How many minutes to cook broccoli. Delicious Frozen Broccoli Recipes

What associations do you have when you hear the word cabbage? Surely the imagination pictures a smooth white head of cabbage. However, many representatives of this family are far from such forms, and, by the way, they are prepared in completely different ways. For example, do you know how to cook fresh broccoli? If not, then this information will be very useful.

How to make a dish tastier?

Surely, after you are lucky enough to try freshly prepared broccoli in a restaurant or cafe, after a while you will want to reproduce this dish at home. And here some difficulties may arise: the cabbage will simply be undercooked or, on the contrary, it will acquire the consistency of mashed potatoes. It is at this stage that most housewives have a completely logical question: how to cook fresh broccoli correctly?

In fact, the secret techniques that make broccoli dishes tastier and sometimes healthier are easy to master even for novice cooks:

• At the beginning of cooking, the cabbage is divided into inflorescences using a sharp knife, and it is also advisable to remove the stem itself. By the way, the stalk will make an excellent vegetable soup, sauce and even jelly.
• Place broccoli pieces in boiling and lightly salted water. Firstly, this way you will retain as much as possible all its beneficial properties. Secondly, the inflorescences will not be saturated with moisture for too long.
• If you do not plan to cook broccoli in the next 12 hours, experts recommend storing it in a saucepan with cool water during this time. It is believed that this is how cabbage will retain its beneficial properties and at the same time remain crispy.
• The ideal cooking time for inflorescences for an adult head of cabbage should not exceed 5 minutes, but if the head is large, the cooking time can be increased to 10 minutes. But remember that when cooked, the broccoli should be al dente, that is, slightly undercooked and crispy.

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There are a huge number of broccoli dishes. This is a fragrant stew, a rich light green soup-puree, as well as delicious cabbage in batter. But despite the variety of additional ingredients, they are all prepared according to the same principle: first, the cabbage must be boiled. How to do it? There are only two options - in a saucepan and in a double boiler. By the way, a fresh head of cabbage must be green, sometimes with a slight purple tint.

Grandma's recipe

Compound:

• 1 head of broccoli;
• salt;
• cold water.

Preparation:

• First, trim the broccoli florets as close to the crown as possible. One branch should be divided into several inflorescences.

• Place everything in a colander and rinse under running water to remove sand.
• Cabbage stems can also be eaten. To do this, peel them from the top layer and cut into rings.

• Place a saucepan with plenty of water on the stove and bring the liquid to a boil.
• Lightly salt the water and add the cabbage.
• How long you need to cook fresh broccoli in a pan of boiling water depends on the size of the flowers. So, for small ones, 2-3 minutes are enough, for medium-sized pieces - 5-6 minutes, while large ones are cooked for up to 10 minutes.
• After the specified time, remove the cabbage from the water using a slotted spoon and transfer to a separate bowl.

• Fill a mug with ice-cold or at least cool water and pour thoroughly over the broccoli. This will help preserve not only the integrity of the pieces, but also their taste.

• In principle, you can stop there: season the cabbage with vegetable oil and enjoy its taste. You can also fry it with mushrooms or meat.

• Boiled broccoli will be very tasty even after baking in the oven.

• In general, options for further preparation can be found to suit every taste.

Not only faster, but also healthier

Another option for cooking fresh broccoli is steaming it. True, only happy owners of a double boiler can take advantage of all the advantages of the method. So, cooking boiled broccoli will consist of the following steps:

• At the very beginning, to save time, pour water into the steamer bowl and turn on the heating device.
• While the water is boiling, divide the cabbage into inflorescences and rinse in cool water, preferably 2-3 times.
• Then place the cabbage heads in a steamer sieve and place the bowl over the steam.
• Close the steamer lid and set the timer for 5-7 minutes. If you prefer to cook cabbage as a whole head, then increase the cooking time to 10-12 minutes.
• After the device signals the end of cooking, there is no need to open the lid. Let the dish sit for about 3 minutes and only then place the broccoli on a plate.

