My Secret For Cooking The Best Veggies In Just 5 Minutes
When you’re prepping fresh vegetables for dinner, the microwave is probably the last thing on your mind. But this often-overlooked appliance is actually the key to some of the most vibrant veggies you’ll ever cook—in just a few minutes with even fewer dishes.
Microwaving vegetables cooks them quickly and efficiently without creating a lot of mess or dishes to clean up. All you need is one bowl (and something to cover that bowl with) and, depending on the vegetable, less than five minutes of cooking time.
Why do they cook so quickly? When veggies are microwaved in a covered bowl, they actually steam themselves. That is, they release their internal moisture, creating a powerful hot air chamber inside the bowl, which cooks them rapidly while also locking in their color and preserving their flavor, texture, and, many studies show, nutrition. (Harvard Health researchers note that microwaving is one of the least likely cooking methods to damage nutrients due to shorter cooking times.) The resulting veggies are vibrant and perfectly tender.
Garlic Parmesan Roasted Carrots
Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Spaghetti Squash
Caprese Asparagus
Green Goddess Gnocchi
Achieving perfectly cooked veggies in the microwave isn't difficult, but there are a few tips that will help you steam ahead to veggie perfection:
1. Cut the veggies evenly.
Whatever you’re steaming, the veggies will cook much more evenly if they’re about the same size. Throw large and small pieces into the same bowl together, and you risk the small pieces turning to mush while the large ones remain raw in the center. I’m not saying you need to get out a ruler: just keep it in mind while you prep. A little care up front will pay off big later on.
2. Season them!
Once the veggies go into the bowl, season them with a sprinkle of salt. I typically do ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every 8 ounces of veggies. The salt accomplishes two things here: it permeates the vegetables as they cook, seasoning them from the inside out, and it also helps lock in the nutrients and preserve their color. This is one step you don’t want to skip.
3. Add a little water.
To kick-start the steaming, I add about a tablespoon of water to the bowl with the seasoning. Don’t be precious about the specific amount or where in the bowl you dump it: regardless of where it lands, it will turn into steam after just a minute in the microwave.
4. Cover the bowl tightly.
To trap the steam and ensure efficient cooking, covering the bowl tightly is key. I like to use plastic wrap, which creates an airtight seal around the rim of the bowl. If you’re trying to reduce your plastic wrap consumption, an upside down plate works too.
5. Stir halfway through.
If you’ve ever tried to toast coconut or melt chocolate in the microwave, you know that most microwaves have hot spots. In this case, the covered bowl will also get hotter on the outside and may cause any vegetables touching the sides to cook faster than those in the middle. For all these reasons, I recommend stirring the vegetables halfway through the cook time, just to make sure they cook as evenly as possible. Some steam will release when you uncover the bowl, but don’t worry. The minute the cover goes back on and you restart the microwave, it will quickly build back up.
6. Take the cover off immediately.
Once the veggies are cooked just the way you like, it’s important to remove them from the microwave and take the cover off immediately. Leave the cover even halfway over the bowl, and you risk trapping the steam in the bowl and ending up with sad, overcooked veggies. We may be bringing microwaves back into vogue, but army green broccoli can stay firmly in the ’90s as far as I’m concerned.
7. Serve with a sauce or dressing.
Like any steamed food, microwave-steamed vegetables taste like the clearest, truest versions of themselves. Vibrant, well-seasoned, and perfectly cooked, they're perfected for tossing in a flavorful dressing, folding into a cheesy skillet dinner, or throwing into a rice pilaf or pasta. I've even been known to put them on top of pizza! But don't think you have to go too crazy: you can also just add a little butter...and maybe a teeny bit more salt...and eat them just like that.
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