You can read about how I declared this the Best Cookbook You’ve Never Read <– here.

You can read about the first recipe I cooked from this cookbook here.

You can read about how I cooked tuna and salmon – {from a can!} – for the first time here.

You can read about how I made a stir-fry for some friends and made salads without dressing here.

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But it was from this recipe out of 5 ingredients, 10 Minutes that I learned that if you have a bag of frozen broccoli and a half pound a meat or a can of beans, that you can have a dinner on the table any night of the week in just MINUTES…

Super Simple Broccoli with Almonds
Recipe Ingredients: broccoli, almonds, butter, lemon juice

I think this base recipe was originally meant to be a weeknight side dish. Here is a photo of the pic in the cookbook. Looks yummy, no?!

I was going to make this as a side to some burgers I whipped up for Rob and me one night. But as I’ve mentioned, Jules shares possible variations at the bottom of every recipe in her 5 ingredients, 10 Minutes cookbook.

Her variations help those with dietary restrictions and even the pickiest eaters among us whip up something delicious and healthy. I am not allergic to nuts. In fact, I love them as a nice added roasty crunch to a dish. However, when I read Jules’s nut-free variation of this dish, I knew I’d be making it as a meal for myself instead:

Nut-free: leave them out or replace with a small can of chickpeas

I adore chickpeas {Rob doesn’t} and knew this was going to make a wonderful lunch for me. And it was:

This dish may not sound nor look exciting to you; but the results are all in the preparation. That is why I wanted to provide you with a few notes on why/how this is such a fantastic, versatile dish:

Notes with my adaptations in blue:

• The dish calls for one head broccoli. I took a bag of broccoli out of the freezer and thawed over night.
• I cut the broccoli into smaller pieces than they came, cutting them into “little trees” as instructed and thinly slicing the stems. This helps the broccoli cook faster and those little bits will get such a nice char! {I also personally like smaller pieces of broccoli, that this sounds like an obvious step I should have been doing anyway.}
• I also liked Jules’s tip to get the pan on the heat before you chop the broccoli to get it nice and hot.
• The variation suggested a small can of chickpeas. I’ve never heard of such a thing, so I just drained and rinsed a whole can and dumped them in, creating a more substantial lunch.
• Even with my chickpea/garbanzo bean substitute, I did add a few crushed almonds. They did seem to get a little bit soft in the pan. I think if I made this dish with nuts, I’d add them at the end next time.
• I generously seasoned this dish while cooking and after it was finished. I also added a little extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. I don’t think adding garlic, red pepper flakes, nor shredded parmesan would hurt either!
• You can find this recipe in Jules Clancy’s cookbook 5 ingredients, 10 Minutes or her blog The Stone Soup {sans almonds, but the technique is there.}
• This dish took me 12 minutes to make, including chopping.
• I’d make 800 variations of this again! Here’s why:

While Jules lists 5 different suggested variations at the bottom of this recipe, the final one reads:

More substantial: toss in a drained can of chickpeas or serve with some hummus. {Okay, so I realize now that I didn’t get the idea to use a whole can of chickpeas to make it more substantial by myself.} Or toss with hot pasta and your best quality extra virgin olive oil. Or add a drained can of tuna in oil, allow to warm through and serve with a wedge of lemon. Or team with a fried egg.

You see? All you need is a head of broccoli (or a bag reserved in your freezer) and either a can of beans / can of tuna or salmon / egg / scoop of hummus / box of pasta / pre-cooked protein such as diced chicken and you’ve got dinner on the table in minutes. I’m sure you could cook up some ground beef or turkey and mix it in, too.

The possibilities are endless.

Do you have a go-to formula to get something on the table quick based on ingredients in your fridge-freezer-pantry? If so, please share!

Cheers~
Carrie