A roasted broccoli caesar salad with homemade croutons in a creamy dairy-free dressing. This recipe is nut-free and can easily be made vegan.
We love any kind of salad around here: pasta, leafy, fruit, leafless. And to that list, we're quicking adding this caesar salad with a twist. The dressing is seriously to die for. It has all the creamy texture and tangy, briny, salty flavor of a traditional caesar, but sans dairy and anchovies.
The homemade croutons make it feel fancy, but in actuality are so easy to make and taste way better than store-bought!
Ingredients
Salad
- Broccoli florets.
- Leftover bread - any kind of plain bread, just make sure it's a few days old (check out this day-old bread post for more info).
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt & pepper.
Dressing
- Tahini.
- Lemon juice.
- Capers + brine.
- Dijon mustard.
- Garlic.
- Nutritional yeast.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Water.
- Salt & pepper.
How to Make Broccoli Caesar Salad
STEP 1
Cut the broccoli heads into smaller florets and save the stems for another use. Toss the florets with olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on two lined baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes or until they have some charring and are al dente in texture.
STEP 2
While the broccoli cooks, make your homemade croutons. Cut your bread into cubes and toss with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake them for 10 minutes once the broccoli has finished.
STEP 3
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this roasted broccoli caesar salad using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No bread? - Use crispy chickpeas or breadcrumbs, just make sure to toast and season them if they aren’t already, or you can also use dukkah.
- No Worcestershire sauce? - Sub red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar with a splash of sweetener or use soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos.
- Plant-based? - make sure to use vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- No capers? - use 1-2 pitted olives roughly chopped and their brine.
- No nutritional yeast? ➝ just omit.
- Make it gluten-free? - make sure to use your favorite brand of gluten-free bread.
- Add-ins - leafy greens, brussels sprouts, bacon, shrimp, etc.
Top Tip
Keep the croutons, broccoli, and dressing separate until ready to serve. This ensures the croutons retain their crisp texture and don’t turn to mush.
More Salads You'll Love
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad With Poppyseed Vinaigrette
- Roasted Beet Salad
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cubed bread any variety
- 2-ish tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
Dressing
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon capers + 1 teaspoon caper brine
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3-6 tablespoons water as needed to thin it out
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420°F.
- Cut the broccoli heads into smaller florets and save the stems for another use. Toss the florets with olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on two lined baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes or until they have some charring and are al dente in texture.
- While the broccoli cooks, make your homemade croutons. Cut your bread into cubes and toss with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake them for 10 minutes once the broccoli has finished.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
- Toss the broccoli, croutons, and dressing together just before serving to ensure the croutons hold their texture.
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