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Broccoli flatbread with ricotta and olives is a savory, satisfying crowd-pleaser, whether you serve it as a quick and easy family dinner or as part of an appetizer buffet.
Why we love this recipe
I’m always a big fan of a fabulous, flexible recipe made with ingredients that are easy to keep on-hand. Broccoli flatbread is all this and super-craveable, to boot.
It’s:
- Bursting with savory flavors
- Crisp outside, tender inside
- Packed with veggies, yet reads as pure comfort food
- Prep-ahead friendly
I first published this recipe here back in 2017. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and tweaked the recipe just slightly.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Frozen broccoli works like a charm in this recipe. It’s easy to keep on hand and simple to work with. You can use florets, petite florets, cuts, or chopped — whatever you’ve got. You can use fresh broccoli instead if you prefer.
- Garlic naan makes an easy, flavorful base for these fabulous flatbreads. Brushing them with olive oil and baking them directly on the oven rack crisps them up beautifully on the outside, leaving them tender on the inside. You can use a different flavor of naan or another type of tender but sturdy flatbread if you prefer.
- I like to use full-fat ricotta for the best flavor and texture.
- Choose a good-quality, freshly grated parmesan cheese. It adds a ton of nuanced savoriness. If it’s important to you that this dish be vegetarian, be sure to use a parmesan made without animal rennet.
- You can use any green olives that you like. It’s easiest to start with pitted ones. I tend to gravitate toward briny cerignolas marinated with garlic and lemon.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great batch of broccoli flatbread with ricotta and olives. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll cook the garlic in the oil, then add the broccoli, water, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until very soft.
- Stir in some of the parmesan and the lemon juice, and mash.
- Brush the naan with olive oil and spread with the ricotta. Bake directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes.
- Top the baked naan evenly with the broccoli mixture, olives, remaining parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper. Cut into wedges. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
You can make the broccoli mixture up to a week in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a year. Bake and assemble the flatbreads right before serving.
Store any assembled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, and reheat in the oven or toaster oven.
More favorite recipes with naan
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Broccoli Flatbread with Ricotta and Olives
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, divided
- 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 16 ounces (464 grams) frozen broccoli florets
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup (40 grams) grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 garlic naan
- 1 cup (250 grams) fresh ricotta cheese
- ½ cup (113 grams) pitted green olives, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm two tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot.
- Add garlic and cook until very fragrant, about a minute.
- Add broccoli, water, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Stir, cover, and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook until broccoli breaks down easily when pressed with a spatula or wooden spoon, about 30 minutes.
- Off the heat, mash to a coarse puree. Stir in half of the parmesan and the lemon juice.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the center.
- Brush naan with remaining olive oil. Spread 1/4 of the ricotta onto each naan.
- Transfer directly to oven rack and bake directly for 10 minutes, until naan is crisp on the underside and ricotta is heated through.
- Spread broccoli mixture evenly over naan. Sprinkle with olives, remaining parmesan, and pepper.
- Cut into wedges and serve.
Notes
- Frozen broccoli works like a charm in this recipe. It's easy to keep on hand and simple to work with. You can use florets, petite florets, cuts, or chopped — whatever you've got. You can use fresh broccoli instead if you prefer.
- Garlic naan makes an easy, flavorful base for these fabulous flatbreads. Brushing them with olive oil and baking them directly on the oven rack crisps them up beautifully on the outside, leaving them tender on the inside. You can use a different flavor of naan or another type of tender but sturdy flatbread if you prefer.
- I like to use full-fat ricotta for the best flavor and texture.
- Choose a good-quality, freshly grated parmesan cheese. It adds a ton of nuanced savoriness. If it's important to you that this dish be vegetarian, be sure to use a parmesan made without animal rennet.
- You can use any green olives that you like. It's easiest to start with pitted ones. I tend to gravitate toward briny cerignolas marinated with garlic and lemon.
- You can make the broccoli mixture up to a week in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a year. Bake and assemble the flatbreads right before serving.
- Store any assembled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, and reheat in the oven or toaster oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
This looks fabulous!! I love olives and sometimes too salty on regular pizza, but to make it with the ricotta! Yes please! I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for the recipe!