Looking for impressive side dishes to change up your vegetable game? This Garlic Butter Sautéed Broccoli and Mushrooms with crispy bacon and Parmesan cheese boasts assertive flavors and incredible texture for a side everyone loves to love.
You’ll never look at broccoli the same way again.
Sautéed in delicious butter, mixed up with mushrooms, onions and garlic and topped with crispy bacon and Parmesan cheese, the flavors of this easy side dish come together like a real heartthrob.
We all know that person who doesn’t like broccoli. But have they tried this broccoli??
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m fully convinced all small children can be persuaded to enjoy their trees when dressed in such delightful accouterments.
If you’ve been trying to coax children into eating their greens or are simply looking for some palate-pleasing flavors, this is a something-for-everyone experience.
The cooking process is simple, and takes very little cook time. This flavorful broccoli is one of my favorite ways of enjoying the green trees.
This simple technique turns boring heads of broccoli into the perfect side dish.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for sautéed broccoli! The great news is you can find the full ingredient list at any grocery store.
Sautéed Broccoli Ingredients:
Bacon: Thick cut bacon is cooked to crispy perfection and added to the side dish just before serving.
While you can absolutely use the bacon fat for cooking the vegetables, I prefer the flavor and texture of butter in this easy sautéed vegetable recipe.
Butter and Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables, we need some form of fat. I use mostly butter because it adds that delightful buttery flavor.
We need a little high temperature cooking oil like avocado oil to help protect the butter while it’s cooking so that it doesn’t burn.
Olive oil works here too but I prefer avocado oil in this application because it doesn’t burn at high temperatures.
If you enjoy sesame flavor, use sesame oil instead of avocado oil and sprinkle this easy recipe with sesame seeds.
Fresh Broccoli: We need one large broccoli crown or two smaller crowns of broccoli. This all-star ingredient is what we’re focused on and we’re making it delicious with our flavorful additions.
I recommend using fresh raw broccoli, not frozen broccoli for the best results.
Mushrooms: We’ve all had broccoli and mushrooms separately, but have you tried them together? Mushrooms add earthy, umami flavor to the side dish, which helps round out the flavor profile.
Onion and Garlic: Fresh onion and garlic make everything taste better, am I right? You can go as heavy or light as you’d like with both here.
Water or Chicken Broth: in order to help soften the vegetables to al dente perfection, we add a little liquid to help steam the veggies. I use regular water but any kind of broth or stock like chicken broth works too.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season this healthy side dish with salt and pepper to your personal taste.
Parmesan Cheese: An amazing addition to just about anything, but vegetables in particular, grated Parmesan cheese brings salty, umami, rich cheesy flavor.
Increase the amount as needed, or omit it for a dairy-free option. You can also replace the Parmesan cheese with cheddar cheese, Asiago cheese, or Gruyère cheese.
Recipe Customizations:
- Add 1/3 cup of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans for a nutty crunch.
- Mix in 1/3 cup of dried cranberries or raisins for some tangy sweetness.
- Add in different hearty vegetables like grated carrot or any other root vegetables. Note that different kinds of vegetables require different cooking times. If you add more volume, just be sure to use more butter, bacon and Parmesan too.
- Drizzle one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or some lemon zest into this easy sautéed broccoli recipe just before serving.
- For a little heat, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.
- Use 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead of fresh garlic if need be.
- Add fresh herbs like fresh parsley if you’d like.
- Broccoli rabe or broccolini work great too.
Now that we’ve covered the wholesome ingredients for this healthy vegetable side dish, let’s make it this sauteed broccoli recipe.
How to Make Sautéed Broccoli and Mushrooms:
Chop the onion and garlic. Similarly, chop the broccoli head and mushrooms into bite sized pieces. I like small pieces but larger florets
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over high heat, flipping every few minutes, until the strips reach your desired level of crisp.
Transfer the bacon to a plate and set aside to cool. Discard the bacon fat.
I use a nonstick skillet that comes with a lid, but cast iron works too.
Place the same skillet on the stove top, add the butter, avocado oil and onion and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the broccoli florets, mushrooms and garlic and stir everything well. Add the water (or broth) then cover the skillet.
Cook until the broccoli is bright green and mush liquid has leached out of the vegetables, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until much of the liquid has evaporated, about another 5 minutes. Note: if the vegetables become too dark at any point, reduce the heat to medium heat at any point.
Once the vegetables have reached your desired level of doneness and the liquid has burned off, chop the crispy bacon and add it to the skillet along with the Parmesan cheese. Stir well then taste for flavor.
Add salt and pepper to your personal taste.
Serve immediately with your main entree, and enjoy!
This delicious side dish is best when served fresh off the stove top because the texture of the vegetables and bacon is at its absolute best.
Nevertheless, you can keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When you reheat the dish, and so on the stove top in a skillet rather than the microwave for the best results.
If you enjoy meal prep and you don’t mind leftover broccoli, this broccoli side dish works great.
The next time you’re looking for a healthy side dish that boasts delicious flavor, whip up this amazing sautéed broccoli and mushrooms recipe!
Whether you’re adding vegetables to weeknight mealtimes or are serving guests for a special occasion or holiday gathering, this leveled up broccoli is a crowd pleaser!
The perfect pairing for chicken breast, tri tip, pork chops, or almost any main dish, this perfect sautéed broccoli is the best way to get your greens with lots of flavor.
Love vegetable side dishes? Also try these reader favorites.
More Healthy Side Dishes:
- Italian Salad
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Broccoli Slaw
- Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa Pears and Pecans
- Cheesy Vegan Roasted Cauliflower
- Maple Roasted Carrots with Feta and Dried Cranberries
- Mediterranean Green Bean Salad
The butter, the garlic, the crispy bacon and Parmesan cheese? So many favorites in one astounding bite!
Sauteed Broccoli and Mushrooms
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 2 large heads broccoli chopped into small florets
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2-4 Tbsp water or chicken broth optional
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon cooked and chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the onion and garlic. Similarly, chop the broccoli head and mushrooms into bite sized pieces. I like small pieces but larger florets
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over high heat, flipping every few minutes, until the strips reach your desired level of crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate and set aside to cool. Discard the bacon fat. I use a nonstick skillet that comes with a lid, but cast iron works too.
- Place the same skillet on the stove top, add the butter, avocado oil and onion and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the broccoli florets, mushrooms and garlic and stir everything well. Add the water (or broth) then cover the skillet. Cook until the broccoli is bright green and mush liquid has leached out of the vegetables, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until much of the liquid has evaporated, about another 5 minutes. Note: if the vegetables become too dark at any point, reduce the heat to medium heat at any point.
- Once the vegetables have reached your desired level of doneness and the liquid has burned off, chop the crispy bacon and add it to the skillet along with the Parmesan cheese. Stir well then taste for flavor. Add salt and pepper to your personal taste.
- Serve immediately with your main entree, and enjoy! This delicious side dish is best when served fresh off the stove top because the texture of the vegetables and bacon is at its absolute best.
Nutrition
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