Take broccoli from boring to flavor-packed with this Broccoli Caesar Salad. The roasted broccoli is topped with homemade caesar dressing, crispy panko, and parmesan shavings and makes the perfect side dish or lunch!
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I've been working for YEARS to perfect my homemade caesar dressing recipe. And I finally did it. I have it exactly where I want it.
And now I want to put caesar dressing on everything. So, I've come to the conclusion that technically, anything can be a salad and can require a creamy dressing.
This broccoli caesar salad is essentially a salad made completely of roasted broccoli. But it's topped with crispy panko, caesar dressing, and parmesan shavings.
It makes broccoli way more exciting to eat!
🗒 Ingredients
I highly recommend you make my homemade caesar dressing recipe, but of course, you can use a store-bought caesar if you prefer.
Here's everything you need for the salad (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- Broccoli florets
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Salt & pepper
- Caesar dressing: homemade with my recipe below or store-bought of your choice
- Unsalted butter
- Minced garlic
- Panko
- Shaved parmesan cheese: for topping
- Lemon zest: for topping
And here are all the ingredients for the dressing:
- Anchovy fillets: you can replace with anchovy paste if you prefer
- Grated or minced garlic
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Greek yogurt
- Parmesan cheese
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Water
- Salt & pepper
🧄 How to make caesar dressing
As I mentioned, I've been on a quest to make the perfect homemade caesar salad dressing. I wanted it to be creamy, but without mayo. I wanted it to be bright and citrusy and garlic-y, but not too overpowering.
After lots of experimentation, I decided to use Greek yogurt instead of egg yolks or mayo for the creaminess. I also had to keep cutting down on the amount of garlic used as I have a tendency to use way too much.
I always start my caesar dressing with anchovies or anchovy paste. They are a huge component to the flavor of caesar dressing and even if you think you don't like anchovies, there's a strong chance you actually do like them in caesar dressing.
I used to try to make my dressing in a blender, but I've learned that it's much easier in mixing bowl with a fork and whisk!
To start, add anchovies (or paste), grated garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to a medium bowl.
Use a fork to mash anchovies and garlic into a smooth paste, combining with the other ingredients.
Whisk the Greek yogurt and parmesan cheese into the mixture.
And while continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Slowly adding it will help dressing emulsify and prevent separation.
Continue whisking until the dressing is smooth and slightly thickened. Add water and mix until well blended.
Add in salt and pepper.
🥦 How to make salad
The rest of the salad is super easy to make. You just need to season and roast your broccoli.
Preheat your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone baking sheet.
Place the broccoli florets on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Toss together on the pan to evenly coat the broccoli and arrange broccoli in a single layer.
Roast in oven for about 20 minutes, tossing broccoli once halfway through, until broccoli is tender and crispy.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
While broccoli is roasting, make the crispy panko topping. Place butter in a small skillet over and let it melt.
Add garlic to the skillet and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the panko to the melted butter and garlic and stir well to coat.
Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the panko turns golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Mix in salt.
Now you're ready to assemble the "salad."
Arrange the roasted broccoli on a platter and drizzle Caesar dressing over the top.
Sprinkle the crispy panko over the top.
Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and lemon zest.
And you're ready to dig in! This is now officially my favorite way to enjoy broccoli. It has so much flavor and I love the little bit of crunch from the panko.
This broccoli caesar salad is the perfect vegetable side dish for all kinds of meals. It goes with everything from chicken to beef to pork to seafood.
It also makes a great lunch option and can even be bulked up with protein to make it a complete dinner salad.
⏲️ How to store
This dish is best when enjoyed fresh, but you can certainly put any leftovers in an airtight container to keep in the fridge.
However, I recommend only assembling what you think you'll eat and store extra broccoli and dressing separately in the fridge. Put the extra panko topping in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature.
Roasted broccoli should stay fresh for about 3-4 days in the fridge and homemade caesar dressing for about 5-7 days.
🎉 Variations on recipe
I love the simplicity of this broccoli caesar salad, but there are also lots of ways you can jazz it up.
Here are some addition and topping ideas:
- Parmesan crisps
- Pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- Crumbled crispy bacon
- Grilled chicken
- Salmon
- Ground sausage
- Avocado
- Roasted brussels sprouts
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fried onions
- Crispy chickpeas
- Hardboiled eggs
- Sriracha
- Red pepper flakes
What would you add to a homemade broccoli caesar salad?
🥗 More vegetable side dish recipes
Sometimes the hardest part of deciding what to make for dinner is trying to figure out the sides. Here are some of my favorite vegetable sides perfect for lots of different entrees:
And if you need more ways to enjoy your homemade caesar dressing, try my grilled salmon caesar salad!
If you're looking for a unique vegetable side dish to add to your dinner routine, I hope you'll try this broccoli caesar salad.
Let me know how your family likes it in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Broccoli Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups broccoli florets (from about 3 heads broccoli)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup caesar dressing (homemade with recipe below or store-bought)
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic (from about 1-2 medium cloves)
- ½ cup panko
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Shaved parmesan cheese for topping
- Lemon zest for topping
Homemade Caesar Dressing
- 4 anchovy fillets (or 2 teaspoon anchovy paste)
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic from 1 clove
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a a silicone mat.
- Place the broccoli florets on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss together on the pan to evenly coat the broccoli and arrange in a single layer.
- Roast for about 20 minutes, tossing broccoli once halfway through, until it's tender and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- While broccoli is roasting, make crispy panko topping. Place butter in a small skillet over and let it melt.
- Add garlic to the skillet and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add panko to the melted butter and garlic and stir well to coat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until panko turns golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Mix in salt.
- Arrange broccoli on a platter, drizzle Caesar dressing over it, and sprinkle crispy panko over the top. Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and lemon zest.
Caesar Dressing
- In a medium bowl, add anchovies (or paste), grated garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, and Worcestershire sauce. Use a fork to mash anchovies and garlic into a smooth paste, combining with the other ingredients.
- Whisk the Greek yogurt and parmesan cheese into the mixture.
- While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle in olive oil (slowly adding it will help dressing emulsify and prevent separation). Continue whisking until the dressing is smooth and slightly thickened. Add water and mix until well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper.
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