Our low carb broccoli salad is made Greek as it is tossed in our creamy feta dressing. It is a great make ahead salad that will soon become your favourite way to eat broccoli!
In this salad we have charred the broccoli for crispy, nutty flavour, added some gorgeous roasted walnuts then drizzled it with our creamy feta dressing with some lemon to brighten it up – yum 😋!
What to serve it with
This salad makes a tasty dinner party side served with roasted or grill meats. Is great to serve with pasta for quick weekday dinners. I especially love it with a roasted lamb shoulder, harissa lamb cutlets, a creamy carbonara or chilli chicken.
Let’s talk ingredients and substitutions
- Broccoli – is well and truly the star in this salad, but you can replace it with broccolini, cauliflower or even romanesco.
- Walnuts – I personally just love briny feta with the earthy nuttiness of roasted walnuts. But, they can easily be substituted with buttery pecans, macadamias: or almonds.
- Creamy feta dressing – there is just something magical about the nuttiness in the charred broccoli and this dreamy, creamy feta dressing I just love them together. As a quick alternative try some balsamic glaze or a simple oil and lemon dressing instead. Just add some crumbled feta in the salad as otherwise, it will be a bit boring.
Other dressings to try
As an alternative dressing for this charred broccoli salad I can recommend
- Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Whole Grain Orange Vinaigrette
You will need
How to make it
1PREPARE BROCCOLI
Trim woody ends from broccoli stalks, and separate into even-sized florets. Cut broccoli florets in half lengthwise.
Heat a large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat.
Place florets in a mixing bowl season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, toss well to combine.
Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until the undersides are well browned, turn then cook until tender and brown on the opposite side with the pan lid on.
CUT OFF STEMS CUT INTO FLORETS SLICE FLORETS IN HALF ADD FLORETS TO BOWL OIL & SEASON ADD TO HOT PAN TURN WHEN CHARRED
2MAKE DRESSING
In the meantime prepare your dressing. Place all ingredients in a small food processor or high-speed blender, season and blitz until smooth and creamy.
If you find that it is too thick (it should be the consistency of runny mayonnaise) then add some water to loosen.
Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.
ADD DRESSING INGREDIENTS TO BLENDER BLITZ DRESSING TO COMBINE
3ASSEMBLE SALAD
Arrange the charred broccoli on a salad platter, pour the creamy feta dressing on top, garnish with the roasted walnuts, oregano and diced chilli then serve.
ADD BROCCOLI TO BOWL POUR OVER DRESSING ADD WALNUTS TOP WITH CHILLI
Can I make it ahead?
- The dressing can be made 4-5 days in advance and also makes an excellent dip or sauce for meat (especially good on lamb cutlets).
- If you are going to serve this salad warm then it is a good idea to serve it soon after you make it. Otherwise it can be made several hours or even a day in advance.
- For this salad there is no need to wait to assemble it just before serving as it keeps well all made up.
How to meal prep
- Portion it into containers, pour over dressing and add the walnuts and chilli garnish. Keep covered and chilled in the fridge.
- It is a good idea to take it out of the fridge 10-15 mins before eating to come to room temperature as the feta dressing may harden, but it is not essential.
Storage and leftovers
- The made-up salad will keep covered in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- I have also chopped the leftovers and stirred them through some cooked pasta with extra feta cheese.
- The chopped up leftovers also make a great filling for an omelette, frittata or pie with some cooked bacon or ham pieces.
- Another favourite is to chop it up and use it to stuff chicken breasts or veal schnitzel with some added feta. Add the filling, roll them up and secure with a toothpick and wrap with bacon or prosciutto. Then either cook in a hot pan or in hot oven.
Some more brassica salads to try
(Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level)
Equipment
- Non-stick pan
- Small Food Processor or High-Speed / Bullet Blender
Ingredients
- 500 grams broccoli florets (approximately 17.64 ounces)
- ½ cup olive oil
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (zest from 1 large lemon)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Pinch chilli powder optional
- 1 long chilli sliced diagonally
- ⅓ cup walnuts roasted
- Pinch dried oregano
Instructions
- Trim woody ends from broccoli stalks, and separate into even sized florets. Cut broccoli florets in half lengthwise.
- Heat a large non stick frypan over medium-high heat.
- Place florets and oil in a mixing bowl season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, toss well to combine.
- Cook undisturbed for about 5-10 minutes or until the undersides are well browned, turn then cook until tender and brown on opposite side.
- In the meantime prepare your dressing. Place all ingredients in a small food processor or high speed blender, season and blitz until smooth and creamy.
- If you find that it is too thick (it should be the consistency of runny mayonnaise) then add some water to loosen.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.
- Heat a small non stick pan with 1 tablespoon of olive and add your walnuts and 1 teaspoon dried oregano and fry until golden.
- While your nuts are frying, dice your jarred peppers.
- Arrange the charred broccoli on a salad platter, pour the creamy feta dressing on top, garnish with walnuts and diced peppers then serve.
Video
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