How to Steam Broccoli Without a Steamer

My husband and I make this broccoli at least once a week.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve made this broccoli.  Seriously, too many times to count.  So to say it’s tested, tried and true is an understatement.  I never thought about sharing this as a recipe, because well, I don’t know why.  I think it may be just because it’s too easy and is too obvious to bother.  But aren’t easy recipes the best to share?  Yes.  So now I’m finally sharing it with you.

This broccoli is nothing fancy, but it sure is tasty.  It’s a healthy side dish, which I love because healthy food is a good thing.  We often make it as a side dish when we host dinner parties and it’s always a winner with our guests.

I didn’t know what to call this blog post.  I’m not truly steaming the broccoli because I’m not using a steamer contraption.  I’m not blanching the broccoli either because I’m not really boiling it in a pot full of water or placing it in a tub of ice water once it’s done.  In fact, you can just barely see the water used in the pot (in the photo above).  This recipe is kind of a combination of both processes.  I learned this technique from my husband (giving credit where credit is due).  In fact, you can even use this same technique to cook fresh cauliflower or Brussels sprouts (we’ve done it with those dozens of times too).

We always sprinkle dill on top of our broccoli and we highly recommend it.  I mention in the recipe that it’s optional because some people don’t like dill.  Of course feel free to dress up your broccoli any way that you want.  You can keep it healthy and use another herb like basil, chives, or garlic.  I love this broccoli with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  You can add cheese and/or bacon, but of course these and other similar toppings will make the dish less healthy (not that there is anything wrong with that).

How do you dress your broccoli?  (Assuming you like the stuff.)

How to Steam Broccoli without a Steamer
(Makes 4 to 6 side dish sized servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads of fresh broccoli
  • water
  • salt, to taste
  • (optional, but  highly recommended) sprinkling of dried dill, to taste

Directions:

  1. Cut the broccoli heads off of the stems and cut them into bite size pieces.  There’s no right or wrong size, but make sure that all of the pieces are relatively the same size so that they cook evenly. You can also keep or discard the stems depending on your preference.
  2. Rinse the broccoli with water and make sure it is clean.
  3. Place the prepped broccoli in a pot and add water.  The amount of water will differ depending on how much broccoli you make.  Your goal is to add water until the broccoli is about half covered in water.
  4. Cover the pot, place it on the stove on High heat, and bring it to a boil.  Cook it until the stem parts are fork tender.  Again, the timing will differ depending on how much broccoli you make.  Keep a close eye on it because it does not take long to cook.  For the 2 heads that I used today, it took about 8 to 9 minutes to cook.
  5. Drain the broccoli.
  6. Place the broccoli in a bowl and sprinkle salt on top, to taste.
  7. (Optional) Sprinkle dried dill on top, to taste.

Note:  You can use this recipe for as much or as little broccoli as you want.  The ingredients and time are what I did for this batch of broccoli.

Source:  Tina’s Chic Corner

Rating:

Comments

  1. Patty says:

    Who would have thought to sprinkle dill weed on broccoli.? Well let me tell you, I just did for the very first time and taste buds cant get enough of it!!!! Holy moly its so darn good!!!!! Thank you. 😊

  2. Tina says:

    Patty, you made my week! Thanks ever so much for stopping by and letting me know. 🙂

  3. Linda Royster Satterwhite says:

    Came out perfect and I did try the dill and a salt free lemon flavoring on it. Was wonderful, thank you for sharing!

    1. Tina says:

      Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for stopping by. 🙂

  4. Deb says:

    Tina, last night I wanted to make steam broccoli without a steamer because I couldn’t find the steamer in my mess of a cupboard and I found your recipe!! It turned out wonderful and I happened to have fresh dill… wow..amazing flavor and the only way I will ever make broccoli again. Thank you so so much 🥦🥦💚💚

    1. Tina says:

      Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Deb! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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