The Best Sauteed Garlic Broccolini Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the season for broccolini? ›

Rather than producing one large head like broccoli, Broccolini yields several slender six- to seven-inch-long sweet and tender stalks topped with bite-size heads. Under favorable condi- tions, harvests continue into late spring and early summer, and it can be plant- ed again in late summer for fall harvest.

The best way to experience the health benefits of broccolini is to eat it raw. The stems, leaves, and florets are all edible. You can also choose to steam your broccolini and serve it as a side to complete a tasty, nutritious meal.

Broccoli has a thick, woody stem and a large, flowering head. Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli, and also belongs to the cabbage family. Broccolini have long, firm stalks (thinner and more tender than those of broccoli), a few small leaves and small florets.

Because of its newness and because it provides less quantity in a stalk, broccolini is typically more expensive than broccoli. Substitutes for broccolini are traditional broccoli, Chinese broccoli, broccoli rabe, cauliflower, and asparagus (because broccolini's sweeter flavor is similar to asparagus' sweeter notes).

And when it comes to flavor, broccolini also lands somewhere in the middle. It's mellower and less bitter than standard-issue broccoli, with a mild sweetness much more akin to Chinese broccoli.

The easiest way to rid broccoli rabe of some of its bitter flavor is by blanching it first. Just a quick dip in boiling water extracts enough of the bitterness and jumpstarts the cooking.

Broccolini still need some blanching to be tender enough. People often just briefly steam them instead of boiling a whole pot of water. After that you can just toss them a bit in a pan with whatever, or roast them in the oven if you prefer.

Wash: Start by washing the broccolini under cool running water. This will help remove any dirt or residue that might be on the vegetable. Trim the ends: Lay the broccolini on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to trim off the tough ends. Cut about 1-2 inches off the bottom of the stems.

The verdict. Broccolini – by a hair's breadth! Nutritionally, the two brassicas are very similar. But the excellent vitamin A content of broccolini, together with the fact that it needs less prep and there's no waste, gives it the edge over broccoli for us.

Broccolini, Aspabroc, baby broccoli or tenderstem broccoli, is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks. It is a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (which is sometimes referred to as "Chinese kale" or "Chinese broccoli"), both cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea.

Is broccolini good for weight loss? ›

A serving has just 35 calories and, even better, broccolini is a non-starchy vegetable, so you can eat as much as you want while staying on track to your weight loss goal.

Often called baby broccoli, broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli (kai lan) that was developed and trademarked in 1993 by Japan's Sakata Seed Corporation. And you may have heard of Tenderstem broccoli — that is just a trademarked name for broccolini.

It contains compounds like sulforaphane that are responsible for many of its health benefits, especially its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Eating broccolini may also support heart health and blood sugar control. Compared to broccoli, broccolini tastes sweeter, with a mild flavor and more delicate texture.

Spinach. Spinach contains many of the same health benefits as broccoli and kale. But it's also rich in phytochemicals. These cause the body to release hormones that make you feel full, which can be helpful for people who want to lose weight.

Available year round, broccolini is a member of the brassica family. A hybrid, broccolini is a cross between broccoli and gai lan, a Chinese broccoli. With long slender stems that contain small budding flowers, broccolini is often mistaken for regular old broccoli.

In the US, broccolini is grown in California during Summer and Arizona during Winter.

Grow broccolini like you would broccoli. Grow it in full sun and moist well-drained soil. It thrives and tastes best when harvested in cooler temperatures, but it is not as frost tolerant as broccoli. Harvest the center head in about 50 days.