Marry Me Broccoli
Marry Me Broccoli features tender, browned broccoli smothered in a luxuriously creamy and savory sauce. With tangy sun-dried tomatoes and a hint of garlic, it’s an irresistibly flavorful side dish that you’ll want to add with every main meal!
Let me introduce you to this easy Marry Me broccoli recipe – a dish that turns simple broccoli into an irresistibly easy veggie side. This vegetarian version, inspired by the popular “Marry Me” chicken recipes, features broccoli florets cooked in a luxurious, savory sauce that’s perfect for any busy weeknight family meal or when you want to impress dinner guests.
Cooking the broccoli on the stovetop ensures that it remains vibrant and crispy-tender while absorbing the decadent and creamy “marry me” sauce. Studded with bits of sun-dried tomato, and topped with Parmesan and fresh basil, it delivers a restaurant-quality side dish with minimal cleanup!
What is “marry me” broccoli?
“Marry Me Broccoli” is the vegetarian twist on the classic marry me chicken recipe. This side dish features tender-crisp broccoli smothered in a luscious, garlicky Parmesan cream sauce.
The sauce is studded with tangy sun-dried tomatoes and replicates the irresistible flavors of “marry me” recipes! A hint of crushed red pepper adds a gentle kick of spice to this veggie side, while fresh basil provides the perfect herby finish.
Ingredients needed to make this marry me broccoli side dish
- Oil: Use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar as a way to infuse even more flavor throughout this side dish. You can use olive oil instead, if you prefer.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Opt for the oil-packed julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes since it has better flavor than the dried sun-dried tomatoes. Keep 3 tablespoons of the drained oil aside for cooking the broccoli in.
- Broccoli florets: If your florets have large stems, make sure to cut and discard them.
- Shallot: For building deep aromatic flavor along with the drained sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Shallots are milder and sweeter than white or yellow onion.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic cloves will provide the best depth of flavor!
- Broth: Feel free to use store-bought or homemade vegetable broth. I recommend using low-sodium broth for better control over the salt content in this side dish.
- Italian seasoning: Provides classic Italian flavor to any dish.
- Paprika: For a touch of warmth.
- Crushed red pepper: Added for a lovely kick of spice. You can increase or decrease this depending on your preference.
- Salt: Taste to test. If you use regular broth, you may want to reduce the salt.
- Heavy cream: Adds delicious creaminess and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Fresh basil: Mixed into the creamy sauce towards the end of the cook and sprinkled over the assembled dish as a fresh and bright garnish.
- Parmesan cheese: Always use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best flavor. It makes this marry me broccoli side dish truly Italian!
- Cream cheese: Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature for easy mixing. A light cream cheese can be used to reduce the fat content in this dish, if preferred.
How do you make this marry me skillet broccoli?
Cook the broccoli in batches:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add 4 cups of broccoli in an even layer and cook (don’t stir) for about 3 minutes until browned.
- Now stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until browned all over and bright green.
- Transfer the browned broccoli to a plate.
- In the same pan, repeat the process with 1 tablespoon of oil and the remaining 4 cups of broccoli.
Create the aromatic base of the sauce:
- In the same skillet, with all the “broccoli drippings”, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
- Add the shallot and cook for about 2 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the drained sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Keep stirring and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Build the sauce:
- Stir in the remaining broccoli, broth, Italian seasoning, paprika, crushed red pepper and salt.
- Cover and keep cooking (don’t stir) until the broth is slightly reduced and the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and fresh basil.
- Stir and cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce is slightly thick.
- Remove the broccoli from the heat and gradually stir in 1/4 cup of Parmesan and the softened cream cheese until melted and combined, about a minute or two.
Top and serve:
- Sprinkle the completed dish with a tiny bit of chopped basil and the remaining Parmesan.
- Add a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper, if desired and serve!
Serving
First things first, you’ll definitely need a good slice of bread to mop up any remaining sauce! This cheesy garlic bread is certainly up for the task!
