Creamy Broccoli With Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Everything cooks in one skillet. The broccoli steams under the lid first, so it is tender by the time the cream goes in. The sauce only needs a few minutes to thicken.

The sun-dried tomatoes turn soft and a little chewy as they cook. The Parmesan melts into the cream so the sauce coats the florets.

It works next to chicken or meatloaf on a weeknight and on a holiday table with the other sides. The Variations section below has the steps for stirring in crisp bacon.

➡️ Ingredients

⏲ How to make creamy broccoli with sun-dried tomatoes

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Cook Broccoli, Tomatoes, And Spices: To a hot, oiled skillet, add broccoli florets, sun-dried tomatoes, and spices and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender, removing the lid to stir occasionally.
2. Add Remaining Ingredients And Finish Cooking: Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the heavy cream, chicken stock, and grated Parmesan. Stir until combined and cook, uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Garnish And Serve: Garnish the dish with freshly cracked black pepper and serve.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

• Avocado Oil: You can substitute light olive oil, butter, or any other neutral-tasting cooking oil.
• Broccoli: This recipe can easily be made with cauliflower instead of broccoli.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: You can use 1-2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes in place of sun-dried tomatoes.
• Italian Seasoning: This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. If you don’t have any, you can substitute it with a combination of dried basil, dried oregano, and dried thyme.
• Garlic Powder: If you don’t have garlic powder, you can use fresh garlic cloves instead. I would recommend using about 2-3 cloves of minced garlic.
• Red Pepper Flakes: These are completely optional, but they do add a nice touch of heat to the dish.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: If you’re looking for a lighter version of this dish, you can sub in whole milk or half-and-half. The cream sauce will not be as creamy as the original recipe intended, so you will likely need to make a “cornstarch slurry” to thicken it. The instructions on how to do this are in the “Cooking and recipe tips” section below.
• Unsalted Chicken Stock: Chicken stock that includes salt can be used. I suggest omitting the additional salt in this recipe if salted chicken stock is used. Unsalted chicken broth or beef broth can be used, too. To make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock or vegetable broth.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese: You can use shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded or grated Asiago cheese, or shredded Pecorino Romano cheese.

✨ Variations

• Before starting to cook the broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, in your skillet, pan-fry roughly chopped bacon. After cooking the bacon until crisp, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside. Right before removing the cooked dish from the stove, stir in the crisped bacon.
• Add a pop of color and some added nutrients by including some shredded carrots (either store-bought or freshly shredded). Add them in when you start cooking your broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Add some additional heat by sprinkling in some ground cayenne pepper.
• Add some additional crunch by sprinkling in sunflower seeds and/or slivered almonds. I’d suggest toasting these in a separate pan (without oil) over medium-low heat and stirring them into the cream sauce shortly before you’re ready to remove the pan from the stovetop and serve.

〰️ How to serve

• Serve alongside your favorite protein like cheesy fajita baked chicken, cod piccata, or meatloaf.
• Include it as a part of your holiday menu for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even date night with a protein, one or two other side dishes, and a light dessert.

➜ Cooking and recipe tips

• For crisp broccoli, decrease the cooking time of the broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes by 2-3 minutes.
• For softer broccoli, simmer it in the cream sauce for an additional 4-5 minutes.
• If you use milk, half-and-half, or any other dairy product in place of heavy cream, you’ll likely want to thicken the milk before adding it to your skillet. Do this by making a “cornstarch slurry,” which just means mixing together ~1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and ~1 Tablespoon of cold water and then adding in your milk. If you use heavy cream as the recipe is written, you won’t need to do this.

💬 FAQs

📚 Main dishes to serve with this broccoli

• One-Pan Creamy Dijon Chicken
• Skillet Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs
• Green Chili Chicken
• Italian Sausage Soup