• The finished dish can be seasoned with flax seeds, sesame seeds or simply lightly sprinkled with olive oil.

Nutritionists, and broccoli lovers in general, claim that cabbage prepared in this way turns out especially tasty and tender. And scientists echo them that the vegetable becomes not only tastier, but also much healthier. After all, when cooked with steam, vegetables retain 40% more vitamins and nutrients.

Broccoli is a controversial vegetable: despite the fact that it is a treasure trove of vitamins and a storehouse of microelements, most residents of the post-Soviet space do not have warm feelings towards it.

The reason for this is banal - many simply do not know the true taste of such a product. But it has long been proven that it depends entirely on compliance with the cooking technology. That’s why it’s important to know how to cook frozen broccoli and what “goodies” you can make from it.

Do I need to defrost broccoli before cooking?
Why are we talking about frozen cabbage? Yes, because in this form it is available all year round, which allows you to include it in your diet even in winter. However, do you need to defrost broccoli before cooking?

This is not recommended for a number of reasons:
Most of the vitamins will disappear irrevocably.
The inflorescences will become shapeless, turning into mush after cooking.
When trying to cook broccoli correctly, remove the bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer immediately before putting it in boiling water.

If the pieces are frozen and stuck together, defrost them just enough to be able to separate the inflorescences.

How and how long to cook frozen broccoli in a saucepan

When choosing a pan for cooking, it is important to follow several rules:
We use large containers so that the inflorescences touch each other less during cooking.
Pour in just enough water so that the vegetables are only lightly covered.
Dip the cabbage into lightly salted, boiling liquid.
Cook after boiling for 2 to 5 minutes. The duration of boiling depends on the size of the inflorescences: the larger they are, the longer the heat treatment lasts.
Remove the finished vegetable from boiling water. Left in it, it will simply quickly “creep away.”

How to cook broccoli in a saucepan step by step:
Place the bowl of water over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
Salt to taste (approximate proportions: 0.5 tsp salt per liter of water).
Place frozen inflorescences (or a whole head).
We wait until the water boils again, then turn the heat to low.
Cook the cabbage for the required number of minutes until done.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the inflorescences, place them on a plate, and pour melted butter or vegetable oil over them.

What can you make from boiled broccoli?

Cream soup
The undisputed leader among broccoli dishes. Cooking time: ~20 minutes.

Ingredients:
half a kilo of boiled broccoli;
2 large potatoes;
1 onion;
1 carrot;
salt, garlic, cream - to taste;
butter for frying;
croutons, herbs - for decoration when serving.

Step by step recipe:
Cut the potatoes into cubes, add salt, and cook until tender in a minimum amount of water.
Saute the grated carrots and diced onions in a frying pan in butter.
Mix the prepared vegetables and beat until smooth with a blender.
Add cream, adjusting the desired thickness of the soup.
If necessary, add salt to it. If you like garlic, add it after crushing it in the garlic press. Bring the soup to a boil. Serve sprinkled with croutons and garnish with parsley sprigs, mint leaves or other favorite herbs. Cream can be replaced with processed cheese with a creamy taste. We add it to the potatoes during the cooking stage.

Frittata
Broccoli goes perfectly with eggs. The finished dish turns out bright, with an unusual delicate taste.

Cooking time: ∼10 minutes.

Ingredients:
3 eggs;
100 – 150 g of boiled cabbage inflorescences;
1 onion (it’s better to take a sweet one);
1 pepper (choose red or bright orange);
salt, paprika, ground black pepper - to taste;
olive + butter for frying;
greens for decoration.

Step by step recipe:
We cut the vegetables: broccoli into pieces, onions into small cubes or half rings, pepper into thin strips.
Melt the butter in the olive oil and fry the vegetable mixture for 4 minutes over medium heat.
Beat the eggs, add the indicated spices to taste, and add salt.
Pour the whipped mixture over the vegetables, cover with a lid, and leave for 3 to 5 minutes until the eggs set.
Using a spatula, carefully fold the frittata in half (similar to a book), transfer to a plate, and sprinkle with your favorite herbs.

