Bright green broccoli can be one of the tastiest healthy veggies around! Many home cooks are tempted to overcook it to limp intent. But cook it the right way, and it can be amazing! We are happy to show you how to easily cook tasty broccoli.

Cooking broccoli

You can prepare broccoli in different ways, you can steam broccoli, roast broccoli, grill broccoli, cook broccoli and even prepare broccoli in the microwave. The most common way in Dutch and Belgian households is to grill or boil broccoli. Grilling takes a little longer than cooking, but it's really easy to do! Cooking broccoli is quite simple and is done quickly. Follow the next steps to prepare the broccoli nicely.

Cooking broccoli:

• Clean the broccoli thoroughly with water.
• Cut the branches of the broccoli to make smaller pieces of broccoli florets.
• Grab a large saucepan with a lid, fill it with water and wait for the water to boil.
• As soon as the water boils: add a few tablespoons of water and then the broccoli florets. Cook until the broccoli is al dente. This is between 3 to 5 minutes depending on (broccoli) size and personal taste.
• Drain the water and sprinkle with some salt before serving.

Broccoli Grilling:

• Clean the broccoli thoroughly with water.
• Cut the branches of the broccoli to make smaller pieces of broccoli florets.
• Heat the grill pan to medium heat.
• Place the broccoli florets together with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt in the grill pan.
• Grill the broccoli florets for a total of 8 minutes and turn the florets a few times.
• Serve the broccoli florets.

Broccoli in the microwave

One of the easiest ways to cook broccoli is in the microwave. Add all the ingredients and the water and place it in a container, turn the microwave on to 600W and let the broccoli cook for about 5-7 minutes. Check your broccoli regularly during the cooking process to make sure it doesn't overcook. When liquid begins to drip from the container, it's time to remove the broccoli from the microwave.

How long to cook broccoli

We often get the question: 'how long to cook broccoli?' How long you will cook broccoli depends on the size of the broccoli florets (the cut pieces of broccoli) and your personal taste. Normally you cook broccoli for 3 to 5 minutes until they are al dente. Do you like a bit harder broccoli? Then take out the broccoli for about 3 minutes. Do you like soft broccoli? Let the broccoli cook towards 5 minutes.

Cleaning broccoli

The correct way to clean broccoli is as follows: the easiest way to clean broccoli is to hold the florets under running water. Use a colander to place the broccoli florets and clean each florets separately to remove any dirt or insects.

Making broccoli tasty

You can always give broccoli some extra flavor by adding delicious ingredients that make it taste better. Sprinkle the broccoli with thyme, garlic salt, olive oil and lemon juice for a delicious taste.