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Broccolini, Balsamic, Burrata, Amen

5 | 2 reviews
This is one of my favorite recipes from my debut cookbook, Justine Cooks. It's supremely easy and has some significant pizza energy, but is vegetable-packed with a few extra layers of flavor. So you can now see why it's one of my favorites - it has all of the best things.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, packed in oil, drained
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces broccolini, bottom 2" of stalks removed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 servings focaccia or ciabatta bread, split open horizontally
  • 4 ounces burrata cheese

Instructions 

  1. Equally stagger two racks in the oven and preheat it to 425°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
  2. In a blender, combine ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, packed in oil, drained, 1 tablespoon of water, a pinch of kosher salt, and a few cracks of black pepper and blend until fully smooth. Set the roasted pepper paste aside.
  3. Slice 8 ounces broccolini, with the bottom 2" of stalks removed, down the center, creating long, thin strips. I keep them in long strips for the look, but you could also cut them into bite-size pieces. Spread them out on one of the lined pans and toss with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Season with ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and salt and black pepper to taste and mix.
  4. Roast the broccolini on the top rack of the oven until it is bright and green, 8–10 minutes. Remove the broccolini from the oven, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and mix with tongs to coat.
  5. Set 2 slices of ciabatta or focaccia bread cut-side up on the second pan. Add the ciabatta to the top rack and move the broccoli to the lower rack. Bake both until the broccolini is crisped and slightly charred and the bread is toasted, 8–9 minutes.
  6. Remove the broccolini and ciabatta from the oven. Tear 4 ounces of burrata cheese into bite-sized pieces directly over the broccolini and mix together on the pan so the heat from the pan melts the burrata into the broccolini.
  7. Add a swipe of the roasted pepper paste to the bottom of each slice of bread and pile the broccolini mix on top. Dot with more pepper paste if you like, season with a few cracks of black pepper, and eat immediately.

Notes

This recipe is from "Justine Cooks: A Cookbook: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen" by Justine Doiron. Copyright © 2024 by Justine Doiron. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Jim Henkens. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.