This creamy broccoli side dish pairs with almost any type of meat – roast chicken, pork tenderloin, flank steak, and fish fillets.
Enjoy it as a vegetarian main meal when served alongside fluffy rice, quinoa, or tossed in this Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Once completely cool, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be reheated on the stovetop over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes or in the microwave on medium for 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, for about 3 minutes or until heated through.
- Freezing: This marry me broccoli can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, if needed. Thaw the dish overnight in the fridge and reheat as directed above.
- Cook, don’t stir: It’s important to let the broccoli cook in the skillet without stirring so that it can achieve a delicious browning.
- Don’t discard the jarred oil: Cooking the broccoli and aromatics in the sun-dried tomato jar is an effortless way to build even more flavor. Don’t forget to reserve the oil while you drain the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cook in batches: Cooking the broccoli in batches at the start of this recipe allows for enough space in the heated pan for the broccoli to cook and brown without being overcrowded and steaming.
- Flavor layering: This broccoli side dish is all about building layers of flavor. The sun-dried tomato oil infuses into the broccoli and the “broccoli drippings” are kept in the heated skillet when building the aromatic base of the sauce with the shallot and garlic. It’s a clever way to use what you already have on hand to create a mouth-watering side dish.
Variations:
- Broth: You can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth which will add greater depth of flavor to the creamy sauce.
- Herbs: Dried basil or oregano are great substitutes if you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand.
- Vegetarian marry me broccoli: To ensure that this marry me broccoli side dish is strictly vegetarian, make sure that the Parmesan used is made with vegetable rennet and not animal rennet (an enzyme from a calf’s stomach that’s typically used to coagulate milk when making cheese).
- Vegan marry me broccoli: Use coconut milk or cashew cream instead of the heavy cream, vegan cream cheese alternatives, and incorporate nutritional yeast into the sauce and as a topping instead of Parmesan.
- Sweet and smokey Marry me broccoli: For a sweeter, smokier sauce, replace half of the sun-dried tomatoes with chopped roasted red peppers. For a vibrant color and smoother texture, blend one tablespoon of the peppers into the broth.
- Creamy mushroom marry me broccoli: Sauté 1 cup of sliced cremini or button mushrooms with the chopped shallot until golden. For a richer, earthier sauce, deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine instead of using half the heavy cream.
- Extra kick of heat: If you prefer a slightly spicier version of this dish, simply increase the crushed red pepper.
- Meaty marry me broccoli: Mix in crumbled, cooked Italian sausage or chorizo for a meaty twist. Crispy bacon pieces would also be a delicious addition.
If you need a few more veggie side dishes for dinner, I recommend Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta, Green Beans with Bacon and Onions, or Creamed Kale with Walnut Panko Topping.
More “marry me” recipes you may want to try:
- Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
- Marry Me Chicken Orzo
- Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken
- Marry Me Caesar Wedge Salad
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta Recipe
Get the Recipe:
Marry Me Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomato jar, divided
- ½ cup drained julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes in oil with herbs, chopped
- 8 cups broccoli florets, divided (if large stems, please cut and discard them)
- 1 large shallot, chopped (or 2 small)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup lower-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil, divided
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 Tbsp cream cheese
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 cups of broccoli in an even layer; cook until browned (don’t stir), about 3 minutes. Now stir and cook another 2-3 minutes until browned all over and bright green. Transfer to a plate. In the same pan, repeat the process with 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining 4 cups broccoli.
- In the same skillet, with all the “broccoli drippings” heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the drained sun-dried tomatoes and garlic; keep stirring and cook about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining broccoli, broth, Italian seasoning, paprika, crushed red pepper and salt. Cover and keep cooking (don’t stir) until the broth is slightly reduced and the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and fresh basil; stir and cook until the sauce is slightly thick, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the broccoli from the heat. Gradually stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and softened cream cheese until melted and combined, about a minute or two. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of chopped basil and remaining Parmesan. Add a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper, if desired and serve.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
