Awesome Broccoli Marinara

I did not have the specified canned tomatoes, so I used about 1/4 cup fresh basil and 2 tbsp basalmic vinegar. Instead of serving it as a side dish, I tossed it with pasta, pine nuts and fresh romano cheese. My children and I loved it, my hubby thought it was okay but needed meat.

Ok... this is my new favorite sauce! I didn't have tomato sauce with the balsalmic vinegar and basil (didn't know they made such a thing) so I just added fresh basil and some balsalmic vinegar to the olive oil. I also added mushrooms to the mixture when I added the broccoli. I served this over cheese tortellini. It's just like a dish my husband orders at a nearby restaurant. Yum!

Very good.I also added some red onion and served with Feta on top.You can add crumbled Feta a couple of minutes before serving so that it melts.

Not so awesome for us I'm afraid. I've never seen the type of canned tomatoes called for so I used red-ripe Roma tomatoes and fresh basil. Didn't use any balsamic vinegar as that didn't appeal to me because I wouldn't care for the tang. These are all good, fresh flavors, and I cooked it perfectly, cooking the tomato mixture first, then adding the broccoli for about five minutes, until tender and vivid green, but not overcooked. This was still just tomatoes and broccoli, and only average tasting.

This was a nice change for broccoli! We enjoyed the flavors of this marinara. Per other reviewers, I added 2T balsamic vinegar and fresh basil to a can of italian diced tomatoes (as that is what I had on hand). I used a little bit more garlic and it was perfect for us. Per another reviewer's suggestion, I served it over "Pasta Hot Hot Hot" from this site and it was a great meal. Thank you for a very good recipe alternative for broccoli!

I love this! I've made it as written, and I've also added some cooked chicken to it (chopped) and mozarella cheese for an entire skillet meal. Thank you!

This was a great way to jazz up broccoli. I will cut down the oil next timeb/c mine was little oily, but still good.

I couldn't find the tomatoes in the balsamic vinegar. I didn't really care for this recipe. It lacked flavor and I LOVE tomatoes and broccoli. I was very disappointed.

This was fabulous. Just the thing I was looking for -- flavorful, fresh, and a perfect meatless meal over pasta. I added a few red pepper flakes when the garlic was sauteeing in the olive oil, and I used fresh basil and a couple tablespoons of great quality balsamic with regular canned/diced tomatoes (which is what I had on hand). Served over penne with a serious sprinkling of parmesan. Leftovers were great without the pasta, just as a side dish. Couldn't want for more!!

Good recipe. I added chicken breasts and served it over pasta.

I guess this is supposed to be a side dish, but I added a can of tomato sauce, fresh basil, regular diced tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and garlic. Served over pasta, nice healthy dish.

Followed to a T but added some parmesean reggiano on top. AMAZING!

Excellent! We just loved this! Thanks for the post.

Fairly good side side, went well paired with fish.

This was good. My husband really enjoyed this dish. It is a new creative way to jazz up broccoli

This makes my kitchen smell really good while I'm making it. I made it with smokey chipotle meatloaf (from this site) the other night, and the aroma was great. This is a vegetable side dish that even my picky "ewwww veggies" cousin will eat.

I made this with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. It was pretty good. Added cubed fresh buffalo mozzarella at the end of cooking, gave it a quick toss and served with grilled chicken. Hubs and I both enjoyed. Nice to enjoy broccoli a little different.

We loved this! My daughter (5) and I both thought it tasted like spaghetti. I will admit it took almost the whole meal to coax her into trying it, but once she did, she devoured it. My 2 year old had no interest (surprise). This is a great way to pack more veggies into supper and is into our rotation!

My two 6-year-olds polished it off and asked for seconds! Quick, easy, delish!

I think I liked the tomatoes better than the whole mixture! Maybe I just don't like tomato flavored broccoli. I doubled the diced tomatoes.

I made this with chicken rollatini which was a cream/parmesan dish so this was an excellent contrast. Would be good as a side with chicken fettucini. Broccoli is my family's favorite vegi and it's always nice to find a new way to prepare it. I couldn't find any tomatoes with balsalmic vingear though--do they even make those?? No big deal to just add a splash but I seriously want to know the brand of the tomatoes she used . . . Anyway, this recipe is a keeper.

I have a hard time reviewing this because I couldn't find the correct tomatoes. Still, it was pretty good. I used regular diced potatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar.

I double the diced tomatoes and added parmesan on top for a real marianra flare. Very good side dish for any Italian entree. Contadina sells diced tomatoes with Italian herbs that works very well in this dish.

