These Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables are a delicious, healthy side dish! Garlic, thyme, sage, and olive oil team up with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash for out-of-this-world flavor and flair! {Paleo}
Steamed vegetables tossed with a garlic-thyme-sage olive oil deal? YES. That’s exactly what we’re doing today, and it’s amazing. Forget boring vegetables because we’re doing this right. And not only will our steamed vegetables taste lovely, but they will also NOT be mushy! Because, no, I cannot abide mushy vegetables. And if you’re of the same opinion then you’re in the right place!
Just as good as steamed-but-not-mushy vegetables? Serving them throughout the year. Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables are just as delicious in spring as they are in fall. You can also serve them up with a comfort soup in winter or alongside a grilled burger in summer. Basically, whenever you’re in the mood for Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables, they are IN SEASON. They ARE the black dress of vegetable side dishes.
And if you’re worried about getting the timing correct, you’re still in the right place. Below are suggested steaming times for the vegetables in this recipe. Plus, I linked to another article that sheds additional light on the perfect steamed vegetable (including carrots, which don’t make an appearance in today’s recipe).
So let’s get steaming and make a batch!
Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables ingredients
To make your very own Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables, you will need:
- Vegetables: Cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash
- Flavorings: Fresh garlic, dried thyme, dried sage, sea salt, and black pepper
- Oils: Olive oil
If you’d like to add carrots or swap out another vegetable, then absolutely go for it! Mix and match vegetables as your palate desires.
How to make Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables
Below are the steps to make Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables.
- Fill a steamer pot with a few inches of water. Then place the steamer basket in the pot, fill with vegetables, and steam for about 7-15 minutes covered. See Notes below for best practices.
- Next, in a separate dish, combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, sage, and sea salt. When the vegetables are done steaming, transfer them from the steamer pot to a serving bowl and toss with the olive oil mixture.
- This dish is best served right after the steaming process is complete.
NOTE: If you have leftovers, then don’t throw them away! Sauté an onion with some sea and olive oil. Then combine it and the leftover vegetables in a high speed blender. Add either broth, water, or almond milk and blend until smooth. Now you have a savory soup to enjoy! If you’d like some inspiration, then check out our Dairy-Free Homemade Creamy Vegetable Soup as a guide, if you’d like!
Ideal steaming times for vegetables
You will steam the vegetables for just a matter of minutes, which we discovered were best as follows:
- Zucchini and yellow squash – about 5-7 minutes
- Broccoli – about 10 minutes, at which point the florets will turn a vibrant green
- Cauliflower – about 10-13 minutes, at which point the florets will soften but remain firm
The size and style of your steamer/steamer pot may affect steaming times. Vegetables steamed in wider, shallower pots may not take as long to cook through as vegetables steamed in deeper, narrower pots. The key is to NOT OVER-STEAM the vegetables. In fact, they will likely continue to cook even after you remove them from the steamer pot. If you’d like to learn more about steaming vegetables, then you might enjoy this Kitchn post, How to Steam Vegetables.
What to serve with this side dish
If you’re wondering what to pair with your Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables, then let us offer a few suggestions! These main dishes pair well with seasoned vegetables, and they are just straight-up good!
Spiriteds, I hope this savory side dish finds you well. Stay wild! I’m glad you’re here! ❤️
Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables
These Easy Paleo Quick-Steamed Vegetables are a delicious, healthy side dish! Garlic, thyme, sage, and olive oil team up with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash for out-of-this-world flavor and flair! {Paleo}
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 yellow squash, sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Coarse black pepper as desired
Instructions
- Fill a steamer pot with a few inches of water. Then place the steamer basket in the pot, fill with vegetables, and steam for about 7-15 minutes covered. See Notes below for best practices.
- Next, in a separate dish, combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, sage, and sea salt. When the vegetables are done steaming, then transfer them from the steamer pot to a serving bowl and toss with the olive oil mixture.
- This dish is best served right after the steaming process is complete.
Notes
- Since heads of broccoli and cauliflower can vary in size, I aim for equal parts of each, whether it’s one or two or more heads of either. I also add my spices gradually since veggie flavors can vary by freshness.
- If you’d like to combine your veggies during steaming, then consider adding the yellow squash on top of the cauliflower for one batch and the zucchini on top of the broccoli in another batch. Remove the squash and zucchini when they’re done, and let the cruciferous veggies continue to steam in their respective batches.
- Approximate quick-steam times are as follows:
- zucchini and yellow squash – about 5-10 minutes
- broccoli – about 10 minutes
- cauliflower – about 10-13 minutes
- Steam times are an approximation. Keep an eye on the vegetables and strive not to over-steam them. The yellow squash, zucchini, and broccoli may continue to steam even after they’ve been removed from the steamer pot. The size and style of your steamer pot may also affect steam times. Steamer pots that are tall and narrow may require longer steamer times than wider, shallower steamer pots.
- Turn your leftovers into soup! For inspiration, peruse our Dairy-Free Homemade Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe.
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