Oven-Roasted Sesame Broccoli

I know that some people don’t really care for broccoli, especially my best friend who went on a diet craze and basically only ate broccoli and chicken breasts, but I happen to think it’s delightful! Of course, that’s probably because I’ve never really been on a diet craze, so I wouldn’t know anything about eating too much of it… Hee hee hee! My problem with diets is that I can’t eat ANYTHING for more than a few days in a row before I’m ready for something else no matter how good it is, especially sandwiches. Variety is the spice of life! I suppose that means no cookie-cutter diets for me…

But, anyways, back to the broccoli!

I don’t know if any of you have caught on to this, but I’m really quite fond of roasted vegetables. Potatoes… Eggplant… Squash… Asparagus… (YUM!!) It’s all good when it’s roasted! Until now, though, I had never had roasted broccoli, despite hearing rave reviews. Generally, I’ve just always steamed it, because that’s fast and easy, especially when I’ve got so much other stuff going on. But, this is just as easy!
A lot of other recipes call for roasting the broccoli at a higher temperature, and I normally would have done that, but I was making pork chops for this particular dinner and was finishing them in the oven, so I didn’t want the oven to be real hot. I also didn’t want the broccoli to be cooked and waiting while I finished the pork chops, or vice versa, so I roasted the broccoli at the same temperature as what the pork chops’ finishing temperature was and cooked the broccoli a little longer than normal. It turned out wonderfully, and I think I’ve found my new favorite way to prepare broccoli!

Printable Recipe

1 lb. broccoli crowns, rinsed and drained
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 - 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the broccoli crowns into bite size pieces.
Place the broccoli into a mixing bowl and toss with the pepper, salt, sesame seeds, and olive oil. Spread the broccoli on a foil-lined cookie sheet and place into the oven and roast just until the broccoli is tender and the edges have darkened slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.