I really love this recipe! My store doesn't carry the specified can of tomatoes so I used the tomatoes w/garlic,basil and oregano. This was fast, had great taste and healthy too. Will definitely make this again soon!

I liked this. Was a great side dish and went really well on top of white rice. I thought there was a little too much tomato taste, but I believe I may have cooked it too long. Will most likely make again. Great way to spruce up broccoli.

Like others I added balsamic vinegar as I couldn’t find it the type of tomatoes listed in the recipe. The flavors go together nicely and the dish is very easy to prepare.

Really tasty. I couldn't find tomatoes with balsamic vinegar so I used regular tomatoes and added balsamic vinegar. The vinegar is what make this dish, IMHO.. takes it from good to delicious

This was awesome! Could not find the tomatoes with balsamic already in it, so I added about 1T or so. Made this with frozen broccoli florets, and it came out devine!

Loved this recipe but am gonna add some red onion to it next time like some reviewers suggested. I served this over some angel hair pasta and it tasted wonderful together. I was gonna sprinkle some parmesan cheese over it but forgot, so next time I'll put some on. I must say that this dish felt rather healthy and light to eat and I enjoyed that too.

i was very disappointed with this. i had been looking forward to it for a week. it didnt have enough liquid. i had to make alot of adjustments which included adding a chopped fresh tomato for extra liquid. extra garlic, basil and balsamic vinegar. plus topped it with parm. cheese. i will try to make it again but next time i will use all fresh tomatoes instead of canned diced.

What a nice combination...I'd never have thought to put a marinara sauce with broccoli!

My little supermart did not have the (bal-vin w/oo and basil). I bought diced w/garlic and OO. I strained the juice/set aside. added a splash of my own balsalmic vinegar and basil brought to simmer, added juice from can, simmered, than added broccoli covered for 4 min. WOW. Fantastic and simple even with the extra steps. PERFECT ..I'm not much of a cook, can't create anything without following step by step directions!! lol :) Thanks for this recipe

This was a nice change from regular, steamed broccoli. I've made it twice, and the 2nd time was fantastic, i think because I had added a little bit of red onion and feta cheese on top (as one reviewer had suggested) My husband said, he liked it but to next time add a little bit more garlic because he couldn't taste it all that much. Excellent recipe though, i'll keep making little changes to adjust to our taste buds. I love it. Thanks!!

The broccoli will cook down VERY quickly if you don't do it right. So I would say add the broccoli to the very last and just cook it long enough to soften it up a bit.

Did not enjoy, to much tomatoe taste, it was tangy

This had a fantastic flavor! I didn't change a thing and it was perfect. I very strongly recommend it if you want a healthy way to serve your family broccoli (ie - not by adding it to gobs of cheese and cream of whatever soup!) The tomatoes with those particular spices were fantastic!

Good side dish and a nice change from plain broccoli. I needed to simmer it a little longer because the marinara was too watery. The broccoli was perfectly crisp.

This was ok. I found that one can of tomato was did not provide enough sauce and added an additional can of tomato sauce.

This was such a surprise! When I first read the recipe I wasn't sure how broccoli and tomatoes could *wow* but this was a fantastic, healthy side dish. We'll have this many more times! Also, I didn't have the canned tomatoes recommended but I used a regular can of diced tomatoes, a hefty splash of balsamic and a good sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Very good!

It looked a little strange, but it was easy and very tasty. I'd make it again.

yummy

Very good. I added an onion, lots of chopped fresh basil (i used plain tomatoes) and a large squirt of ketchup to thicken it up.

We just didn't enjoy this recipe. The flavors just didn't seem to meld together. We went back over the instructions to see if we'd made an error somewhere but seems like we followed it to the letter. Thanks anyway.

I added a little bacon with the garlic at the start. I used diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano & added a splash (tbs) of balsamic vinegar. It smelled great at this point. I reduced the tomatoes and put the broccoili on top. I had to use a stock pot to hold the broccoli, I doubled the recipe to take to my sisters. By the time the broccoli on top starting turning bright green the bottom broccoli had turned brown (not burnt). When I got to my sisters, 30 minutes later, all of it was brown. So - I would definitely not recommend this for a traveling dish. If my husband hadn't turned his nose up at the tomato/broccoli combo I might make again, just not as a pot luck dish...

I improvised a bit, as I only had frozen broccoli and regular diced tomatoes on hand, and it turned out wonderfully! I used a 16oz bag frozen broccoli, and added around 1 Tbsp dried basil and 2 Tbsp balsamic to the tomatoes. I thawed the broccoli a bit in the microwave and simmered it for an extra couple of minutes, and it was an excellent companion to our Chicken Parmesan. Will make again!

