Rosemary, Black Pepper, & Parmesan Popcorn

 

Black Pepper, Parmesan, and Rosemary Popcorn from Our Best BitesWhen it comes to me and eating healthy, whether I’m just trying to behave myself or if I’m trying to lose weight, I’m great when it comes to mealtimes, but snacks are killer. You can take away my pizza and my sandwiches and my cold cereal, you can even take away my bread and, as much as it hurts, my pasta, but don’t take away my snacks or there’s going to be some Friday Night Lights binge-watching paired with ugly crying and some online retail therapy (goodbye, snack time; hello, Coach Taylor, all my feelings, and exorbitant furry-toed Ugg slippers).

One of the things I love about Food Network magazine (which is currently kind of my favorite food magazine; strangely, I don’t watch tons of Food Network programming, but in the last 2 years or so, the magazine has been top-notch in just about every way–totally my un-paid, un-affiliated opinion) is the little pull-out interior magazine that has 50 easy variations of different recipes in every issue–tacos, pasta, sandwiches, and in this month’s issue it was popcorn. Which goes right along with my desperate and undying love for snacks.

So many of them looked amazing, but the one that really jumped out to me was the Rosemary Parmesan popcorn. The rosemary/parmesan flavor combo is one of my all-time favorites (for instance), but for me, it has to include freshly ground black pepper and a little (or a lot) of garlic. I also decreased the amount of oil by a tablespoon because my first go-around was a little on the heavy side, and I also left the option of cutting down on the rosemary depending on how much you love rosemary and how strong your particular sprigs of rosemary are.

You’re going to need 16 cups of popped popcorn (either air-popped or a couple bags of microwave popcorn; if you use microwave, try to find plain or just salted popcorn), 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used our garlic olive oil and it was pretty fantastic), chopped fresh rosemary, minced garlic (optional), grated parmesan (freshly grated or canned, but don’t use the pre-shredded stuff in a bag from the grocery store because it won’t melt or stick to your popcorn), and freshly ground black pepper. You also might want to add some salt to taste, but be careful if you’re using salted popcorn.rosemary parmesan black pepper popcorn ingredients

Let’s talk for a second about rosemary.

Rosemary

It’s up there with my favorite herbs (maybe just second to cilantro)–I love it for cooking, I love how it smells, I love it in bread, I love it on potatoes, I love it in butter, I love that it doesn’t die when I grow it no matter how bad I am at taking care of it. Rosemary and I are there for each other.

That said.

There are a few things to keep in mind with rosemary. 1) It’s on a woody stem, so strip the needles off the stem before chopping it. 2) It’s hard to chop, kind of like pine needles. Don’t give up with the chopping, lest you wind up with a lot more than you were really interested in in your mouth. 3) Some rosemary is stronger than other rosemary, particularly if it’s a little older (it lasts forever and grows in extreme weather conditions), so use your other senses–if it’s tough and very strong-smelling, cut back a little and then you can throw some more in later if you want to. Better to have to have to add it than figure out how to take it away, right?

Anyway.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped rosemary.

rosemary parmesan popcorn

Pop the popcorn and place in a very large bowl.

Rosemary parmesan popcorn from Our Best Bites

Grate the parmesan

grated parmesan

and evenly sprinkle the hot popcorn with the grated parmesan and toss to combine, then drizzle the rosemary olive oil over the popcorn. Season generously to taste with fresh coarsely ground black pepper and, if desired, add some additional salt. This actually tastes better when it’s been sitting for a few minutes, so let it hang out for 5-10 minutes before serving (or eat it right away, no biggie). Makes 4 4-cup servings (which is pretty generous for a snack if you’re trying to lose weight–a 2-3 cup serving is probably a little more in line with most diet plans).

Rosemary Parmesan Black Pepper Popcorn from Our Best Bites

 

OBB Shop is Open

 

woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

Read More

Join The Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Questions & Reviews

  1. I just have to say, I totally forgot you were FNL fans (how could I have forgotten about Tim Riggins Brownies?) and I love you even more. 🙂 Hope we get to meet you someday…SNAP?

  2. Mmmm…I cannot WAIT to try this. Black Pepper and Rosemary is one of my most favorite combos!

  3. I love those pull outs from FN Mag! So great! I’m gonna have to make this it sounds delicious!

  4. As far as using air-popped popcorn, I find that when I add stuff (like butter or oil) to it, that it folds in on itself and you lose all the airiness. Am I missing something or adding it too soon while it’s still hot? I’m new to the air-popping world. 🙂

    1. Amy, I have the same delicious, but soggy problem. I am hoping you/we get a reply from an expert!

  5. This looks amazing! I think this will be for snack tonight. To answer Maggie’s question I used to live in Logan Utah and had rosemary growing. It is a very hearty herb for sure.

  6. This looks delicious. And cilantro and rosemary are my two favorite herbs as well! I’d like to start growing Rosemary, but I was under the impression that it wouldn’t do well in Utah, where we have cold winters. Do you know if that’s true? Maybe I would just need to over-winter it indoors in a container? Thanks!

  7. That popcorn looks absolutely delicious. I would take that for my next snack 🙂 I love the 50 recipes in the Food Network magazine as well.

  8. Just re-read your post and answered my own question! That’s what I get for dreaming of popcorn too late at night/early in the morning!!!

  9. I keep on seeing delectable and simple ways to dress up popcorn, the bloggods want me to buy some… Pinned!

  10. To skip a step. Because I am all about simplicity. Could one omit the garlic and use your garlic olive oil? Looks yummy!!!