minute or two – until the broccoli is done. Probably 4.5 – 5 minutes depending on how much broccoli you have.
I have this handy dandy Tupperware steamer that I’m infatuated with and have been using for about 20+ years. Water into the bottom, whatever I’m steaming into the middle and put on the lid. I toss that baby into the Micro for about 4.5 – 5 minutes and the broccoli comes out fairly perfect.
I just did a quick google dance on Amazon.com and there are a ton of steamers on the market. Free side note: I’d be careful of the collapsable silicone steamer due to the unstructured bottom. Placing the container into the micro and taking it out is hard when the bottom is collapsable…. it could collapse and make a mess easily. Not to mention if you’ve had an adult beverage or two… 🤫
A pot on the stove with a stainless steamer basket would work all the same too.
Second : Where’s the butter and the garlic ?
When I made this last, because it was my birthday dinner, I wasn’t counting calories…I used 1 tbl butter per person. Going forward I’ll probably back that down a bit – maybe 1 Tbl per 2 people or something like that? Then I minced a LOT of garlic – like 6-8 garlic cloves. Toss the garlic into the butter and put it on the stove on super low for 5-10 minutes. If you wave your hand over the pan you should smell the garlic and butter. If not – turn it up slightly. Be careful though, you don’t want brown butter – just steeped garlic butter. Don’t turn your back on the butter, this step goes quickly!
Once the butter is steeped with the garlic you are ready to go. You can then toss the broccoli with the butter/garlic and add some S&P. Again I say – wha-la.
If you want to be extra fancy – and if you are serving with fish – definitely add a light squeeze of lemon to the broccoli too.
Are there other uses for butter steeped with garlic
Yes of course !!! You could dip some crusty fresh bread into it. You could dip my most favorite thing in the world into it — crab legs! You could put it on almost any vegetable. You could drizzle fish with it. You could put it on potatoes, grilled, boiled, mashed or baked! You could do any of 1,000 things with it, I’m sure. Just use your imagination!
Getting Fancy ?
Consider that squeeze of lemon I mentioned above. Do you have any fresh herbs in your house – try snipping a few of those onto your plate with the garlic butter. Maybe a few chives ?
The Easiest Steamed Garlic and Butter Broccoli
Equipment
- Something to steam in – Pyrex / Microwave Steamer Basket / Stovetop Steamer etc.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches Broccoli Get a lot – it will go quick !
- 8 cloves Garlic Smashed then minced
- 4 Tbl Butter Consider using less ???
Instructions
- Clean, chop and ready the broccoli for steaming.
- Remove the paper from the garlic by smashing it with a wide side of a knife. Mince the garlic small.
- Steep the garlic in the butter – on low heat – on the stove for 5 – 10 minutes. Once you smell the garlic or it starts to sizzle a bit – reduce the heat and/or take off the heat. You don't want brown butter. The goal is to heat the butter and let the garlic sit in the hot butter and infuse the flavors.
- Right before you are ready to eat – steam the broccoli for 4-5 minutes. Check near 4 minutes. If doubling or tripling the recipe – be sure to add more time and check the broccoli periodically so it doesn't get overdone. Note if you take the steamed veg out of the micro and let it set with the lid on – it will continue to cook. Factor that into your serving time.
- Just before dinner – put the steamed veg into a large bowl, toss with the steeped butter and garlic and stir. Add some S&P and serve!
Nutrition
PS. You know you’ve been friends a long time when you both show up wearing nearly the exact same outfit. 😀. This is Jody and I after my Bridget’s Kitchen Launch Night – 6/15/2024
And yes, my kitchen is REALLY brown. Not white and neat as a pin like the stock photo at the top of the home page.
🤣
You are so very sweet to feature my “tired of cooking”, need to feed my husband & me for the billionth time, healthyish recipe! Keep feeding your peeps & living your best life my dear friend😘