Roasted Broccoli with Lemon, Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

In keeping with the theme of easy and quick dishes to feed your loved ones, I’ve got a side dish that start to finish can be on your table in 15 minutes. Broccoli florets are tossed in a little olive oil and sprinkled with minced garlic, lemon zest and a dash of red pepper flakes. Roasted in the oven on high heat for a few minutes, the broccoli comes out crispy but tender and so full of flavor. We’ve eaten this dish so many times in the last couple weeks when I just need dinner to be fast.

Ironically, I chose one of the busiest months of the year to start a new book about family life and the need to simplify. The book talks about creating margins for rest and playtime and the importance of reducing unnecessary stress and activities in family life. I’ve chuckled out loud a few times as I’ve snuck chapters in here and there between homework, sports practices, spelling, errands, freelance work and orthodontist appointments. And that was just yesterday.

In all seriousness, the book is called Simplicity Parenting, and it’s giving me good food for thought. I can’t eliminate our busyness, but I can look for small ways to connect as a family throughout the day. I am doubling down on my efforts to sit down to dinner as a family. Even when it’s just 10 minutes crammed between practices, homework battles and late work meetings, it’s still 10 minutes at the table together.

If you happened to catch my column, you read a little about how I prep meals for the week. I wash and cut up fruits and vegetables, storing them in plain sight in my refrigerator so that meals are easy to prepare and made from healthy ingredients. I roast a big pan of broccoli and we eat it for dinner and if there happens to be leftovers, I save them in the fridge to use in salads, stirred into scrambled eggs or my personal favorite; in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon, Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

• 1 large head of broccoli, broken into florets

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

• Zest of 1 lemon

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

This dish is one of those that can be adjusted easily to your specific tastes. If you like a strong lemon flavor, add more zest. If you don’t like any heat at all, skip the red pepper flakes altogether (although I don’t recommend it, the little bit of heat from the red pepper works so well with the lemon and garlic).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash broccoli and break into florets. The larger the pieces, the longer they take to cook, so cut them into small pieces for quick turnaround. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. In a bowl, drizzle oil over the broccoli and using a wooden spoon mix lemon zest, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper with the broccoli.

Spread the broccoli evenly on the baking sheet and cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and crispy brown on the edges. Stir once halfway through cooking to make sure the vegetables cook evenly. T

*To make a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with leftovers, take two slices of sourdough bread and layer grated fontina cheese with the leftover broccoli. Top with the other slice of bread. Butter the outside of both pieces of bread and cook in a large sauté pan over medium heat until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly on the inside.