Take Bland, Boring Broccoli To The Next Level With These 10 Cheap Additions

Here's the deal with broccoli — you either love it or just can't stand it. Those who don't like this veggie mostly stay away from it, even though it's super healthy and one of those foods you should eat every day. But even if you love broccoli, when you cook it at home, you might have had instances where it ends up tasting bland. This can be a recurring problem with this vegetable because it doesn't have the most pleasant or pronounced flavor. 

However, even if you've had such issues, you don't need to give up on cooking this veggie or eating it. I've got a solution for this problem: You can season or top it with various cheap additions that can improve its flavor effortlessly. And to make it easier for you, I've made a list of some of my favorite cheap additions that can take this bland veggie to the next level.

I've been cooking broccoli for a long time and have learned what pairs well with it while pursuing my Bachelor's degree in Hospitality and Hotel Administration. You can trust me when I say that these additions make this veggie taste so great that even those who don't usually like it will end up asking for some. With that in mind, are you ready to upgrade broccoli with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry or refrigerator? Then keep reading.

Unless you're lactose intolerant, you'll likely agree that cheese can make everything taste better. And yes, by everything, I mean broccoli, too. In fact, cheese and broccoli are a classic pairing in broccoli and cheddar soup. So, topping broccoli with cheese is an obvious choice.

You don't need to go for fancy varieties of cheese to make broccoli taste better. Affordable options like cheddar, mozzarella, and even American cheese can all take the veggie's flavor up a notch. You can simply boil or steam broccoli, then top it with grated cheese while it's still hot, and let the cheese melt with the residual heat. This method also works well for roasted broccoli. Alternatively, you can roast the broccoli until it's almost completely cooked, then top it with grated cheese and broil it for a few minutes so the cheese melts well and forms an irresistible crust.

If you're willing to put in extra effort, consider making a simple cheese sauce and then tossing cooked broccoli in it. You can use one or a combination of the cheeses mentioned above. I'd also recommend adding cream cheese to the sauce, as it will give it a silkier texture and an extra creamy flavor. Just don't overcook the veggie, as that's one of the many mistakes everyone makes when cooking broccoli, which can eventually ruin its flavor so much that even cheese won't be able to save it.

You probably already have some sort of garlic stocked up in your kitchen, be it fresh or powdered, as it can liven up just about any dish. So, why not use it to amp up broccoli? Its sharp flavor can make this bland veggie taste a lot better.

Garlic powder in particular is a great option for steamed, roasted, and air-fried broccoli. You'll need to mix it with some oil and salt, toss broccoli florets in it, and then go ahead with roasting or air-frying. Similarly, you can just sprinkle garlic powder over steamed broccoli to give it a flavor boost. Freshly minced or chopped garlic works equally well for air-fried and roasted broccoli. However, I wouldn't recommend it for steamed broccoli because there's no oil to bloom the garlic, and hence, the dish will end up tasting odd. 

When it comes to stir-fried broccoli, freshly minced or chopped garlic (or even garlic paste) are all great choices. You'll have to sauté the garlic in oil first so it can release its flavor, then add the broccoli florets with salt and pepper, and cook until they're soft but still a little firm. Also, if you need to mince or chop a lot of garlic to make any of these dishes, try this cutting board hack to peel those cloves in a flash and make your work a lot easier.

A little lemon juice and zest can brighten up any dish, so these ingredients are a natural choice for upgrading broccoli. Besides giving the veggie a lovely tangy kick, these two ingredients will also help balance out its slightly bitter flavor. If you're someone who has so far particularly disliked that mild bitterness of broccoli, this addition is positively worth a shot, as you might actually start liking the veggie after you have it this way.

Some of you are probably beginners in the kitchen and might be wondering what lemon zest is, so let me get to that first. The outermost part of a lemon's peel is actually the zest. To use the zest, you'll need to grate the outer peel with the help of a zester. However, it's important that you stop grating once you reach the pith, which is the white part right under the yellow exterior of the peel. The pith is quite bitter, and so it will make the zest taste bitter as well.

