My quick and easy broccolini salad is the perfect weeknight side dish to pair with practically any main dish or meaty entree! It’s tossed with a delicious Asian-inspired dressing that elevates this dish to restaurant quality!
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Crunchy, Sweet, and a Little Spicy
Quick side salads are a must for my weeknight dinners – but sometimes I like to switch it up! This amazing broccolini salad is perfectly flavored and has incredible flavors and textures!
The dressing is made of delicious Asian ingredients that blend to create a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy dressing you’ll adore!
This dish is so easy, too! It takes about 10 minutes total to make this salad—so it’s on the table in no time! You’ll think this salad came straight out of a restaurant with its deliciousness!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s Packed Full of Flavor! The dressing for this salad is full of tons of delicious ingredients that coat the broccolini and other veggies to make a side dish you’ll want to make weekly!
- So Fast! This salad is just as fast as it is delicious! It takes 10 minutes to cook up, so dinner is a breeze!
- It’s Restaurant Quality! The flavors in the dressing elevate this to a restaurant-quality salad that will impress everyone!
🥘 Ingredients
A few ingredients here may need to be purchased at an Asian grocery, like Sambal Oelek!
Salad Ingredients
- Broccolini—Also sometimes known as ‘Baby Broccoli’ or 'tenderstem broccoli,' you can usually find this in the fresh produce section of your grocery store. (See Tips & Notes)
- Mushrooms—This recipe can use white button or cremini (baby bella) mushrooms. You can also get pre-sliced or whole mushrooms! (See Tips & Recipe Notes)
- Carrots—You want the carrot to be washed and peeled for this recipe, then shaved into thin slices for this salad.
- Green Onion—The green onion gives this dish a fresh, oniony bite and beautiful color! It should be washed and thinly sliced for this recipe.
Sesame Soy Dressing Ingredients
- Sesame Seeds—Sesame seeds give a nutty crunch and lots of nutty flavor to this dish! You can easily find these in the spice aisle of your grocery store or at a local Asian grocery.
- Soy Sauce—Soy sauce adds a salty, savory base to the dressing! You can use reduced-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free Tamari if you prefer.
- Rice Wine Vinegar—This neutral, slightly sweet vinegar pairs well with this dish! If unable to find it, try using white vinegar.
- Avocado Oil—I love avocado oil because it’s heart-healthy and has a neutral flavor that doesn’t detract from the other flavors in this dish. You can use another neutral oil like sunflower, canola, or light olive oil.
- Sesame Oil—You should be able to find sesame oil in the Asian aisle of your grocery! It adds a nutty flavor to this dressing and is a terrific investment for other Asian recipes.
- Honey—You can use whatever honey you prefer or have on hand! I like local, raw, and unfiltered honey.
- Chili Paste (Sambal Oelek)—If you can’t find this chili paste in your grocery, you can try looking for it at a local Asian grocery store! (or make your own Sambal Oelek)
- Ground Ginger—This will add a little warmth and extra flavor to the dressing! It’s optional but recommended!
🔪 How To Make A Broccolini Salad
My crisp, nutty broccolini salad is the best salad you’ll have! The dressing recipe yields 1 cup of dressing – you’ll probably have extra!
- Prep. Wash 12 ounces of broccolini, 1 carrot, and 1 green onion. Trim the ends of the broccolini and remove leaves as needed. Then, peel and shave 1 carrot with a vegetable peeler or mandolin, and slice 1 small green onion. Gently clean and slice 1 cup of mushrooms, if not already sliced. Set aside.
- Blanch the broccolini. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the broccolini, and blanch for 2 minutes. Once done, transfer the broccolini into an ice bath to quickly cool. Drain and set aside.
- Toast sesame seeds. Heat a small frying pan or skillet to medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds to toast. Watch the seeds closely as once they begin to toast, they will brown rapidly and can burn easily. Once toasted and fragrant, transfer to a small bowl.
