According to data from the + Broccoli association, each Spaniard consumes a kilo and a half of broccoli a year . And we all know that vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are very necessary for the body. For this reason, they are essential in any diet to cover all the basic nutritional needs. This time, we want to show you how to cook broccoli in the microwave.
The large number of options that gastronomy offers us to prepare various recipes with vegetables favors their consumption, as it makes them more attractive and prevents us from falling into habitual repetitions of the dishes. Pay attention and take note of this recipe for broccoli in the microwave. You’ll love it!
Microwave steamed broccoli
Broccoli is an excellent food for health and it is also very versatile, since it allows us to prepare many recipes in combination with other ingredients. There are also many ways we can cook it, although in this article we are going to focus on how to cook broccoli in the microwave. Take note!
Duration: 15 minutes
Difficulty: low
Ingredients for 2 people:
- 500 g fresh or frozen broccoli
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 tablespoons of water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Steps to follow to make broccoli in the microwave:
- The first thing we must do to steam broccoli in the microwave is to wash this vegetable. Once we have it washed, cut the broccoli into different bunches. Next, peel and cut the log into thin slices to achieve a homogeneous cooking of all the pieces.
- Before cooking the broccoli in the microwave, and once it is chopped, if you want you can add any other vegetable, such as carrots. If so, wash it, chop it up and add it along with the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl or deep dish.
- Then add the seasonings you want to your recipes with broccoli. For this recipe we have only used salt and pepper to taste, but you canalso choose other spices such as thyme, curry, ginger or rosemary . This way you will be able to enrich the flavor of the broccoli, especially for children to eat. And is that eating broccoli in the microwave frequently can be boring even for the elderly. But if every time you cook broccoli in the microwave you decide to season it with different spices, you will make each recipe new to the palate and more attractive to consume, both for you and your guests.
- Once you’ve seasoned the broccoli to your liking, it’s time to cook it. But how do you cook broccoli in the microwave? It is very simple; cover the container with a microwave-safe lid,insert it into the appliance and let it cook at maximum power for about four minutes. If the broccoli is frozen, the cooking time will be six minutes, or you can also defrost it earlier. In any case, after steaming broccoli in the microwave, you will have to let it rest for two more minutes inside the appliance or, if you remove it, leave the lid on during that time so that it finishes cooking.
- After cooking the broccoli in the microwave, or while it is cooking and resting, put a skillet on the fire to prepare the side. Add the three tablespoons of olive oil and the sliced garlic cloves andsauté for a couple of minutes . In this way, the broccoli will acquire a special flavor together with the seasonings you have used.
- Finally, remove the garlic from the pan and add the broccoli pieces. Sauté them for a couple of minutesuntil golden brown and turn off the heat. If you do not want to sauté the broccoli, another option is to use the oil that you have left after frying the garlic directly as a dressing on the broccoli. When you have the vegetables on the plate, you can season the broccoli with soy, vinegar or other alternatives in addition to or instead of the oil, as well as you can add a little more of some of the spices used during the cooking of this recipe.
Benefits of broccoli recipes
There is no single way to determine how to microwave broccoli, as each person can add additional seasonings or ingredients to suit their taste. For this reason, it is a recipe as simple as it is varied, since it allows us to introduce new features every time we cook this vegetable.
In addition, as it is a food with so few calories, it is ideal for very light lunches or dinners. You can also combine steamed broccoli in the microwave with other products such as salmon, making it the garnish of a very healthy dish. However, if you want the entire dish to be vegetable, you can accompany it with a vegan burger.
Since there are as many recipes with broccoli as our imagination allows us to elaborate, the multiple health benefits that cooked broccoli brings us make it an ideal food to introduce into any diet. Among others, it contains vitamins A and C, fiber, calcium and magnesium.
It also provides us with large amounts of vitamin K, an essential nutrient in the blood clotting process. Other of its main contributions to the body are folic acid and several antioxidants such as quercithin, very beneficial for the heart, indole-3 carbinol, with numerous benefits for the immune system, or sulforaphane, whose effects are very positive against the cholesterol and cancer prevention.
In conclusion, consuming steamed broccoli in the microwave not only brings us a great number of benefits, it also helps to control our weight since each 100 grams of this food contains 34 calories . That is why it is ideal for low-calorie diets, that is, those that are based on the restriction of calorie consumption to reduce weight. Enjoy your meal!