Now that we have this out of the way, you should know that if you're using lemon juice and zest to make broccoli taste better, you should top the veggie with these ingredients after it is cooked so that the flavor and aroma stay as fresh as possible. The best part about using these ingredients is that they can liven up broccoli's flavor effortlessly, regardless of the cooking method.

I know you're probably wondering how honey can make broccoli taste better, but it surely can. Its sweet flavor can mellow the bitterness of this vegetable really well. But that's not all! If you toss broccoli with some honey and oil and then roast or air-fry it, it will give the veggie a delicious charred finish along with a sweet flavor.

That said, honey can also upgrade the flavor of steamed and stir-fried broccoli pretty well. If you'd like to use honey to make steamed broccoli taste better, all you'll have to do is top the veggie with honey once it's cooked, mix it all up, and enjoy — easy-peasy. For stir-fried broccoli, the best way is to add honey to the dish when it's just about ready. If you add the honey too soon, there's a chance of it burning due to high heat. Also, note that you should start with a little bit of honey and add more only if needed, as too much can throw off the balance and make the broccoli taste overly sweet. 

If you inadvertently end up adding too much honey to your broccoli dish, or are generally a little worried about your dish tasting too sweet and one-note, I'd suggest adding a teaspoon or so of vinegar to balance the flavor. You can also add some seasonings along with honey and vinegar, like cayenne pepper and ground black pepper, to give the broccoli a more nuanced flavor.

If you like mildly hot food, sprinkling a bit of paprika over your broccoli dish is something you should consider. Despite its bright red color, this spice has a subtle kick of heat that pairs well with broccoli. There are plenty of ways to take broccoli to the next level with paprika. The simplest approach is to sprinkle it over steamed broccoli along with salt. Or, for a stronger flavor, you can heat some oil, add paprika to it so that it blooms (blooming the spice essentially means heating it in oil to make its flavor and aroma stronger), and then toss in partly steamed broccoli and cook it all the way through. 

If you like roasted or air-fried broccoli more than steamed, you can prepare a mix with oil and paprika, toss broccoli florets in it, and then cook them. When roasting or air-frying broccoli, I'd highly recommend using smoked paprika instead of the regular variant if you have it, as its smoky flavor will get intensified by these cooking techniques and make the veggie taste even better. That said, you can also use smoked paprika to amp up steamed and stir-fried broccoli.

For stir-fried or pan-fried broccoli, start by blooming paprika in hot oil at low heat, then add the florets to it and cook them until they are done. If you accidentally add too much paprika to your broccoli dish, toss in a dash of vinegar or lemon juice, as that's a pretty efficient way to fix paprika overload.

Let's face it, guys — there are very few people out there who dislike bacon. Unless you're one of them, you're going to love the fact that bacon is a cheap addition that can tremendously improve broccoli's flavor. It's fatty, salty, and has a little kick of umami, and all these flavors together can turn your bland broccoli dish into an indulgent treat.

The best part about using bacon to amp up broccoli is that you don't have to use just bacon bits. Once you're done frying up bacon strips, you can use the leftover grease to stir-fry your broccoli. Or, if you're more fond of roasted or air-fried broccoli, you can toss some florets in bacon fat and a few simple herbs and seasonings if you'd like, and then cook them. You can also top roasted or air-fried broccoli with bacon bits once it's cooked to take its flavor further up a notch. Similarly, when it comes to steamed or boiled broccoli, you can toss the florets in a little bacon fat while they are steaming hot and then top them with bacon bits.

Don't go overboard with either of the two ingredients, especially if you're using both to elevate your broccoli, as too much will definitely mask the veggie's flavor. Also, if you're someone who likes this idea but doesn't eat pork, the good news is that you can use one of the many types of bacon not made from pigs instead.

Why limit soy sauce to marinades and Chinese food when it's a great option for taking broccoli to the next level? Its sharp, umami kick will mask the mild bitterness of broccoli, and also give it a delicious flavor boost. So, if you have a bottle of soy sauce in your pantry and have been wondering what to do with it, this is the perfect chance to make good use of it.