This was a good side dish to accompany my macaroni pasta bake. I forgot to add the balsamic vinegar, but the recipe had a good flavor regardless. Added mozzarella cheese on top. YUM!

Easy and delicious. I used Italian-Style stewed tomatoes, so I used that along with a dash of balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. Will make again!

easy to make, has a great taste!

Followed the exact recipe, read all the reviews. We didn't care for this one.

- changes: - used diced seasoned organic tomatoes - cooked onions until they were almost caramelized - added garlic - added red bell peppers - added tomatos - added squash - when desired consistency was met, added broccoli - must cover in order to cook broccoli - made open face sandwiches with Albertson's baguette and mozzarella cheese

It is fantastic!

A nice change change to the usual steamed broccoli.

I did not care for this dish much, however my husband did, so i give it a 3. The flavors just did not seem to go well together for me. Creative idea though.

Love it. I'm a stay at home mom, and this is perfect for when I need to cook something healthy AND quick. Again, I absolutely love it!

Yumm-o! I am not a huge broccoli fan, but am trying to eat healthier. This recipe was fantastic though! When I first brought this to the table at dinnertime my husband said, "what is that?" with a really disgusted look on his face. But, we both really liked this and I will be making this one again. I also took the advice of some other reviewers and added some feta cheese. Thanks for the post!

I made this but didn’t have the can of tomatoes needed. So I made my own. Gathered enough of ripe tomatoes and basil from the garden. Washed them we’ll, skinned the tomatoes and put them in a sauce pan. Diced an onion, finely chopped garlic, chopped the fresh basil, and then after preparing the broccoli, got ready to finally fix this. Already had balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil so was good to go. It was delishious and enhanced with the addition of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. YUM!!

Exceptionally good

What a nice change from boring old steamed broccoli! I could not find the same kind of tomatoes, but used a canned variety with basil, garlic and oregano. Very good. Everyone like it except my son, who hates everything to do with broccoli :) Thanks!

Delicious! I made this twice and the first time I didn't have any canned tomatoes at all so I added tomato sauce and dried basil. It came out great if anyone wants to know in case you don't have the tomatoes. This time I did it with canned tomatoes but I never liked the balsamic so I did it with basil tomatoes and it had a great flavor. I would add more garlic, but that's just my taste. Will definately do again.

This was fantastic and easy to make. Will be making this again and when having to take something for a potluck.

I used broccolini and regular canned diced organic tomatoes and added a little balsamic vinegar and fresh basil and it came out great. Even my kids and my husband ate it!

Added chicken and ate it over pasta!!! Fabulous!!

Very good.

Fantastic!!! My entire family loved it.

I didn't have the exact ingredients for this, however my husband really liked it. My kids wouldn't touch it though. It was a little bland for me, but I liked the concept. I will try it again with all the right ingredients.

Aptly named "Awesome". My husband LOVED it and says he wants it many times more. I sauteed an onion before adding the tomatoes. I tossed in some pine nuts at the end and topped with mozzarella cheese. You're a genius, Debra, thank you!

Delicious! My veggie-hating husband actually went back for seconds. It was quick and simple, and went great with the Pesto Cheesy Chicken Rolls from this site.

I'm sorry but all I could taste was tomato in this recipe. I love broccoli, but I felt like I was eating just canned tomatoes. I guess it would be a good recipe for someone trying to hide the broccoli taste.

This was good. Not fabulous. But after all it's just broccoli. Be careful when you cook your broccoli. Don't over cook it or it'll wind up one big mush. I threw in my fresh broccoli at the very end and cooked it for less than 10 mins.. I didn't have the tomatoes with the vinegar in it so I used the diced petite tomatoes with roasted garlic. I made pasta hot hot hot (from this website) and my husband threw his broccoli marinara on top of that. He really enjoyed it. I think when you mix it with pasta it brings it to another level. Thanks for sharing.

This is a great way to serve broccoli. I served it with baked chicken and the combo was fabulous! My guests loved it and asked for the recipe. This is a keeper.

Pretty good way to jazz up broccoli! I added my own spices and herbs to diced canned tomatos. I think melted mozzarella is a must when serving this!

I'm really glad I found this recipe. Only one of five kids will eat broccoli, so I thought I'd give this one a try. 4 of my 5 actually liked it and said they would eat it again and my husband requested that I make this when his parents come to visit over Easter vacation.

I really like this recipe. It was super fast and tasted great. I have been looking for something like this to incorporate more vegetables into my toddler's menu. I made this as a quick lunch side dish and he actually ate some! Thanks!