Broccoli fried in breadcrumbs
This is the simplest recipe that allows you to cook delicious broccoli. This makes the cabbage aromatic and crispy.

Cooking time: ∼15 minutes.

Ingredients:
boiled broccoli – 500 g;
breadcrumbs – 40 g;
butter – 30 – 50 g.

Step by step recipe:
We cut large inflorescences in half, leaving small ones whole.
Generously coat the cabbage in breadcrumbs.
Fry it until golden brown over medium heat in pre-melted butter for about 2 - 3 minutes on each side.
Serve as a separate dish or as a side dish for meat.

Bon appetit!

Broccoli is a unique vegetable belonging to the cabbage family. It is famous for the presence of a huge amount of nutritional elements, excellent taste, as well as various cooking methods. This product can be boiled, fried, stewed. But more often they use the first option. True, nutritionists do not advise spending too much time cooking it, otherwise it will lose its beneficial and taste properties. How to properly cook broccoli so that it does not lose its benefits? There are two methods that we will consider in this article.

Cooking broccoli
Boiled broccoli is perfectly absorbed by the body, so cabbage is suitable for those who suffer from problems with the digestive system. But for the benefits to be obvious, you need to know how to cook fresh broccoli correctly. It's completely easy, you just need to follow these steps:

Rinse the vegetable thoroughly under running water.

Divide the inflorescences into several parts. This can be done with your hands or with a knife.

Cut off the thick part of the stem.

Fill a medium to large saucepan with 2/3 of the water.

Take a large bowl, pour water into it and add a few ice cubes.

Throw 1 tablespoon of salt into the water.

Turn on the stove and set the temperature to high.

After the water boils, you need to throw the vegetable stems into it and wait 2 minutes.

Place the broccoli florets in boiling water and wait 5 minutes until the vegetable is cooked and tender.

Remove the product from the boiling water with a slotted spoon.

Place the broccoli in a prepared bowl of ice water to add a crunchy texture.

Drain the water through a colander and season to taste.

Now you have delicious broccoli. You already know how to cook this vegetable correctly. But you need to take into account that such a product loses about 30% of its beneficial properties if it is cooked for more than 5 minutes.

Blanching
This method of cooking broccoli is great if you plan to use the vegetable in cold salads and appetizers. The fact is that during blanching, beneficial substances are preserved, as well as a crispy structure.

This method includes the following steps:

Wash the broccoli and separate the florets from the stems.

Fill a medium to large saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and add ice cubes.

Placing the stems in boiling water. We time it to 90 seconds.

Broccoli is an unusual variety of cauliflower, native to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. Europeans first tasted this vegetable only in the 16th century, while the Greeks and Romans enjoyed it 2 thousand years ago. This time was more than enough to study all the beneficial qualities of broccoli, and learn how to cook it not only correctly, but also tasty.

What is the main benefit?

Broccoli inflorescences are usually subjected to minimal heat treatment, which allows for maximum preservation of valuable vitamins and minerals. And, by the way, there are a lot of them. For example, cabbage of this variety is a real storehouse of manganese, fiber, calcium, sulfur, iron and phosphorus. It contains protein, mineral salts, vitamins C, B and PP, provitamin A and much more.

It will be interesting to know that the inflorescences contain an abundance of chlorophyll, which has a positive effect on the qualitative composition of human blood. Because of this, it is recommended to eat broccoli in case of pathologies of blood vessels and heart muscle.

In addition, the vegetable prevents the appearance and development of nervous diseases, cleanses the body of heavy metal salts and even serves as a prevention of cancer.

People who are constantly struggling with excess weight will also benefit from learning how to cook cabbage correctly, since 100 grams of cabbage contain only 34 kcal.

