The One Vegetable You Should Always Buy Precut, According to a Pro Cook

Precut vegetables are in my grocery cart every week. This shortcut makes it easier to pull together dinner—most vegetables can be thrown right on a baking sheet for roasting or into the microwave for steaming.

Precut vegetables also reduce waste since I can buy exactly the amount I need for the week or a specific recipe. I buy a lot of different precut veggies—collards cut into ribbons, spiralized sweet potato, tough-to-get into winter squash—but there is no vegetable I buy more than precut broccoli.

Here’s why I think every busy home cook should skip the heads and choose precut broccoli florets every time.

Why Broccoli Is the Vegetable You Should Always Buy Precut

Broccoli isn’t hard to de-stem and cut into bite-sized pieces, so you might be questioning my knife skills when I say, “Skip chopping broccoli!”

On nights when I reach for broccoli as a side, I almost always make something that I need to be quick and easy anyway. Buying precut broccoli makes that dinner even quicker. Not only can I skip chopping, but I also avoid cleaning up all the tiny broccoli buds that inevitably cover my entire cutting board. 

Precut broccoli also helps me avoid waste. I buy just what I need (the florets) and not pay for the bulk stalks that usually end up in our compost—or worse, the trash. When I already have a packed fridge, it helps that precut broccoli is easier to store, too. The heads are too long or too wide to fit in the crisper drawer.

If I need broccoli stems for a slaw or salad, I can always grab some pre-shredded broccoli slaw from the grocery store. 

How I Use Precut Broccoli 

The two ways I serve broccoli most often are steamed and roasted. I love to put broccoli in a microwave-safe container with a little water and salt to steam in the microwave. I make steamed broccoli at least once a week to go with easy pasta dinners or alongside baked potatoes.

Roasting is perfect on nights when I am already using the oven to roast chicken thighs or sausages, and my kids love it when the broccoli gets browned and crispy. 

Precut broccoli is also perfect for one of my family’s current favorite one-pan dinners: shortcut beef and broccoli. A few times a year, I make broccoli cheddar soup for dinner with extras for the freezer. Our extended family also loves a broccoli cheddar casserole I make for the holidays. And for all of those times, I reach for precut broccoli. 

Buying precut broccoli every week makes me feel like a savvy shopper and cook, but it also keeps me prepared for the times when my meal plan goes awry, and I just need to throw a vegetable in the microwave and make us all grilled cheeses.