What’s more comforting than a green veggie bursting with flavor too? I believe nothing, the charred broccolini holds a piece of my heart, and believe me, I’m not exaggerating. 

I get these sudden waves of doing a strict diet from time to time, but that’s just a thought I don’t particularly act upon (LOL!). I know it must sound like I’m such an undisciplined person but if you are a foodie, you will understand my reluctance. 

So between all of this dilemma of doing diet or ditching it altogether, I stumbled upon charring broccolini. Steamed or stir-fried certainly tastes good, but goodness this charred flavor has no comparison.  

Once I went to my friend’s place for a BBQ party, and I had this delicious side and since then I’ve been obsessed with it. 

I got completely maniac when I learned how I could serve it at room temperature with some toasted seeds and cheese and it tastes divine.

Another thing that makes it perfect for my busy schedule is its convenience regarding cooking. Put it in an oven and it will char it for you. Sound perfect, right? You just have to prepare the dressing and man you are sorted for your meal. 

Hang on with me here to know how I get this charred broccolini recipe done with hardly any effort along with its pros, ingredients,  storage tips, and serving ideas. 

What Is Charred Broccolini? 

Before we look deeper into charred Broccolini, what Broccolini is? Is it the same as baby broccoli? No, you might confuse nothing but Broccolini is a pretty fascinating vegetable as it’s a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan, also known as Chinese kale. 

Both originated from the Mediterranean and Southern China and have their roots in the late 90s. Well, this hybrid got attention in several researches as it has small florets like broccoli but the thin stems are surely from gai lan. However, the flavor notes are pretty complex but familiar because resemble both. 

Although you can have the vegetable cooked the way you like. If you want something light, go for steaming, blanching, or stir-frying (our favorite!).

But for a nuanced taste, have you ever cooked the veggies from the cabbage family at extreme temperatures? Charred broccolini will tempt you to do that, because when we char or you can say caramelize broccolini, the taste becomes intense and nuttiness or even the sweetness notes come out.

Roasting or grilling might be fine, but there’s no better way to char the veggie in a skillet and yes, please use the organic broccolini for better flavor. 

Why You Will Love Charred Broccolini?

This side meal is my absolute favorite for multiple reasons, however, the noteworthy ones are: 

Easy To Prepare: The charred broccolini requires no cooking shenanigans, add its ingredients and it will be prepared within half an hour. If you are charring it in the oven, it will do the task for you. But on the skillet, you need to give some more attention.  

Versatility: It makes a comfortable side dish, adds one feta cheese, and toasted seeds, and serves at room temperature as a delicious salad. If you want to add a plant-based protein, add a cup of cooked lentils, and still the recipe won’t go wrong. 

Blast of Flavor: This recipe calls for preserved lemon skin and capers, so what do you expect? Yes, you are right, the charred broccolini will be bursting with earthy and flavorful notes, however, there will be a tinge of sweetness too. It’s flavorful and I believe that’s what we are looking for in our daily munching. 

Suitable For Dietary Needs: No worries, if you got a dietary restriction as this delicious side meal serves all. It’s pretty low in carbohydrates, plant-based, and is naturally gluten-free.  

There are multiple other benefits, like how convenient it is and how it’s packed with some essential nutrients to meet your bodily requirements.  

Ingredients In Charred Broccolini 

This unique side calls for some basic ingredients, but the amalgamation of certain flavors when combined makes charred broccolini an absolute delight. 

Broccolini: Well as the recipe is about charring broccolini, so I’ll be using that. Moreover, it gives a perfect crunch and sweetness to the recipe. 

But again the availability aspect comes as well, if you don’t have broccolini, go for typical broccoli florets. Do you vibe well with bitterness? Then go for rapini aka comparatively bitter broccoli rabe. 

Olive Oil: If you require an oil for dressing, virgin olive oil would be the best choice but for the skilled or wok-charred broccolini, no oil is required. 

Capers/Olives: To add a unique briny flavor,  add capers or olives whatever is available.  

Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives a nice citrusy flavor, however, you can use white vinegar too. 

Garlic: It’s best that you use garlic powder as it’s easy to manage. An intact garlic clove or even garlic paste gives quite a potent flavor. 

Salt: I prefer sea salt in my recipes and I’ve used that in my charred broccolini but you can go for kosher salt or maybe table salt as well. 

Preserved Lemon Skins: Well that’s required if you want to bring some salty and citrusy flavor. If you don’t have preserved lemon, add lemon zest.

Parsley: For the fresh and earthy flavor, add chopped parsley. However, you can add dill or cilantro too as a substitute.  

Cheese (optional): Although this side meal is brilliant on its own, adding some cheese makes the flavor profound and savouriness. Serve it with feta cheese, and pecorino chunks, or maybe add some dusting of parmesan. 

Toasted Seeds (optional): What’s better than a toasty crunch? Add your favorite seeds. 

Pepper Flakes (optional): For some heat, add black pepper powder or you can sprinkle chili flakes over the top. 

Remember few are optional ingredients that you can avoid if you want, but add the other ones for the perfect flavor.

Serving Ideas With Charred Broccolini

There’s no hard and fast that rule applies to what you can serve with charred broccolini.  It’s such a versatile side meal that can be served best with any vegetable, meat, or fish-based main course. 

• Are you craving some citrusy protein boost? It’s your cue to to serve this delicious charred broccolini with lemon chicken breasts. 

• There’s nothing better than serving a charred veggie with Teriyaki Salmon and if noodles are there, DIVINE! 

• This recipe gives a terrific blast of flavors when served with pan-seared chicken or salmon. 

• Some light portion of rice never hurts but make the meal wholesome so yes serve it with either steamed rice or asian fried rice. 

How To Store Charred Broccolini? 

This is a side meal and is especially charred so it tastes best when served fresh. What if you have some leftovers? You can store this delicious charred broccolini in the refrigerator and it will stay fine for three days. 

• If you want to reheat it, simply put it over the skillet or in an air fryer and warm it until crunchy and heated enough. 

• You can serve it cold as a salad as well in your lunch or maybe brunch.

FAQs on Charred Broccolini 

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