Another great thing about using soy sauce to upgrade broccoli is that, unlike cream-based sauces, it won't make your dish heavy. There are a few things worth keeping in mind when using this sauce, though. First, use it sparingly, as too much will completely throw the balance off. Additionally, don't season the broccoli with salt, because soy sauce itself is really salty, and excessive salt along with it will make the dish difficult to eat.

As for what kind of recipes you can use this sauce for, the best option is to add it to stir-fried broccoli towards the end. That being said, you can also top steamed or boiled broccoli with a dash of soy sauce. If you'd like to roast or air-fry broccoli florets, toss them in a mixture of oil and soy sauce, then cook them to get a deliciously crispy and caramelized finish. I'd also recommend topping the broccoli with toasted sesame seeds, as they complement the soy sauce's flavor really well.

If you're willing to put in some extra effort to take broccoli to the next level, I'd recommend topping it with caramelized onions. They have a really nuanced flavor, as you get a little sweetness, caramelized notes, and a hint of umami all in a single bite. These flavors can easily turn bland, boring broccoli into a gourmet side dish.

There are just a few things you need to be careful about when caramelizing onions. Make sure you cook them at a low heat so that they don't burn, and keep stirring from time to time to prevent them from sticking to the pan. On a separate note, you can also consider adding some chili powder, nutmeg, or garlic, as these are among the many ways to take caramelized onions up a notch, which will eventually make your broccoli taste even better.

Caramelized onions are a great topping for steamed and boiled broccoli. You'll just need to caramelize the onions first and top cooked broccoli with them. For roasted and air-fried broccoli as well, you'll have to caramelize the onions separately and then mix them with the veggie after it's cooked. If you'd like to pan-fry broccoli instead, you can caramelize the onions until they're just about done, and then toss the florets in and cook them. This way, the broccoli florets will soak up all that flavor from the onions. Lastly, you can also add caramelized onions to broccoli casseroles to give them a rich flavor.

You've probably seen Tajín seasoning at grocery stores several times, but never picked it up. Some of you might even be using this Mexican seasoning regularly, but might have overlooked the fact that it can actually make broccoli taste amazing, thanks to its balanced citrusy and hot flavor.

Before I get into how you can use this seasoning to elevate broccoli, let me explain what it contains for those of you who don't know. The ingredients in this seasoning are dehydrated lime zest, salt, and a combination of three different types of peppers. You'd think you're better off staying away from this blend if you aren't a big fan of spicy food, but I have some good news for you — it's very mildly spicy. So, it's worth giving Tajín a shot even if you can't handle spice that well.

When it comes to how you can use it to elevate broccoli, it's honestly as simple as using any other seasoning. You can sprinkle some on steamed or boiled broccoli, or mix it with oil, toss broccoli florets in it, and then roast or air-fry them. You can also sprinkle it over stir-fried broccoli. Be sure not to season your broccoli with salt when you're using Tajín because, as noted, it already contains salt.

If you haven't tried cooking broccoli in brown butter or simply topping it with this ingredient, you've been missing out. Brown butter has a much richer flavor than regular butter, along with mild nutty notes, and yet, it's often overlooked. However, that shouldn't be the case anymore, as it's definitely worth pairing broccoli with brown butter to elevate its flavor.

You can pour brown butter over freshly steamed or boiled broccoli, mix it all up, and enjoy. Similarly, you can also top roasted or air-fried broccoli with brown butter once it's cooked. Don't toss raw broccoli florets in brown butter and then roast or air-fry them, as that can make the butter taste burnt. If you'd like to pan-fry broccoli instead, you can brown the butter first, and when it's nearly done, add in partly steamed or boiled florets and sauté them briefly until they are cooked. This method is especially great because the broccoli florets will absorb more of that butter as they cook in it.

The only thing you need to be careful about, regardless of the method you go for, is browning the butter properly. Try not to overbrown it, as that will turn it bitter. Once it stops crackling and is lightly browned, take it off the heat immediately and then use it to elevate your broccoli dish.