Sauteed broccoletti or sauteed broccoli using frozen baby broccoli florets makes super easy, quick and delicious vegetable side dish for lunch, dinner or any holiday meals. Young shoots of broccoli like baby broccoli are also referred as broccoletti in Italian! I used two 12 oz broccoli packages (so total 24 oz) but if you only want to prepare 12 oz broccoli, you can easily halve the recipe by reducing the ingredients to just half of what we are using here.
I also have this sauteed broccoli using fresh broccoli and instant pot sauteed broccoli recipe if you like sauteed broccoli recipes!
If you like easy baby broccoli recipes in air fryer, also try this air fryer roasted baby broccoli! You can also see here how to cook frozen broccoli on stove top here using regular sized frozen broccoli.
broccoletti vs broccolini vs baby broccoli - are they same or different?
The term broccoletti can refer to both broccolini and baby broccoli, because broccoletti refers to younger broccoli which can be both in some cases (think younger version of broccolini or any younger varsions of broccoli as well).
However, broccolini and baby broccoli are not really the same. Broccolini looks similar to baby broccoli in terms of size, color etc but they are actually a hybrid between regular broccoli and Chinese broccoli. Although they might look similar to baby broccoli florets, they are usually little longer than baby broccoli if you observe. On the other hand, baby broccoli florets are younger versions of regular broccoli.
Despite the differences & similarities, in most recipes, you can use them interchangeably since they can be cooked in similar ways and usually yield almost same results!
The term broccoletti technically means young broccoli and sometimes both broccoli and baby broccoli are referred as broccoletti since they both can be different type of tender, young broccoli.
cooking baby broccoli florets (cooking broccoletti)
Cooking baby broccoli or broccoletti is much faster than cooking regular sized broccoli florets because the size of the baby broccoli florets are comparatively smaller than the regular ones. So if you like baby broccoli, it is much faster and easier to cook saving you more time during dinner preparations.
Also, since we use frozen baby broccoli, it's even more easier since they are already cut and ready to cook.
Keep in mind that fresh baby broccoli will cook even faster than frozen baby broccoli, but using frozen produce has it's own advantages like convenience, less prep time, the opportunity to store in freezer for a longer time etc.
how long to cook baby broccoli on stove top?
In this recipe for making sauteed broccoli, we only need to cook frozen baby broccoli for about 6 to 8 minutes in total. If you are using fresh baby broccoli, the cooking time will be even lesser. The reason why frozen broccoli takes couple minutes longer to cook than fresh broccoli is because first we need to wait until all water evaporate from the frozen florets.
more easy broccoli recipes:
- broccoli roast in air fryer with lemon, garlic
- oven roasted frozen broccoli florets
- baked fresh broccoli florets
- broccoli mac and cheese with sour cream and cream cheese
- balsamic roasted broccoli and cauliflower
- roasted broccoli and white onions
- teriyaki broccoli pasta noodles in instant pot
So here is how you can make sauteed frozen baby broccoli!
how to make sauteed frozen broccoli using baby broccoli florets or broccoletti?
To make frozen baby broccoli saute, we use the following ingredients.
ingredients used to make sauteed frozen baby broccoli
- baby broccoli florets 24 oz (I used two 12 oz packages)
- salt adjust to taste
- garlic powder 2 teaspoon
- oil 4 tablespoons
- soy sauce 2 teaspoons
- lemon juice 1 teaspoon
- dry red chilies 2 to 3 broken (optional)
step by step instructions
- Place the frozen baby broccoli florets in a large frying pan or skillet.
- Cook in medium heat until the water is all released from the frozen broccoli and the water is evaporated.
- Cover the pan with lid and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until the broccoli florets are almost cooked (baby broccoli florets are smaller in size and get cooked faster so make sure not to overcook so they don't get mushy).
- Once the broccoli is almost cooked, open the pan and add garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Also add broken red chilies if you are using them.
- Saute in high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes so the flavors are well blended with the broccoli.
- Finally, add the remaining 2 more tablespoons of oil and saute for another 1 more minute in high heat so the broccoli florets are lightly browned.
- Serve hot for best results.
Below you can get the recipe for sauteed frozen baby broccoli florets in detail.
How To Cook Baby Broccoli (Broccoletti) - Sauteed Frozen Florets
Ingredients
- 24 oz baby broccoli florets I used two 12 oz packages
- salt adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 dry red chilies broken, optional
Instructions
- Place the frozen baby broccoli florets in a large frying pan or skillet.
- Cook in medium heat until the water is all released from the frozen broccoli and the water is evaporated.
- Cover the pan with lid and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until the broccoli florets are almost cooked (baby broccoli florets are smaller in size and get cooked faster so make sure not to overcook so they don't get mushy).
- Once the broccoli is almost cooked, open the pan and add garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Also add broken red chilies if you are using them.
- Saute in high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes so the flavors are well blended with the broccoli.
- Finally, add the remaining 2 more tablespoons of oil and saute for another 1 more minute in high heat so the broccoli florets are lightly browned.
- Serve hot for best results.
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