Roasted Kung Pao Broccoli

Fresh broccoli florets and sliced water chestnuts are marinated in a savory, spicy sauce and roasted, creating the most amazing vegetable side dish. It’s a delicious spin on a takeout classic.

Mar 26, 2024

When it comes to preparing vegetables, roasting is my absolute favorite way to cook them. It’s incredibly easy and I find the flavor of the vegetables to be far superior to any other cooking method.

Roasting vegetables just means cooking them at high heat for a fairly short amount of time. This cooking method concentrates the flavor and sweetness of vegetables by driving off excess moisture.

Vegetables that are perfectly cooked on the inside with maximum browning and caramelization on the outside is the ultimate goal when roasting vegetables. Here are a few tips to help you achieve roasted vegetable perfection.

Use a heavy duty, rimmed sheet pan. Flimsy sheet pans often warp in the oven at high temperatures. This buckling of the pan can cause the vegetables to brown unevenly because they don’t lie flat on the pan.

When prepping the vegetables, cut them to a uniform size for even cooking.

Make sure the vegetables are evenly coated with oil. Some people prefer combining the vegetables and oil directly on the sheet pan. However, I find that tossing the vegetables with the oil in a bowl results in a more even coating.

Choosing the perfect oven temperature depends on the type of vegetables you’re roasting. Denser vegetables like beets, parsnips, or potatoes roast best at lower temperatures (around 375 to 400 degrees F). Vegetables with a greater water content roast better at higher temperatures (425 to 450 degrees F). When in doubt, a preheated oven temperature of 400 degrees F will do the trick for pretty much any vegetable you would like to roast.

As much as I love using parchment paper to line sheet pans for easy clean up, skip it when roasting vegetables. Parchment paper will prevent roasted vegetables from browning properly.

Be sure to spread the vegetables in a single layer with space in between. Crowding causes the vegetables to steam rather than roast. This single layer arrangement also promotes browning on all sides of the vegetable pieces.

To your health,

Darlene

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ROASTED KUNG PAO BROCCOLI

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 2/3 cup

Prep: 15 minutes

Ready: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or avocado oil)
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Huy Fong Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1/4 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion (green and white parts)

DIRECTIONS

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, place oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, ginger root, and garlic and shake to combine.
Place broccoli florets and water chestnuts in a large zip-top bag. Add sauce, seal bag, and shake, allowing sauce to evenly coat broccoli and water chestnuts. For best flavor, allow broccoli mixture to marinate in refrigerator 1 to 2 hours.
When ready to roast, place broccoli and water chestnuts, along with any sauce remaining in bag, in a single layer, on a large, rimmed sheet pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Roast in a preheated 400-degree F oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir broccoli and water chestnuts around pan, return to oven, and continue roasting an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until broccoli is lightly browned and stems are crisp-tender. Place roasted broccoli and chestnuts in a serving bowl, top with peanuts and sliced green onion, and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving

147 Calories, 8 g Total fat, 1 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 304 mg Sodium, 13 g Total carbohydrate, 4 g Dietary fiber, 6 g Total sugars, 2 g Added sugars, 6 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 66 mg (6%) Calcium, 2 mg (10%) Iron, 590 mg (15%) Potassium