Basic cooking rules

So, before you want to cook broccoli for the first time in your life, study the intricacies of the upcoming event. First of all, the duration of cooking will directly depend on whether the vegetable is frozen or fresh on your table. If we consider the option with fresh inflorescences, then their residence time in boiling water should not exceed 5-7 minutes. But the semi-finished product will have to be boiled a little longer, 10-12 minutes. The water should be slightly salted and the heat should be kept minimal.

Remember that the less you cook, the more you save nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Because of this, it is sometimes advisable to simply bake the cabbage or cook it in a slow cooker. In any case, separate large inflorescences into small ones in advance, and cut stems that are too thick into pieces.

Cooking options

Having familiarized yourself with the general rules, you can move on to how exactly you can cook broccoli deliciously. First, let's look at a recipe in which cabbage is cooked in batter.

You will need the following products:

• 0.5 kg of vegetable;
• 3 fresh eggs;
• a glass of sifted flour or breadcrumbs;
• pepper, salt and other favorite seasonings.

1. Frozen or fresh cabbage should be boiled for the required time, drained in a colander and left to drain;
2. At this time, you need to beat the eggs with a whisk, adding seasonings and salt;
3. Each individual inflorescence is first dipped in egg, then in flour (breadcrumbs), and placed in a hot frying pan with vegetable oil;
4. Frying time is 5 minutes on each side.

Now we offer a step-by-step guide on how to cook delicious and healthy broccoli soup.

For it you will need:

• 0.5 kg of inflorescences;
• three tomatoes;
• one carrot;
• 2 onions;
• 4 potatoes;
• 3 liters of vegetable or chicken broth;
• herbs and vegetable oil.

1. Place carrots, cut into thin slices, into the boiling broth;
2. After it, potatoes are laid, cut into small cubes;
3. Chopped onions are fried in a frying pan with vegetable oil;
4. Disassembled cabbage inflorescences are sent to the boiled broth;
5. The skin is removed from the tomatoes, they are cut into cubes, and also placed in the pan along with the soup;
6. Then cook the dish for another 5 minutes with the lid closed and over low heat, then let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Broccoli can be used to prepare not only appetizers or first courses, but also full-fledged side dishes.

One of them is made according to the following recipe:

• 400 g each of cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli;
• 100 g hard cheese;
• 100 g sour cream;
• Italian dried herbs and salt.

Preparation:

1. Before cooking frozen or fresh broccoli, as well as all other fresh vegetables, water should be brought to a boil, salt and set to low heat;
2. Then all types of cabbage must be cooked according to all the rules, which means that this should be done for a maximum of 10 minutes;
3. Then they are transferred to a sieve, drained, and sent to a heated frying pan with thick walls and a bottom;
4. There, seasonings, grated cheese and sour cream are added to the vegetable mixture, everything is kneaded and heated until the cheese is completely melted. Then the side dish simmers in the frying pan for another two minutes, and it can be served.

Finally, it is worth noting that broccoli is not good with all seasonings, but only with paprika, rosemary, hot mustard, ground black pepper and thyme. It is good to add basil and special sauce to it. The latter is made from butter, a spoonful of flour, egg yolks, herbs, spices and vegetable broth. In fact, this is a variation of the famous Bechamel sauce, and it is prepared according to a similar principle.

The main condition when preparing a product is to preserve the greatest amount of its beneficial properties.

Broccoli can be eaten raw, but it can also be boiled, fried and stewed.. Being a hypoallergenic product, this plant is used as complementary food for babies from 8 months. When preparing puree for a child, heat treatment of both raw and frozen vegetables is required.

Benefits and harms of the product

Broccoli is an excellent food for:

• diabetic patients;
• pregnant and lactating women;
• children and elderly people;
• people especially prone to atherosclerosis;
• those who have recently suffered viral diseases (exclusively for the rapid restoration of the immune system).

Boiled cabbage is also used as a low-calorie product during diets, which is important for those who are watching their figure. Consumption of vegetables has a great effect on the condition of the skin.. The composition of cabbage helps remove toxins. Sulfarophan blocks and prevents the development of cancer cells in the body.

