Dairy Free | Fall | Gluten Free | Salads | Sides | Winter
Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad
Broccoli caesar salad is a bold, flavor-packed twist on the classic caesar salad, swapping crunchy romaine lettuce for roasted broccoli. It’s topped with homemade croutons and a creamy dairy free Caesar dressing that’s tangy, briny, and oh so delicious.
Ingredient Notes
- Broccoli florets
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt – to taste.
- Stale or day old bread – this can be a baguette, sourdough bread, white bread, etc. Croutons work best with bread that’s dried out and isn’t super fresh.
- Crouton seasoning – nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper.
- 5 minute dairy free caesar dressing – it’s so creamy, tangy, and savory, you won’t even know it’s dairy free!
Make It Your Way: 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 toasted bread crumbs or crispy baked chickpeas like in my salmon caesar salad.
- No Italian seasoning? – use a mix of dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried basil or you check out my post on the 5 best Italian seasoning substitutes for more ideas.
- Make it gluten-free – use your favorite gluten free bread or crispy baked chickpeas.
- Add-ins – cooked pasta to bulk it up, bacon or baked crispy prosciutto for a hint of smokiness and added crunch.
Helpful Tips
- If you’re using fresh bread, you’ll need to bake the croutons a little longer to dry them out.
- You won’t need all the dressing. Just add as much as you want, a tablespoon at a time, to taste.
- The roasted broccoli and croutons can withstand being lightly dressed and stored. But if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and add more dressing right before serving.
Serving Ideas
I recommend serving this delicious side dish along side any of these main dishes where vegetables aren’t the main focus such as:
- Salmon Pasta
- French Onion Chicken Thighs
- Spicy Chicken Burgers
- Baked Italian Bison Meatballs
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Bites
More Side Salads
- Kale Crunch Salad With Maple Dijon Dressing
- Crispy Rice Salad With Fresh Herbs
- Italian Green Bean Salad
Did you try this Broccoli Caesar Salad recipe? If so, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad
Broccoli caesar salad is a bold, flavor-packed twist on the classic caesar salad, swapping crunchy romaine lettuce for roasted broccoli. It's topped with homemade croutons and a creamy dairy free Caesar dressing that's tangy, briny, and oh so delicious.
Ingredients
Roasted Broccoli
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- olive oil
- kosher salt
Homemade Croutons
- 3 cups cubed bread any variety
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt use ¼ teaspoon if using anything else
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dressing
- dairy free caesar dressing to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Prep broccoli. Toss the florets with olive oil and season with a couple pinches of kosher salt. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet (no parchment paper needed).
- Prep croutons. Toss the cubed bread on a second bare baking sheet with olive oil and the seasonings until evenly distributed then arrange them into a single layer.
- Bake. Bake the croutons for 8-10 minutes, checking after the 8 minute mark so they don't burn. Roast the broccoli for 12-15 minutes, checking after the 12 minute mark. There should be light charring on the edges.
- Combine. In a large bowl, toss the roasted broccoli, croutons, and dressing (add one tablespoon at a time to taste, you won't need all of it) until well combined. Enjoy!
Notes
See the blog post for helpful tips and serving ideas.