Roasted Broccoli with Sage Butter

Sage butter is a wonderful thing. It is particularly wonderful on crisply roasted broccoli florets. The recipe is simple and creates a vegetable side that is rich, tangy, and satisfying.

The broccoli can be grilled in a grill basket or roasted in the oven on sheet trays. You get to decide, but both methods work equally well.

This recipe serves 4 as a side.

Grab the ingredients below and get started. If you are lucky, you will be able to grab the broccoli and sage from your garden, like I did.

• 1 pound broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 6 large sage leaves—keep 2 whole and chiffonade (long thin strips) the other leaves

• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat the grill basket over grill flames for 5 minutes or preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, toss broccoli florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Throw the broccoli into your preheated grill basket over medium heat or spread it onto the prepared baking sheet and pop the tray into preheated oven.

Grill or bake the broccoli for 20 minutes, tossing/turning the florets every five minutes. Remove broccoli from the heat when it is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a serving bowl and toss with lemon juice and zest.

Melt butter on stovetop over low heat. Add sage and warm for 4 minutes to infuse the sage flavor into the butter.

Drizzle the sage butter over the broccoli. Toss to distribute and lightly coat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Serve immediately.

The broccoli can also be tossed with 1/2 pound of pasta, an additional 2 tablespoons of sage butter, and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese for a light and delicious entree.