Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad with Vegan Dressing
This one’s for the broccoli lovers: tender roasted broccoli dressed in a tangy hemp caesar dressing, and topped with crumbled chickpea “croutons” make for a deeply satisfying change from a typical caesar salad (no lettuce!)
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I’m gonna be straight with you: I don’t really love caesar salads with lettuce. It’s just….lettuce (AKA crunchy water). I can’t be the only one who thinks like this?!? Can I?
Now, a kale caesar I would happily crush every single day of my life…but I also like broccoli.
Actually, I love broccoli. And by some miracle, everyone in my family likes broccoli too. So I got curious about how broccoli would handle the caesar salad treatment. Especially because I already have this epic vegan caesar salad dressing and I really need another excuse to use it.
Holy heck is it good. Like, ridiculously good.
If your side dish game needs an update…or you’re just trying to convert a broccoli skeptic, maybe give this one a try! Roasting brings out the best in broccoli, making it tender and mellowing the flavour as it caramelizes in the oven.
The dressing is fully plant-based so it’s allergy friendly, and no one will know. It’s so complex, tangy and moreish! This dietitian is always trying to get you to eat more greens, and this is one of the most delicious ways I’ve ever dreamed up to make it happen.
Make this for dinner with some tofu cutlets for protein or as part of a brunch spread, with my mushroom ricotta toast!
More plants. More flavour. Easy enough for everyday. Get your copy of Plant Magic!
A couple of tricks to help make this broccoli caesar salad the best it can be
If you ever wonder what a recipe developer even does – or why you shouldn’t get your recipes from AI – you need to know just how nerdy I got when I was developing this recipe for you.
I tested different heats and oil levels for the broccoli, to balance the caramelization and keep the texture in the broccoli. I settled on my usual 425F and less oil so the broccoli maintained its shape and didn’t feel too heavy when dressed.
And I thought it would be cheeky to do a chickpea crouton but something was missing: real croutons offer this starchy counterpoint to the salad and so I just crushed the chickpeas before roasting which changed EVERYTHING. They’re crispy, starchy and cling to the dressing SO well.
This ridiculously delicious little roasted broccoli side dish is actually pretty simple to make. It takes less than 20 minutes of hands on time…but it tastes like so much more!
More ways to use up that broccoli in the fridge:
- Crumbled Tofu Fried Rice with Broccoli and Peas
- Healthy Vegan Broccoli Salad
- Crispy Smashed Broccoli with Nutritional Yeast
Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad with Vegan Dressing
Ingredients
Roasted Broccoli
- 1 ½ pounds broccoli crown, cut into 1 inch florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Smashed Chickpea "Croutons"
- 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry with paper towel
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, not a typo! don't use too much
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
For serving
- 1 batch vegan caesar dressing
Equipment
- immersion or bullet blender for the dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
Roasted Chickpeas
- Place the chickpeas on one sheet and lightly smash with a fork right on the baking sheet. Sprinkle seasonings over the chickpeas as evenly as you can.
- Drizzle the oil, toss gently and spread evenly on the baking sheet for better air circulation. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, bake for 5 more until dried and crisp in parts.
Roasted Broccoli
- Place the broccoli on the second baking sheet, toss with oil, salt and pepper and roast until browned in spots but still holding their shape, 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before preparing the salad.
Salad Assembly
- On a platter or shallow salad bowl, toss the broccoli with half the caesar dressing and sprinkle with half the chickpea croutons.
Notes
9 Comments on “Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad with Vegan Dressing”
I made this tonight… might have eaten too much! Absolutely delicious! Loved it.. charred broccoli, crispy chickpeas, and smooth creamy caesar dressing. Easy to make…even for first time!!
One question though, how does one store extra crispy chickpeas so they are still crispy tomorrow?
Hi Barbra! Oh my gosh, I do feel like eat a second portion is a almost inevitable with this one ha ha…i store the chickpeas in a small bowl, at room temp, with just a little piece of paper towel over them. you don’t want them in an airtight container as they tend to get a bit soft – although it’s so humid in vancouver I wonder if it would be the same in dry climates.
Thanks Desiree!
Looking forward to making this for a potluck tonight!
I learned at some point that you can roast frozen broccoli florets straight from the freezer for 25 min at 400-425. Just spread them on a pan and pop them in the oven. They cook/crisp so nicely. With that hack, this recipe takes all of 10 min of actual hands-on time!
Ooh, let me know how it goes from frozen! I bet others would love to know.
Making it with frozen broccoli worked great!
The dish was the only one that was gobbled up completely at the potluck. We’ll be making it again!
Okay, that’s how you KNOW!!! Ha ha, thanks for the update, I was soooo curious.
I loved this salad. So tasty and quick to pull together. It will be a regular on the menu.
YAY! So glad you like it, Gisela!