Easy Broccoli Salad

Watch Chef John make an easy, healthy broccoli side dish. See more

READY IN 50 mins

Easy Broccoli Salad

Read Reviews (30)

"This simple broccoli salad kicks up ordinary broccoli with some lemon and red pepper flakes." — Chef John

Directions

Trim bottoms of broccoli stems and cut off broccoli heads; cut the broccoli heads into quarters. Peel broccoli stems and cut into quarters crosswise.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook broccoli until tender when cut with a paring knife but still slightly firm, 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer broccoli to a large bowl filled with cold water and chill to stop the cooking process. Drain well. Arrange broccoli in a colander with the florets facing down towards the holes of the colander and allow broccoli to drip for at least 30 minutes.
Whisk together garlic, lemon juice, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper together in a large serving bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking rapidly until the dressing is thick and creamy. Adjust salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Toss broccoli with the dressing; let stand 5 to 10 minutes to marinate, then toss again. Can be refrigerated up to an hour if you want to serve the salad cold.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 5 mins
READY IN 50 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 15, 2012

Great, simple recipe! I had a package with both broccoli and cauliflower combined, so I added both to this recipe, and it was delicious. I also added a bit of sweet to the vinegarette to balance the flavor a bit (agave syrup). I wanted to also comment on Chef John's video presentation. He has a wonderful down-to-earth way about him and I picked up a lot of good tips about broccoli preparation in general from this video. Thanks for the recipe, Chef John!

—danij214

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 22, 2012

This salad sounded good when reading the ingredient list, but I did not like it. Wished I would have.

—msseamo

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44 Ratings

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Jun 16, 2012

This was fantastic! Cut the olive oil in half because I thought it might be too oily. It was great like that. It's a definite keeper for us. 3 of us ate it all up it was so delicious with a little bit left for hubby's lunch tomorrow. Follow Chef John's video. I just have to add to my review: we have made this several times since my last rating and I LOVE this stuff!! I follow the video exactly for cutting it and putting it in cold water to stop the cooking. I do cut the oil though, because it would be way too oily if we did not. When I make it now I have to make extra we love it so much. I have never been a fan of broccoli in the past and do not really care for it raw. But I have become a fan of broccoli because of this recipe. It is simple to make and the red pepper flakes give it a nice appearance and pizzazz if making it for company.

—Flatroad12

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Mar 16, 2012

I would have given this five stars but it had too much olive oil for my taste. Next time I will cut the olive oil in half. Other than that, the flavor was really good.

—rookie

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Oct 01, 2012

So simple, yet so good! This really perks up regular 'ol broccoli and delivers a nice amout of sweet and heat. I did cut back on the olive oil a bit but other than that didn't change a thing. This is excellent warm or cold and would be great over green beans or brussel sprouts as well. I liked the dressing so much I added a little sugar and it was perfect over a mixed green salad. Thanks Chef John!

—Jillian

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May 20, 2012

Nice, easy, and tasty. I only used a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and let it sit in the fridge for an hour. Served with grilled salmon kabobs, and the orzo with basil and parmesan from this site.

—Spyce

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Mar 14, 2012

Who knew something so simple could be so good? This has such a fresh clean taste. The dressing is a bit more acidic than I like but that's just me. I added about 1/2 tsp honey to balance it out. We'll have this often! I bet this would be great with asparagus, too. Tomorrow night!

—JanHomeCookin

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Jun 20, 2012

I bought 2 bags of broccoli cauliflower mix. I steamed them for 4 minutes, dumped in a bowl and put right in frig for an hour, took them out mixed with dressing and let sit at room temp 30 mins-no peeling slicing draining or straining-plus the veggies retain more of their nutrients

—Nana Deb

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Nutrition

Calories
223 kcal
11%

Carbohydrates
12.9 g
4%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
18.6 g
29%

Fiber
4.5 g
18%

Protein
5 g
10%

Sodium
170 mg
7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Easy Broccoli Salad

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 223
Calories from Fat: 168

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18.6g 29 %
Saturated Fat 2.6g 13 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 170mg 7 %
** Potassium 558mg 16 %
Total Carbohydrates 12.9g 4 %
Dietary Fiber 4.5g 18 %
Protein 5g 10 %
Sugars 3.1g
Vitamin A 22 %
Vitamin C 260 %
Calcium 11 %
Iron 14 %
** Thiamin 12 %
** Niacin 16 %
** Vitamin B6 21 %
** Magnesium 13 %
** Folate 60 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.