How to Prepare Broccoli Stalks to Use in Recipes

When you buy broccoli with long stalks, you’re getting two vegetables in one. Learn how to prepare your broccoli stalks so you can add them to stir-fries, soups and stews. You don’t even need to use the stalks and the florets in the same dish.

When I bring home broccoli with nice long stalks, I usually plan to use the stalks and florets in different recipes. Broccoli stalks are quite different from florets. The flavor is delicate, milder and more more neutral, while the texture is dense and similar to some root vegetables. Depending on how you cut them you can use them in soups, stir fries or even raw. They can be a great substitute for kohlrabi or chayote squash, two vegetables which can be more difficult to find.

Only the lighter colored and more tender center portion of broccoli stalks are edible. The outer stalk is much too woody and fibrous for chewing so you need to remove it.

Using a sharp knife, cut away the woody outer stalk. You can either discard the outer stalks or add them to a vegetable stock for an extra layer of flavor.

Inspect your peeled stalks to make sure you removed all woody areas, then slice or chop them depending on how you plan to use them. For soups and stew, I like to chop them into small cubes. For stir fries I like long strips.