Balsamic Roasted Broccoli Side Dish (Vegan)

This green cruciferous vegetable is a great source of:

Micronutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium

• Broccoli is one of the best sources of Vitamin C out there – just one cup provides 135% of your daily vitamin C needs

Dietary fibre – one cup provides 2.3 grams of fibre, which is 9% of your daily fibre needs

• Fibre is known to help with digestion, heart health, blood sugar control, and weight management.

Hands down my favourite way to cook any vegetable is by roasting it. Broccoli is no different – it gets crispy and oh-so-good.

All you need to do is follow these simple steps:

• Start by chopping two heads of fresh broccoli into ~1-inch florets
• Toss those florets in 2 Tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt
• Spread florets onto a baking sheet, ensuring some space between florets
• Pop them into the oven at 400F for 20 minutes, or until slightly browned and tender
• Remove from oven and serve!

While the broccoli is in the oven, it’s time to make the balsamic reduction…

Making a balsamic reduction (or glaze) at home is super simple to do, and only requires one ingredient – balsamic vinegar!

All you need to do is:

1. add 1 cup balsamic vinegar to a small pot
2. bring it to a boil
3. then reduce the temperature + simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

After 15 minutes of simmering, you may think that the reduction appears too thin. I promise you it will continue to thicken as it cools, so be sure not to overcook it!

The first time I made a balsamic reduction, I overcooked it and it was so thick I could barely use it. Lesson learned – stick to 15 minutes!!

If it does end up getting too hard, simply add a bit of water to thin it out.

If you don’t use up all the reduction in this recipe, refrigerate the remainder in a sealed container for a few weeks. You can use it to drizzle over veggies, salads, avocado toasts, and more.

If you take a look at store-bought balsamic reductions, you’ll notice that they’re full of unnecessary additives!

Things like added sugar, emulsifiers, caramel colourings…even in health food stores, it’s hard to find a balsamic reduction that doesn’t contain these ingredients.

There’s really no need to purchase it when you can make it so easily at home, using only one ingredient (that you probably already have on hand!)

I highly recommend pairing this broccoli side dish recipe with a yummy protein and a starch to round out your meal. Check out some of my favourite recipe ideas below!

Protein ideas:

• Garlic Shrimp With Smoked Paprika & Honey
• Honey Lemon Oven-Baked Salmon With Thyme
• 25-Minute Baked Salmon With Pistachio Pesto
• Crispy Baked Tofu With Maple Miso Sauce
• Crispy Salmon With Coconut, Honey & Lime
• Easy Curry Tofu Scramble
• The Best Canned Salmon Burger

Starch ideas:

• How To Cook & Season Quinoa: 3 Recipes
• Easy Cooked Farro
• Crispy Roasted Potatoes With Chili & Paprika
• Roasted Potatoes With Za’atar & Lemon