If you've been looking for a way to bring more broccoli into your life, this roasted broccoli with a tangy sweet orange sauce is for you.
Roasted broccoli makes a great side dish or base for a meal. Now add this sweet tangy orange sauce to elevate it even further. The sauce in this recipe is a variation of the original orange sauce in my Orange Sesame Chicken recipes.
You have two options when making this recipe. My favorite is to roast the broccoli until it's crispy and then add the orange sauce and serve. A slightly faster way is to stir-fry the broccoli in a wok or large skillet and add the sauce once the broccoli turns green and slightly tender.
Roast. You'll get a crispy sweet and tangy side. While the broccoli is roasting in the oven you'll simmer the orange sauce in a small saucepan for about five minutes to reduce it a bit.
Stir-fry: This way saves a bit of time. It won't come out as crispy as the oven roasted broccoli but it will be tender to bite and a bit moister.
Either way this dish makes a great side or base for any meal. Serve it on top of cauliflower fried rice, noodles, or with your favorite protein.
Orange sauce tip. You can simmer the sauce ahead of time and then use it on the broccoli as well as any other dish you have in mind. To thicken the sauce, simmer it for fives to ten minutes to reduce it a bit. Store it in the refrigerator for a up to a week. Enjoy!
Orange Sesame Broccoli
Ingredients
Broccoli
- 12 ounces broccoli florets about 4 cups of florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or other neutral oil
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
Orange Sauce
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ½ teaspoon orange zest or about 1 tablespoon of orange peels
- ¼ cup tomato paste or thick tomato sauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- ½ tablespoon toasted seame oil
- 1 large garlic clove peeled and finely minced
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of chili flakes optional for some heat
- toasted sesame seeds optional
- 1 green onion, trimmed and diced optional
Instructions
Stir-Fry method
- Prepare the orange sauce.
- Place a wok or large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the broccoli florets and salt, and stir fry for about five minutes or until they turn green and become a bit tender.
- Lower the heat, wait a minute or so and then add about half of the orange sauce to the broccoli. Stir the broccoli in the sauce for a few minutes to coat it. Be careful not to burn the sauce. You just want it to simmer with the broccoli.
- Remove from heat and add a bit of red pepper flakes if you like it spicy and top with sesame seeds and diced scallions (optional). Serve with the remaining orange sauce.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.
Roasting Method
- Preheat your oven to 425℉.
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare the orange sauce.
- Combine the salt, oil, and broccoli florets in a bowl and blend lightly to coat the broccoli.12 ounces broccoli florets, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- Spread the broccoli on the baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes or until the broccoli is a bit crispy on the edges.
- While the broccoli is roasting, whisk all the orange sauce ingredients together and simmer in a small saucepan for a few minutes.
- Place the roasted broccoli in a bowl and drizzle about half the sauce over it and lightly blend to coat the broccoli. Serve with remaining sauce.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.
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