This plant contains a large number of elements necessary for the human body:

• potassium;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• copper;
• iron;
• carotene;
• zinc;
• vitamin C.

According to chemical indicators, per 100 grams of steamed or boiled product there are (as a percentage of the daily requirement):

We invite you to watch a video about the benefits and precautions when eating broccoli:

How long does it take to cook?

1. How to cook cabbage based on its age:
   • If the cabbage is young, then it is cooked for 5 minutes in boiling salted water until it is ready.
   • More mature cabbage should be cooked for about 7-9 minutes.
2. For frozen broccoli, the cooking time increases to 10-12 minutes from the moment of re-boiling.
3. When preparing baby puree, it is advisable to increase the cooking time to 11-14 minutes.

Also, read about how long you need to cook broccoli and cauliflower, frozen and fresh, to retain all the benefits.

We suggest watching a video about how long to cook broccoli in order to preserve all the beneficial substances:

Step-by-step cooking instructions

To properly cook broccoli, you need to take into account some features:

In a saucepan

Place the inflorescences in boiling salted water for 3-8 minutes, then drain the water: if everything is done correctly, the cabbage will become softer, but its color will not change.

In a slow cooker

• When using the “Steam” mode, the broccoli cooks for 20-25 minutes.
• When using the Multicook mode, cooking time takes about 12-15 minutes.

Recipes

With cheese and chicken fillet in the oven

Ingredients:

• Frozen broccoli: 0.5 kg.
• Milk: 200 ml.
• Chicken eggs: 2 pcs.
• Hard Cheese: 100 gr.
• Butter: 2 tbsp.
• Chicken fillet: 400 gr.
• Salt: to taste.
• Dry spices: to taste.

Calorie content: 120 Kk per 100 grams of finished dish.

1. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the broccoli.
2. Fry in oil for 3-5 minutes.
3. Cut the chicken fillet into 1-2 cm pieces.
4. First we transfer the chicken pieces, then the fried inflorescences into a baking dish.
5. Prepare the sauce: beat the eggs, add milk, hard cheese (pre-finely grated), salt and pepper.
6. Pour the resulting sauce over the cabbage and chicken.
7. Heat the oven to 200-220 degrees.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Read about how to cook tender and delicious baked broccoli in the oven, and from there you will learn 9 recipes for delicious broccoli and cauliflower casseroles in the oven.

It can be served in the dish in which it was cooked.

We invite you to watch a video on how to prepare broccoli and chicken breast casserole:

In breadcrumbs in the oven

Ingredients:

• Fresh broccoli: 0.5 kg.
• Mozzarella: 100 gr.
• Chicken eggs: 2 pcs.
• Hard Cheese: 100 gr.
• Breadcrumbs: 120 gr.
• Salt: to taste.
• Ground black pepper: to taste.

Calorie content: 150 Kk per 100 grams of finished dish.

1. Cut fresh cabbage into small pieces.
2. Add eggs, grated cheeses and all other ingredients to the chopped vegetables.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Cover a baking tray with baking paper.
5. We form small balls from the resulting mixture.
6. Carefully place on a baking dish.
7. Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven (190-200 degrees) for 15 minutes.
8. Then turn the meatballs over to the other side and bake for another 10 minutes to form a golden crust on top.
9. Turn off and let the dish cool slightly in the oven.

Conclusion

Broccoli cabbage is the most beneficial in its properties among all types of cabbage in the world.. The fact that it contains sulfarophan indicates its uniqueness and possible use in medicine. The correct, easy absorption of vegetables by the body, the positive effect of eating cabbage on the immune system and the general condition of the body have been scientifically proven more than once.

The possibility of consuming cabbage during lactation and introducing it into complementary foods for a baby up to one year old indicates safety and hypoallergenicity. In addition to all the above properties, broccoli is not only healthy, but also very tasty.