Name: Easy Sautéed Broccolini With Garlic and Lemon
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 bunches broccolini (trimmed and halved if stem is thick); 1/2 lemon (sliced); 3 tbsp olive oil (divided); 1 tsp sea salt; 3-4 cloves garlic (finely sliced); 4 tbsp water

Prepare this Easy Sautéed Broccolini With Garlic and Lemon in only 10 minutes! It’s a bright, flavorful, and vibrant veggie side dish that pairs perfectly with weeknight meals.

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White plate with cooked broccolini and lemon slices. Large spoon on the plate for serving.

Who would have thought a deliciously flavored side dish only required simple ingredients?

This Easy Sautéed Broccolini With Garlic and Lemon is so flavorful, bright, and vibrant! It’s a 10-minute recipe with simple ingredients you can serve with weeknight dinners or at your holiday celebrations. Pair it with fish, steak, and chicken for a healthy and nutrient-packed meal!

This side dish is a total breeze to prepare and cook. Once your ingredients are prepped, sautée them all in a skillet for a few minutes and serve! Quick, easy, and flavorful enough to please almost anyone.

Serve this easy sautéed broccolini on its own dressed in olive oil or pesto, or on the side of Baked Salmon or Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto.

Sliced broccolini and lemon on a wood cutting board.

What is broccolini?

This bright green and healthy vegetable looks just like a baby version of broccoli. It’s actually a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and sometimes goes by the name, “baby broccoli” (how fitting!). It’s part of the brassica family, where you’ll find broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage as well.

Broccolini has long stems and small florets. Its taste is similar to broccoli, except it’s less bitter and has a touch of sweetness. Broccolini also has many health benefits and is a source of vitamin c, beta-carotene, fiber, and much more.

Broccolini can be cooked in almost any way you can imagine. It tastes great panfried with garlic butter and lemon, throw it on the grill with seafood or steak, or roast it in the oven with more veggies. Cook it any way you would cook broccoli!

Broccolini vs. broccoli rabe

No, these two vegetables are not the same. Broccoli rabe (or rapini) is a leafy vegetable with thin stalks, buds, and a bitter taste. The buds look similar to broccoli or broccolini but are much smaller.

Broccolini, lemon slices, and garlic in a large pink skillet.

Ingredients you need

All you need are 6 easy ingredients to make this flavorful side dish.

This is what you need:

Broccolini
Lemon
Olive oil
Sea salt
Garlic
Water

Close up of a white plate with cooked broccolini and lemon.

How to make easy sautéed broccolini

This is a great time-saving side dish that’s ready in just 10 minutes. You get so much flavor for such little effort!

Here’s how to make it:

Place everything in a hot skillet: Heat your large skillet with oil over medium-high heat and sauté the broccolini, lemon slices, salt, and garlic slices. Cook for around 7 minutes, moving the skillet continuously to ensure nothing burns.
Add the water: Pour the water into the skillet. After a couple minutes, the water will cook off and the broccolini stems will soften.
Serve: Serve the sautéed broccolini with an extra drizzle of olive oil on a platter with dinner and enjoy!

White plate with cooked broccolini and lemon.

Helpful recipe tips

Prepare the broccolini for cooking by trimming the end of the stems. You can also cut each broccolini bunch in half if they’re too thick.
Slice the lemons and garlic cloves into thin slices before adding them to the skillet.
Sautéeing the broccolini in a little water right before it finishes cooking helps the stiff stems to soften and takes away the need to parboil the vegetables.
Make this recipe oil-free and replace the olive oil with an extra 4 tablespoons of water.
Test the firmness of the broccolini by poking it with a fork at it cooks. You want the fork to pierce the thickest point somewhat easily.
Toss the broccolini and garlic every minute or so in the pan so it doesn’t burn. This also helps to fully coat everything in the oil and lemon juice.
You’ll know the broccolini is ready when it turns to a rich, bright green color. If the color dulls, that means it’s overdone but can still be eaten.
Can’t find broccolini? Feel free to make this recipe with regular broccoli or broccoli rabe instead.

How to serve

Garlic and lemon broccolini is a side dish that’s bursting with flavor. It goes well next to crispy skinned salmon or added into a sushi poke bowl. Try it with steak and rib eye, or to compliment a baked chicken breast or Mediterranean chicken and orzo pasta.

You can also enjoy this dish on its own as a light lunch. Dress it up with parmesan cheese, a homemade pesto or chimichurri sauce, or topped with chopped nuts for a little protein.

Storing leftovers

If you end up with leftover cooked broccolini, store it in an airtight container or sealed bag in the fridge. It should stay fresh for up to 1 week.

Leftovers can be reheated in a skillet or the microwave until warmed through. Feel free to add in a little water or oil, garlic, and lemon for added flavor.

More veggie side dishes

Make sure to include this side dish and more to fill your weeknight meals with plenty of vegetables:

Did you try this Easy Sautéed Broccolini With Garlic and Lemon? Let me know what you think and what kind of meal you enjoyed it with in the comments below. Don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! I would love to share your recreation with my followers.