One of the easiest, quickest, and tastiest meals I prepare is to steam some veggies and drizzle on a tasty sauce, like this Broccoli in Garlic Sauce. It tastes better than any takeout and literally comes together in minutes.
Maybe you have kids (or a spouse) who aren’t too keen on eating their vegetables? I remember the only way our oldest would eat his – was to drown them in Ranch Dressing. When “I” was a kid, the only way I could eat broccoli was to smother it in cheese sauce, so it’s not an entirely new idea.
So here’s a quick and easy sauce to make and dare say a bit healthier than ranch or processed cheese sauce. All it takes are a few ingredients and of course, a good old-fashioned stovetop.
I use a variation of this sauce in a lot of my recipes because it has all 5 of the components I like in a sauce:
- saltiness – provided by the soy sauce of course
- sweetness – I used maple syrup but use whatever you are comfortable with
- sour/bitter – rice vinegar & spicy mustard
- spicy – chile flakes or gochugaru (which is Korean chile)
- umami – for that savory component I like Marmite
Marmite is very popular in the UK where it’s spread on toast (which I happen to love btw). It’s just a thick, sticky paste made from leftover yeast from the beer brewing process. It’s full of B vitamins, including B12, is VERY salty, and has the consistency of a really thick Nutella. I get it at my local Fred Meyer (Kroger) but I’ll add a link below for those of you who can’t find it
As an affiliate, I do earn a little on every purchase but at no extra cost to you.
Take all of those components, mix ’em up, and add some kind of thickener (corn starch, potato starch, arrowroot) and you have a really tasty sauce that goes on just about anything, but especially on veggies.
In this recipe, I’m using fresh broccoli but you can certainly use frozen.
It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s tasty, and hopefully…. helps get those vegetables down those that may not usually eat them.
Enjoy.
Savory Broccoli in Garlic Sauce
The nice thing about this recipe is you can adjust any of the ingredients to your own taste.
So I started by blanching my broccoli.
I took a small head, cut off the florets, and added them to a steamer basket placed in a few inches of boiling water. After about 3 minutes I removed them and dropped them immediately into a bowl full of ice water to stop the cooking process. We will finish cooking them in the sauce.
For the sauce, I started with 4 BIG cloves of garlic, minced very fine. Into a pan with a few tablespoons of veggie broth, the ground ginger (fresh would work too), and the chile flakes. Stir that around for a minute then add all the remaining ingredients (except the corn starch).
Bring that to a simmer and while it’s going, make a slurry with the corn starch and water. Slowly stir that into the sauce and it will thicken immediately.
Drain your broccoli and add to the sauce. Stir to coat and after a minute, serve over your favorite rice.
How’s that for easy?
And tasty? My daughter was here visiting when I cooked this and she took one bite and the way her eyes lit up – I knew she liked it.
Hope you enjoy it too and if you do (or don’t), leave me a comment.
Until next week……seeyas!
Savory Broccoli in Garlic Sauce
- Author: Brand New Vegan
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Prep Time: 15 min
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Cook Time: 15 min
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Total Time: 30 minutes
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Yield: 4-6 servings
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Category: Main, Sauce
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Method: Stovetop
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Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
One of the easiest, quickest, and tastiest meals I prepare is to steam some veggies and drizzle on a tasty sauce, like this Broccoli in Garlic Sauce. It tastes better than any takeout and literally comes together in minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 small head of broccoli (about 2 cups florets)
- or 1 bag frozen broccoli & cauliflower mix
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp red chile flakes (or gochugaru)
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbs maple syrup
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- 1 tsp marmite
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp spicy mustard
- 2 Tbs corn starch
- 2 Tbs water
Instructions
- Cut all the florets from a small head of broccoli and add them to a steamer basket. Steam covered for 3 minutes in a pot with 1-2 inches of boiling water, then remove and place them in a bowl of ice water, Set aside.
- Mince garlic and add to a small saucepan along with a few tablespoons of veg broth or water, ginger, and chile flakes. Saute for a minute while stirring.
- Add the broth and all the remaining ingredients except the corn starch and water. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Make a slurry by whisking the corn starch and water together and slowly stirring it into the sauce until it thickens.
- Drain your broccoli and add to the sauce. Stir to coat and simmer for 1 minute.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
Like This Recipe? Tips and Donations Are Always Welcome!
Keywords: broccoli in garlic sauce
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