Broccolini

What is it?

Broccolini, sometimes referred to as baby broccoli, is a green vegetable, similar to broccoli, but with smaller florets and longer, thinner stalks. It is a hybrid between broccoli and gai lin (Chinese kale/broccoli). Every part of the vegetable is edible, and tends to have a sweeter, less earthy flavor than traditional broccoli. It is an excellent source of fiber, protein, potassium, and iron. This means broccolini is linked to many health benefits, especially heart health and blood sugar control.

What does it taste like?

Broccolini’s flavor is very similar to traditional broccoli, but with a milder flavor overall. It can be eaten raw but is generally more enjoyable when cooked because it lessens the earthy, bitter flavor and brings out broccolini’s natural sweetness. Just like traditional broccoli, the texture when raw is very crunchy but becomes very tender when cooked.

What to do with it?

Broccolini is typically prepared as a side dish, or as a base of a “broccoli” salad. Because of its bitter flavor when raw it’s typically best to steam, broil, roast, or grill broccolini in order to bring out its natural sweetness. When prepping your broccolini, cut off the last ¼ inch of the stalk (it is edible but very hard/tough to chew), and any stalks thicker than a ½ inch should be cut in half lengthwise. A quick and easy way to prepare it for any dish is simply putting the stalks in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Or try sautéing it with butter and garlic, the perfect complements to its sweet flavor.

How to store it?

You can keep broccolini fresh for up to a week by storing it in the fridge, with the stalk end submerged in a cup of water. If you’re wanting to store broccolini long term, blanch it in boiling water, dunk in ice water, then store in the freezer in a sealed container. This method can make broccolini last up to a year in the freezer.