Life is full of polarizing issues. People are always divided on politics, the right diets, cruises, etc. Eating broccoli stalks is one of these highly polarized issues.
People either love to eat broccoli stalks or they can’t stand it. So much so that lots of people either only buy the florets or worse, they throw away the broccoli stem.
first things first, yes- the stalk of the broccoli is edible
Gosh, it feels good to get that out of the way.
Just in case you need to hear it one more time, yes broccoli stalk is edible.
According to Google this is a pretty common question. I love thinking about a person googling, “is the stalk of broccoli edible?”
I’m not making fun of people who google that. Seriously, you don’t want to see my Google history because I ask a lot of stupid questions.
Instead, I’m applauding everyone who has ever Googled if broccoli stalks and stems are edible. Good for you for wanting to know. This post is for you! Get ready to learn all the ways to eat broccoli stalks. And I mean all the ways.
Why not toss the broccoli stalk?
I’m so glad you asked.
If you don’t already know, I’m super passionate about food waste awareness. Americans throw away nearly 30% of all food produced. THIRTY PERCENT.
Whoah. Amiright?
That number may sound huge, but let’s think about the broccoli for a minute. If you buy a head of broccoli and throw away the stalk, you are technically throwing away about 30% of the vegetable.
This isn’t just a waste of money, it’s a waste of resources and contributes to our greenhouse gas emissions. Landfills account for 14% of all methane emissions. With methane being 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, this is a big deal.
Just think- you can help fight climate change, save some money, and eat well just by cooking the entire piece of broccoli.
If that’s not winning, I’m not sure what is.
Are broccoli stalks nutritious?
Just in case you need another reason to eat the broccoli stalk- the stalk is full of calcium, iron, and vitamin A.
If you toss it in the trash you might as well be tossing out your daily vitamin too.
11 Creative ways to use broccoli stalks
Ready to figure out what to do with broccoli stalks? Here are 11 creative ways to eat broccoli stems next time you decide to only eat the florets.
I polled my Instagram and Facebook followers to get these ideas. Some of them are super creative!
- Rice broccoli by putting it in a food processor until the consistency of rice
- Make slaw using a cheese grater- add to salads
- Spiralize and use as a sub for pasta
- Roast them with the rest of the vegetable
- Make broccoli hummus
- Use as crudités by slicing thinly and adding toppings
- Add to vegetable broth
- Use in soups and stews
- Pickle them
- Add into pesto
- Slice and eat raw
delicious recipes that use broccoli stalks
Like those ideas above, but need a recipe? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with 5 delicious recipes that use broccoli stalks.
Why toss those leaves and stalks when you can make them into a delicious broccoli broth? This recipe from Brooklyn Farm Girl is especially great for anyone who gardens and grows broccoli and has too many extra leaves on hand. Who knew that the leaves made such flavorful broth?
Toss those leftover broccoli stalks with some other healthy ingredients and before you know it you have a salad! This recipe from Veggie Lexie will have you searching for broccoli with large stems just so you have an excuse to make this delicious salad.
When I asked my followers on Facebook and Instagram for their favorite broccoli stalk recipes, this one was recommended several times. I love that The Pioneer Woman did an entire episode on food waste! Is she great, or what!?
This is my favorite way to use up my broccoli stalks. It also tends to be the easiest for me. I steam a bunch of stalks with potatoes and then blend them together with garlic. I’m not the only one who loves this. I’m a big fan of the cheesy recipe from Masala Herb too.
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