The Creamy Pasta Sauce You Need To Start Drizzling On Roasted Broccoli

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Roasting broccoli brings a sophisticated flavor and texture profile that'll upgrade any side dish or grain bowl. Of course, it's also a delicious stand alone dish that you can take to the next level with a long list of ingredients — a drizzle of creamy alfredo sauce being one of the best. While sharp cheddar cheese sauce may be the well-known pairing for steamed broccoli and cauliflower, alfredo sauce is much more complementary for roasted broccoli due to the use of a completely different type of cheese: parmesan.

When it comes to roasted broccoli, you're entering into a much more complex flavor profile — with bitterness from the char, enhanced savoriness due to roasting, and even a slight sweetness that occurs when its natural sugars caramelize. Alfredo sauce is ultra creamy and buttery, and the salty, nutty, slightly funky taste of the parmesan elevates roasted broccoli flawlessly. In fact, Jennine Rye pairs parmesan with roasted broccoli in her roasted garlic parmesan broccoli recipe, blending roasted garlic, olive oil, and shredded parmesan into the roasting oil that coats the florets.

Considering broccoli is a common veggie added and substituted in chicken fettuccine alfredo, a drizzle of the creamy and buttery pasta sauce over the roasted vegetable is a no brainer. You can whip up a batch of the sauce from scratch using Christina Musgrave easy alfredo sauce recipe. But there are also plenty of jarred alfredo sauce brands — our taste tester's favorite being Giovanni Rana — that are convenient and delicious.

Whether you're using store-bought or homemade, there are plenty of ingredients to elevate alfredo sauce – and in turn, your roasted broccoli. Cut through the richness of butter and cheese with the addition of spicy ingredients like cayenne, paprika, or red pepper flakes. If spice isn't your thing, a squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of white wine vinegar can also work balance the sauce and brighten the bitter char of roasted broccoli. However, you'd be making a common alfredo sauce mistake by ignoring red flag ingredients in store-bought sauce — including powdered milk or eggs. 

As for your roasted broccoli, the oven already gives it a serious flavor upgrade. But there are tips and tricks to take the texture to new heights as well. A dry heat method like roasting crisps up the florets nicely, but cornstarch can add crunch to your roasted broccoli without affecting the taste. After coating your broccoli in its roasting oil and spices, add a tablespoon of cornstarch for every pound of broccoli, tossing to coat. For the best roasted broccoli, give the florets a smash. Just as smashing potatoes instills the ultimate crunch, smashed broccoli will likewise increase its crunchy surface area.