This roasted broccoli salad is up there as one of my favourite lunches! I’m a fan of broccoli anyway, but roasting it adds so much more flavour and texture than just boiling or streaming.
It’s the same with courgettes. They can be a bit soggy if you boil or steam them but roasted in a little oil, they can have a completely different flavour dimension and texture.
Pairing them with some chickpeas as well as quinoa really adds to the nutritional profile of this salad. Both are good sources of protein and fibre.
However, the star of the show is really the pumpkin seed dressing. It’s really quick to make and adds such an amazing depth of flavour to this salad.
The whole dish serves 4 and each portion contains about 24g of protein and over 11g of fibre, which is amazing for your gut.
How to make a roasted broccoli salad
Firstly, chop the broccoli and courgettes into chunks, drain the chickpeas and add them all to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt, pepper and some dried oregano. Pop this in the oven to roast.
Next, add the quinoa to a pan with water and bring to a boil. Simmer with the lid on until this is cooked. It should take about 14 minutes.
Whilst the veggies and quinoa are cooking, blend all the dressing ingredients together.
Once everything is ready, add the veggies, chickpeas and quinoa to a serving bowl with some rocket and pumpkin seeds, drizzle over the dressing, mix well and serve.
What ingredients do you need for a roasted broccoli salad?
- Broccoli
- Courgettes (zucchini)
- Chickpeas
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Dried oregano
- Quinoa
- Pumpkin seeds
- Salad leaves or greens
How to make a pumpkin seed salad dressing:
This is a powerhouse of a dressing and is a really good staple for lots of dishes. It only takes a few minutes to blend.
You simply add all the ingredients below to a blender and blend until smooth.
It will be thick and creamy and delicious. The tahini gives it a real creaminess and the pumpkin seeds and coriander provide great nutrition as well as a fantastic green colour.
- Pumpkin seeds
- Fresh coriander
- Garlic
- Tahini
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt & pepper
- Water to thin
What are the nutritional benefits of some of the main ingredients:
Broccoli is nutrient-dense and packed with vitamins C, K, and A, along with fibre. It’s great for your immune health, helps with digestion, and is also good for detoxification too. I like to think of it as a real superfood. When it’s roasted it adds a lovely crunchy texture to this salad.
Courgettes are low in calories but rich in fibre. They are a good source of vitamins A, C, and potassium. When roasted, their mild flavour becomes more sweet and caramelised and it pairs really well with the broccoli.
Chickpeas are one of my go-to plant-based proteins. They are good sources of fibre, iron, and magnesium. Like the vegetables, their flavour is improved by roasting – and it gives the salad a great crunch.
Quinoa is a complete protein, providing all nine essential amino acids. It’s also rich in fibre, magnesium, and iron. It’s a great grain to include in a salad to up the protein content.
Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of plant-based protein, healthy fats, and essential minerals like magnesium, zinc, and iron. I like to add some to the salad for a bit of crunch and also they are the base of the dressing.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s high in calcium as well as healthy fats, protein, magnesium, and iron. Its creamy texture makes it a delicious ingredient to add to salad dressings, without compromising on nutrition.
Storage and Shelf Life
This Roasted Broccoli Salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing.
Recipe Tips
Customise your greens: You can use any salad greens for this salad.
Swap broccoli or courgettes: If you don’t like them, then cauliflower or squash are good alternatives. Both bring a natural sweetness and can be cooked in the same way.
Use lentils or white beans instead of chickpeas: These both make a great swap and are rich in protein and fibre.
Meal prep: This is great for meal prep and will keep in a sealed tub in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Dressing: The dressing is a great addition to many dishes, and it will store in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed jar.
If you enjoyed this salad why not try these other gorgeous salads:
Turmeric Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad
Roasted Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 courgettes
- 2 x 400 g tin of chickpeas (2 x 14oz)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup quinoa (90g)
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (30g)
- Handful of salad leaves or greens
Ingredients for the dressing:
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds (60g)
- Large handful of coriander (about 20g)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup tahini (60g)
- ⅓ cup water (80ml)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
- Chop the vegetables and drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to a large roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil, add salt, pepper and the oregano and bake for 25 mins, giving a shake halfway through.
- Whilst the vegetables are cooking, add the quinoa to a pan with a cup of water (250ml) and season well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12-14 mins, with the lid on, until cooked.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- When the vegetables and quinoa ready, add to a large serving bowl. Top with some rocket or salad leaves and the pumpkin seeds. Drizzle over the dressing, mix well, and serve.
Notes
- This is great for meal prep and will keep in a sealed tub in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can really add in any veggies you like to the salad. Here I’ve used broccoli and courgette but this is a very flexible dish; use what you have available.
This was amazing! Is this 23.9g protein for the whole dish or per serving?
Glad you liked it! It’s per serving.
Wow thank you
Love this. Next time I’m going to double the dressing. It is so creamy and flavour. 😊
Yes it’s a great dressing for lots of dishes!
Delicious but the dressing was so thick! I added an extra 1/4 cup of water, then squeezed half a lemon in too, but it still had the consistency of hummus. Very tasty, just not what I expected. Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong?
It’s quick a thick dressing so you did nothing wrong! Some tahinis are thicker than others so that might be why yours was thicker. If you want a thinner consistency, keep adding water or a bit more AVC (or lemon juice) until you get the consistency you want.
I absolutely loved this dish!! It was so tasty and easy to make! It’s definitely going into the meal prep rotation . I doubled the dressing recipe and added some sumac, Aleppo pepper, and lemon juice. Also added za’atar to the chickpeas. Such a great recipe that will be made time and again!
So glad you enjoyed it. Your additions sound amazing too!
This is such a quick and easy recipe! I used pre-cooked packet quinoa to save further on time. I have already portioned up for meal prep but wondering whether to keep the dressing seperate and add when about to eat to prevent the main ingredients going soggy? Anyone had any experiences with this please?
Hi Emma, I would keep the dressing separate if you can. But to be honest, it’s good either way! x