Yum! It really is delicous. Even my picky eaters thought it was delightful!

I love broccoli, and this recipe tasted good and went well with the lasagna rollups I served them with. The cooking method was easy, I too could not find the canned tomatoes in the recipe, so I used regular italian diced tomatoes, splashed some balsamic in them and proceeded with the recipe. My dinner guest who does not eat broccoli said he was shocked that he liked it, maybe you could pass broccoli by the kiddies with this recipe.

Excellent just the way it is. Very easy to make.

I added cayenne pepper spice and red pepper flakes and used a can of diced tomatoes with basil and oregano and added the balsamic vinegar separately since I couldn't find the exact can from the ingredients. Very flavorful and good!

I too used plain canned tomatoes, with 2 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 cloves garlic and lots of basil and a healthy dash of oregano. topped it with grated Asiago and enjoyed it over GF spaghetti.

It always cracks me up when people don't follow the recipe and make substitutions, only to rate the recipe low because it didn't turn out well. The ingredients are included for a reason, if you change them you're no longer making the same dish. Anyway, this recipe was pretty tasty, I'd make it again. If you can't find the canned tomatoes it calls for I'd suggest searching a different recipe as that infuses most of the flavor into the dish.

Missing something. I love broccoli, but even I had trouble eating this.

used san marzano tomatoes which I find much sweeter. I use these for all canned tomatoes recipes. I also added a little grated cheese at the end. delicious!

We liked this pretty well. Definitely a different way to prepare broccoli.

Didn't know how this dish would be received by my husband but he tasted it then ate almost all of it. I really loved it also as tomatoes and broccoli are favorite veggies any way. This was yum!!

No didn’t need to

Great! Excellent way to eat your veggies!! Tasty! Will Make again.

I made it per the directions. Perfect.

I've made this many times but I decided to make an account today so I could favorite the recipe (instead of bookmarking everything) and to rate this as it provides the base recipe for one of my favorite sides. I usually use a can of regular tomatoes and add basil and balsamic vinegar to taste. Once the broccoli is cooked to my liking, I usually top with cheese and bacon bits.

I thought this dish was ok as is. It did seem a little dry so I added in a little bit of marinara that I had on hand. Also added a splash of balsamic vinegar since since I, like other reviewers, couldn't find canned tomatoes with it. All in all I found it to be a good base recipe. I ended up throwing in a package of Perdue Short Cut chicken strips into it to make it a full meal. My 5 year old devoured it and asked for more. I found it very filling, delicious and healthy. A win in my book!

so simple but delicious!

This was a bit of a surprise hit. Like others I didn't have those specific tomatoes, so I added my own olive oil and balsamic vinegar and it turned out great! Nice new twist on a broccoli side dish.

This broccoli mariana dish was awesome ! A quick meal that was delicious and satisfying !

No changes. Great recipe!

My family really enjoyed this!

I decided to add meat to this recipe to make it stretch and serve as a full meal. Therefore for the 8 serving recipe I used a little more olive oil than what was called for. I first seasoned and sautéed 7 chicken strips. I couldn’t find the called for diced tomatoes. So as suggested by another reviewer I used 4 cans of the diced tomatoes, a little more than 1/4 cup of lightly dried basil, and added 4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. When adding the broccoli I used 1.5 pounds. Other steps were done as written. I served this dish over angel hair pasta. I am sure even without the chicken this would have been great as a side dish as written. I would make this again.

Was just so-so. Used canned tomatoes and added my own balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. The all-in-one tomatoes have been discontinued. End result was, well, tomatoes with broccoli. I added a light dusting of Parmesan. Didn’t make a difference. I thought it was going to be a knockout, turned out to be a tap. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either. Meh.

I added cauliflower since my daughter dislike broccoli.. mild and juicy. nice

Its a very yummy and light recipe, even my two year old toddler ate it, perfect way to camouflage the veggies since he is a picky eater, I will definitely be making it again. I ended up using can of crushed tomatoes, 3 roasted garlic cloves, fresh basil, broccoli , grated parm cheese "the good kind "and balsamic reduction to my liking because I have never found that type of canned tomato. I suggest follow the recipe

Very delicious. I switched it up just a little with a small amount of fresh onion in addition to the garlic. I think some cauliflower would be a well addition as well as your favorite meat. I plan to make it as is again for my daughters when they come home from college as one of them is trying to have a vegetarian diet.

I didn't have any balsamic vinegar so I used cider vinegar and it was delicious. Shared the recipe with several others. Served it with fish and baked macaroni.