Pan-Fried Broccoli (with Pine Nuts and Parmesan)

Pan-Fried Broccoli tastes amazing with pine nuts and Parmesan, and you can add thinly sliced garlic if you prefer! Either way you make it, this stovetop broccoli recipe is perfect for a special side dish that’s quick, easy, and low in net carbs!

PIN Pan-Fried Broccoli to try it later!

Pan-Fried Broccoli (with Pine Nuts and Parmesan) is a recipe I think most broccoli fans will enjoy for a holiday side dish that’s low in carbs. And with yummy flavor boosting ingredients like pine nuts and parmesan and thinly-sliced garlic cloves adding flavor, this is definitely special enough for Thanksgiving. But this amazing way to cook broccoli is easy enough to make for a week-night dinner too.

This is a recipe from the very earliest days of my blog, and I’ve made it quite a few times through the years. But it took a long time for this simple broccoli recipe to  make it to the front of the line for new photos! And let me say it one more time: Pine Nuts and Parmesan! I hope that the new photos and that reminder is enough to get you to try this absolutely delicious way to cook broccoli!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• Pine Nuts (affiliate link)
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• broccoli florets (6 cups)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• cloves of garlic
• homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Are pine nuts a must for this Broccoli recipe?

Pine nuts are amazing in this pan-fried broccoli, but if you don’t have those or don’t want to splurge on them for one recipe, slivered almonds will be great. (I’m crazy about pins nuts however, and buy them at Costco and keep in the freezer!)

What other cheese can you use for the Pan-Fried Broccoli:

Parmesan cheese is great with the pine nuts in this recipe, but you can also use any other hard grating cheese like Asiago, Romano, and even Mizithra. I also think Feta would be delicious in this recipe if you’re a Feta fan.

How low in carbs is this Pan-Fried Broccoli?

This tasty stovetop broccoli side dish has only 5 net carbs per serving and 4 grams of protein.

How to Make Pan-Fried Broccoli (with Pine Nuts and Parmesan):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Trim broccoli so each piece is about 2 inches long, then cut through stem and pull apart to make each piece about 1 inch wide.
2. Measure out pine nuts and grated Parmesan. 
3. You need 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves if you’re using that, which I missed taking a photo of! 
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add pine nuts, and cook 1-2 minutes, until barely starting to color.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan, add broccoli, and pan fry, stirring constantly, until broccoli turns bright green, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
7. Move broccoli to side of pan, add the remaining oil and garlic slices and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Turn heat to high, add chicken stock, stir, and cover pan and cook about 2 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly tender.
9. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until liquid has evaporated and broccoli is fork-tender, about 3 minutes longer.
10. Sprinkle the pan-fried broccoli with Pine Nuts and freshly-grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Make it for a low-carb meal:

This easy pan-fried broccoli would be great for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but it would also be great with one of these special low-carb main dishes:

• Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce
• Sauteed Scallops with Garlic
• Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
• Slow Roasted Salmon with Butter, Garlic, Capers, and Lemon
• Chicken Piccata with Fried Capers

Want more ideas for holiday broccoli?

Check out Keto Broccoli Recipes for Thanksgiving if you’d like more broccoli options!

Continue to Content

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Yield: 6 servings

Pan-Fried Broccoli (with Pine Nuts and Parmesan)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Obviously, it's the pine nuts and Parmesan that makes this Pan-Fried Broccoli such a wow! And this amazing stovetop broccoli side dish is great for a special dinner but easy enough to make on a week night too!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 1/2 T olive oil
• 1 lb. broccoli florets (6 cups)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced very thin
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (see notes)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. If you buy pre-cut broccoli pieces that come in a big bag, no need to wash the broccoli. If you're using broccoli with stems attached you might want to wash the cut broccoli in a salad spinner and dry very well.
2. Trim broccoli so each piece is about 2 inches long, then cut through stem and pull apart to make each piece about 1 inch wide. (Cutting through the stem and pulling apart prevents the messy "crumbs" you get when you cut through the florets.)
3. Measure out the pine nuts and grated Parmesan so it's ready to go. Use more of less of either of these ingredients, whatever you prefer. You also need 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves.
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add the pine nuts, and cook 1-2 minutes, until barely starting to color. (You can add a teeny bit of oil if your pan isn't non-stick.)
5. Remove pine nuts to a plate.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan, add broccoli, and pan fry, stirring constantly, until broccoli turns bright green, about 2-3 minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
8. Move broccoli to one side of pan, add the remaining oil and garlic slices and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
9. Turn heat to high, add chicken stock, stir, and cover pan and cook about 2 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly tender.
10. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid has evaporated and broccoli is fork-tender, about 3 minutes longer.
11. Sprinkle the pan-fried broccoli with Pine Nuts and freshly-grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Notes

I used my homemade chicken stock, but you can use canned chicken broth (affiliate link) for this.

This recipe was adapted from Cook's Illustrated The Best Vegetable Recipes (affiliate link) with a few changes by Kalyn and Kara to make it more foolproof and a bit easier to make!

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 116Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 4mgSodium 254mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low- Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Pan-Fried Broccoli recipe is great for low-carb and Keto diets and for the original South Beach Diet. Broccoli does have some carbs, but it’s low in net carbs. You may wish to use fewer pine nuts and/or Parmesan if you’re strictly following South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Pan-Fried Broccoli (with Pine Nuts and Parmesan) was first posted in 2007! It was finally updated with better photos and more complete instructions November 2020 and was last updated with more information in 2025.