week knight: cheesy broccoli

this is one of my flavorite new week knight meals. a week knight is an easy dish that saves you if you didn't plan, and just have 30 minutes before bedtime and two ingredients in the fridge. in this case the two ingredients are broccoli and some leftover cheese (of any sort). parmesan, cheddar, Beecher's...you really can't go wrong. i originally made this broccoli as a side dish to lemon chicken pasta, although, in all honestly, the broccoli was so tasty that I snacked until I had eaten the whole broccoli batch before anything else was done cooking. so now, i cut out the middle man and go straight for the good stuff. think of this as a hot salad covered in crispy melted cheese and tangy lemon juice, with just enough substance to be the whole meal deal. if you've been on the hunt for a new, go-to week knight, this is it. adapted from this bon appetit contributor who says, "This Cheesy, Crispy Broccoli Skillet Might Be the Best Thing I’ve Ever Made." believe her. and believe me. who knew stovetop broccoli could turn into a dream come true??? don't delay, make it this week knight and don't ever look back.  plus because it's veg, you'll feel great about this choice being a meatless mainstay for Monday or any day of the week.  for short you can call this dish brocco cheese, broccoli deligh, broccoli d or broccoli deeze or BD or just b-deeze. you know b? you know b-deeze? 

if you're not convinced it can work as a standalone meal, some other thought starters to get you acquainted:
-add on top of any of your favorite pasta dishes for some green (mixed into TJ's pappardelle with roast chicken & parm)
-put atop your adult mac n cheese
-stir into your fave soup for some char and cheesiness (I added to plain matzo ball soup & it was fab)
-serve as a side dish to any favorite meal

the skillet in all of it's glory.

broccoli d in matzo ball soup

broccoli d with beecher's mac & chicken

broccoli d with pappardelle & bolognese

Broccoli Delight / Broccoli D / Broccoli Deeze / BDeeze

Recipe (adapted from Cheesy Broccoli Skillet)

1 lb broccoli (precut florets or floreted broccoli heads)

8 cloves garlic (chopped)

olive oil

a lemon

salt to taste (probably a handful)

crushed red pepper flakes

Add a generous coating of olive oil to a preheated cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, then add the broccoli (try to arrange the cut sides down), season with salt and chili flakes. Let cook, undisturbed, until the undersides are dark brown and the florets are bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic. Toss everything around and let the broccoli cook a few minutes longer, until the new undersides take on some color and the stems are crisp-tender, another 5 minutes or so (but taste one to find out). 

While that's happening, crumble about 4 ounces of cheddar (or your other favorite melting cheese) into ½” pieces, then sprinkle them over the broccoli. The cheese will immediately melt and some will start to drip down into the spots between the florets and onto the hot surface of the pan. Whatever lands there will bubble and brown into cheese sheets. The rest of the cheese will softly melt onto the florets without getting crispy, and that’s just what you want. One cheese, two textures.