If you’re looking for a healthy lunch recipe, this Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad is for you! It’s a filling, high-protein, plant-based salad made with roasted broccoli, courgettes, chickpeas and quinoa.
The star of the show is the pumpkin seed tahini dressing. It’s really quick to make and adds such an amazing depth of flavour to this salad.
It’s a great choice for an easy lunch or light dinner and is ideal for meal prep, as it keeps well in the fridge for up to four days.
With around 24g of protein and 11g of fibre per serving, it’s a salad I come back to when I want something nutritious, filling and really easy to make. .
Why you’ll love this roasted broccoli quinoa salad
- The dressing is the star: A creamy pumpkin seed and tahini dressing gives the salad loads of flavour and really adds to the protein and nutrition of the finished dish.
- It’s genuinely filling: Quinoa and chickpeas provide plant-based protein and fibre, making this much more substantial than your average salad.
- The vegetables are roasted: Roasting gives the broccoli, courgettes and chickpeas much more flavour and texture than simply boiling them.
- It’s ideal for meal prep: Make a batch at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge for easy lunches.
- It’s completely plant-based: The recipe is naturally vegan and vegetarian.
- It’s a high protein salad – with 24g of protein in one serving.
- It’s flexible: You can swap the vegetables, greens or chickpeas depending on what you have available.
Why i chose these ingredients
Broccoli is nutrient-dense and packed with vitamins C, K, and A, along with fibre. 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.
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
Storage and Shelf Life
This Roasted Broccoli Salad is a good meal prep salad and will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you are storing in the fridge, I’d recommend keeping the dressing separate and adding just before eating.
I don’t recommend freezing.
Recipe Tips & Swaps
Broccoli: Cauliflower works particularly well and can be roasted in the same way.
Courgettes: Try peppers, aubergine, sweet potato or butternut squash.
Chickpeas: Cannellini beans, butter beans or lentils work well.
Quinoa: Brown rice, bulgur wheat or another wholegrain can be used, although cooking times will vary.
Pumpkin seeds: Sunflower seeds make a good nut-free alternative.
Rocket: Spinach, kale or mixed salad leaves can be used.
Coriander: Flat-leaf parsley or basil works if you prefer a milder flavour.
Customise your greens: You can use any salad greens for this salad.
More easy salad recipes
If you enjoyed this salad why not try these other easy meal prep salads:
Turmeric Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad
Roasted Broccoli Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 courgettes
- 2 x 400 g 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
Really enjoyed this salad. I added red onion to the veggies, and some nutritional yeast abd lemon juice to the dressing. One to have on repeat.
Loving the sound of your additions. Glad you enjoyed the salad!
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
Peut-on avoir la recette complète en français ? Metci
Ingrédients pour la salade : 1 tête de brocoli 2 courgettes 2 x 400 g de pois chiches (2 x 14 oz) 1 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive Sel et poivre 1 c. à café d’origan séché ½ tasse de quinoa (90 g) ¼ tasse de graines de courge (30 g) Une poignée de feuilles de salade ou de verdure Ingrédients pour la vinaigrette : ½ tasse de graines de courge (60 g) Une grande poignée de coriandre (environ 20 g) 2 gousses d’ail ¼ tasse de tahini (60 g) ⅓ tasse d’eau (80 ml) 2 c. à soupe de vinaigre de cidre Sel et poivre INSTRUCTIONS Préchauffer le four à 180°C. Couper les légumes et égoutter et rincer les pois chiches. Les ajouter dans un grand plat à rôtir. Arroser d’huile d’olive, saler, poivrer et ajouter l’origan, puis cuire 25 min en secouant à mi-cuisson. Pendant que les légumes cuisent, mettre le quinoa dans une casserole avec une tasse d’eau (250 ml) et bien assaisonner. Porter à ébullition et laisser mijoter 12-14 min, le couvercle dessus, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit cuit. Mettre tous les ingrédients de la vinaigrette dans un mixeur et mixer jusqu’à obtenir une consistance lisse. Quand les légumes et le quinoa sont prêts, les mettre dans un grand saladier. Ajouter quelques feuilles de roquette ou de salade sur le dessus.
Could you use something in place of the coriander? It makes everything taste like soap to me!
Thanks!
You could try basil or parsley – whichever flavour you prefer xx
Loved this recipe, just had it, we are not vegetarian so we added some panfried marinated chicken, kind of Moroccan style. It was Yummy!, eaten to much now, veging in the sofa!! 😆😆
So great to hear! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.
This recipe was incredible! We added cauliflower and served on top of a super green mix and skipped the quinoa. Also added lemon juice, hemp seeds and nutritional yeast to the dressing. The dressing was the star of the show, almost tasted like a Caesar dressing. Thank you!
So glad you liked it! And your additions sound amazing too.
Absolutely brilliant. I roasted other veg with the broccoli–brussel sprouts, bell pepper, carrots, cubed sweet potato at 415F (convection) for around 30 minutes. Added about 1/4 whole lemon to the dressing. So, so good. The best salad and the best salad dressing I’ve ever made and I’ve been cooking 40+ years.
That’s so great to hear! I’m so pleased you enjoyed the salad xxx
Hi Helen have child with allergies to beans and legumes and sesame, what can I substitute for the chick pea and tahini please?
You can swap the beans for lentils or any protein of choice. The tahini is a bit trickier to replace. You can try yoghurt but I haven’t tested it with anything but tahini.