By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,605)
- Notes
- Read community notes
One of my favorite Middle Eastern mezze is deep-fried cauliflower served with tahini garlic sauce. I decided to try the dish with broccoli, but instead of deep-frying the broccoli I roasted it, a method that requires a lot less oil. The buds on the broccoli florets toast to a crispy brown, and the texture of the stalk remains crisp. It goes wonderfully with the classic and irresistible tahini garlic sauce.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6
- 1garlic clove, cut in half, green shoots removed
- Salt to taste
- ⅓cup sesame tahini
- 2 to 4tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more to taste)
- ⅓cup water
- Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes for sprinkling
- 1 to 1½pounds broccoli crowns
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Tahini Sauce
For the Broccoli
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
155 calories; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 312 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In a mortar and pestle mash the garlic clove to a purée with a generous pinch of salt. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the sesame tahini. Whisk in the lemon juice, beginning with the smaller amount. The mixture will stiffen up. Gradually whisk in up to ⅓ cup water, until the sauce has the consistency of thick cream (or runny yogurt). Taste and adjust salt.
Step
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Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the broccoli crowns ⅓ inch thick, letting the flower buds on the edges fall off. Peel any large pieces of stem by gently pulling away the thick skin, then toss the slices and the unattached buds with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast until the tops are nicely browned, stirring and flipping the large slices over (tongs are a good tool for this) after 8 minutes, roasting about 15 minutes total. Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter or to individual serving plates. Drizzle on the tahini sauce and serve, or serve the tahini sauce in small bowls for dipping.
- Advance preparation: The tahini garlic sauce will keep for a few days in the refrigerator but it’s best freshly made as the garlic will become more pungent with time.
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1,605
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Cooking Notes
Mike S
I've been roasting broccoli for some time as a quick vegie side. I use a glass baking dish and found that if I stack the buds on their heads and drizzle oil and seasoning over, I get a crisp roast on the stems without too much burn on the flower. I usually toss on parmesan and can judge the doneness by when the cheese goes golden... Looking forward to trying the tahini to twist up an old fav.
Johan N
Superb dish. Keep the broccoli pieces big & chunky, that way you'll have some charred flavour without losing the crispness. Make sure to thin the tahini dressing properly with water.
Angela
Came out perfect! Tossed with the roasted broccoli and roasted squash (kabocha and butternut). This tahini with the butternut was exquisite!
Gail G.
I make this all the time with roasted cauliflower and carrots. I can't stop eating it.
Beej
2 Tbsp of lemon juice was ample. Something seemed missing in flavor. Added dash of Tamari, drizzle of olive oil, pinch salt and bit more water. Came closer to dressing consistency and did double duty. Very tasty especially with brown rice.
Malkah Livneh
Easy to make! I never would have though of eating broccoli with tahini but it's a great combination.
Jim Hess
* Lemon or Lime juice: 3-4 was ideal* 4-5 garlic cloves needed to rock it* Water: Will need a bit more for smooth consistency* Goes exceptionally well with “fragrant spiced chicken recipe from 1000 Recipes from around the world” cookbook
Allyson
Added some hot paprika to the broccoli and sumac to the tahini, and it turned out great. I'll definitely add this to the rotation.
Jorge
Thinning the tahini is key. Also, I cut the florets more thinly and cooked them at 400 F for 20 minutes to match the cook time of the boneless/skinless chicken thighs I was making. The florets were cooked beautifully with a little char.
One mod I made myself was to press the garlic and put it in a mini food processor with the lemon juice, water, salt, and tahini. The consistency was as good as if I had whisked it.
Jonathan
Great taste and very easy. Sauce is good for dipping almost anything.
Les O
Really fantastic. Next time I'd double, maybe triple the broccoli -- it was terrific on its own, but really just amazing with the sauce. (There was a lot of extra sauce....I am saving it and buying more broccoli.....)
Maggie K
Forgot to note: I added a bit of smoked paprika to the sauce to tone down a hint of bitterness. Next time, I think I’ll just mince the garlic, rather than making the paste of it.
Kim
Holy wow! How can something so simple taste so superb? I doubled the garlic and the lemon juice. I also added mushrooms and green onions to the broccoli and roasted everything together. Wow! Just wow!
Nina from Oakland
Sacrilege - I know - but I sprinkled some garlic powder on the florets before roasting to superb effect. Also, the tahini sauce goes great on everything, especially roasted beets.
Valerie
I did 1.5 TBSP of lime juice instead of lemon. 2 cloves of garlic and some garlic powder (because I’m a garlic whor*). I had to use almost double the water to get the consistency I wanted. Worked out great!
Emily
1/2/24. Tahini sauce is perfect
Cheryl
I am only rating the tahini sauce, I make the following adjustments, extra garlic, add the grated peal of the lemon and less water than recipe calls for. This is excellent with grilled veggies
Pamela
This is so easy and delicious that it's achieved snack status in my house. We eat it like popcorn or a bowl of cereal.
Mac
Way more sauce than necessary, but it’s very tasty! Adjust lemon juice and garlic to your taste.
Liz
I loved the lemony tahini sauce, but combining it with roasted broccoli was not as exciting as I had hoped.
Samantha C.
Fabulous. The tahini sauce is to die for and it would be great with other dishes. I’m definitely adding this to my rotation!
Bill
Terrific for a fairly fast side dish.
Debbie
Very nice. I added a small float of olive oil on the tahini mixture and a sprinkle of za'atar. You can find za'atar at Kalustyans, in store or mail order from NY.
J. P.
Almost forgot to add the Aleppo pepper until I was half finished eating this dish as it's not referred to in the recipe other than being in the ingredient list. I sprinkled it on top mid-way through the meal and thought that added something
Owen Brown
Pleasant, nothing special. You might want to add some olive oil to your tahini dip. We did.
DawnN
Delicious with brown rice as a healthy lunch, but start with 1 T of lemon juice -- 2 feels a little tart.
Naz
Delicious healthy side! I added a squeeze of runny honey to the dressing for a sweet hum of flavor.
rose m
This was delicious just as written. I never thought roasted broccoli could be so yummy. I will never again have mushy, undercooked, and bland broccoli. As I stared at my empty bowl, I was thinking what else I had in the fridge to dip in that garlicky deliciousness. Thank you for another winner.
TK
I’ll be making this all the time!!! Delicious.
Adam
So simple, so good!
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