- Make the dressing. Combine the salad dressing ingredients in the small bowl with the toasted sesame seeds. Add ¼ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, 1 ½ tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of chili paste, and ½ teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Toss the salad. In a large bowl, combine the blanched broccolini with 1 cup of slice mushrooms, 1 shaved carrot, and 1 sliced green onion. Toss the salad ingredients together and either coat with ⅓ cup of the salad dressing or plate and drizzle the dressing onto individual portions.
This tasty, delectable, and fresh broccolini salad is perfect when served with glazed teriyaki chicken or salmon. Try my easy, flavorful teriyaki chicken marinade! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If broccolini is unavailable, regular broccoli is a great substitute. Cut fresh broccoli florets into smaller, uniform pieces before blanching for this recipe.
- To clean mushrooms without making them soggy, avoid running them underwater. Instead, for whole, unsliced mushrooms, gently wipe off the dirt with a damp paper towel before slicing. This helps keep the mushrooms crisp, which is especially important for a fresh salad.
- For shaving carrots, a vegetable peeler works well. Start by peeling the outer skin, then carefully peel thin strips away from you until the carrot is fully shaved. Alternatively, use a mandolin for even shavings or slice thin julienne strips with a sharp knife if you don't have a peeler or mandolin.
- Blanching broccolini removes its raw taste. To blanch, boil it and plunge it into a cold, icy water bowl. This stops the cooking, ensuring the broccolini remains crisp and retains its bright green color.
🥡 Storing
This delicious, crunchy broccolini salad stays fresh for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. To maintain its freshness, store the salad in an airtight container. If you have leftover salad dressing, it can be kept in an airtight container or a mason jar for 2 to 3 weeks.
This versatile dressing can be used on any of your favorite salads or for another batch of broccolini salad.
When you're ready to enjoy the broccolini salad again, just remove it from the fridge and give it a good toss to mix the ingredients. Feel free to add a bit more dressing if you like. The salad can be eaten cold or allowed to reach room temperature before serving.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Sambal Oelek is a slightly spicy, tangy chili paste originating from Indonesia. It has so much flavor, and it’s not super spicy! I highly recommend using it for this recipe. If you cannot find it, try making my sambal oelek.
Sure! If you want to make this salad more of a main course, try adding seared or grilled chicken, shrimp, or tofu! It would pair wonderfully with the salad! You can even add a grain like quinoa or Jasmine rice to bulk it up!
If you’d like a more pronounced ginger flavor, you could add ½ teaspoon of ginger paste or freshly grated ginger to the salad dressing! Don’t add too much, though—you don’t want it to overwhelm the dressing!
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📖 Recipe Card
Broccolini Salad
Ingredients
Broccolini Salad
- 12 oz broccolini (1-2 bunches, washed and trimmed)
- 1 cup mushrooms (washed and sliced - white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms)
- 1 small carrot (washed and peeled, then shaved for the salad)
- 1 green onion (washed and thinly sliced)
Sesame Soy Dressing
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon chili paste (Sambal Oelek)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Wash the broccolini, trimming the ends and removing leaves as needed.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the broccolini, and blanch for 2 minutes. Once done, transfer the broccolini into an ice bath to cool quickly. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a small frying pan or skillet to medium heat, then add the sesame seeds to toast. Watch the seeds closely as once they begin to toast, they will brown rapidly and can burn easily. Once toasted and fragrant, remove from the pan and transfer to a small bowl.
- In the small bowl of toasted sesame seeds combine the salad dressing ingredients. Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, avocado oil, sesame oil, honey, chili paste, and optional ground ginger. Whisk thoroughly.
- In a large bowl combine the blanched broccolini with sliced mushrooms, shaved carrot, and thinly sliced green onions. Toss the salad ingredients together and either coat with ⅓ cup of the salad dressing or plate and drizzle the dressing onto individual portions.
Notes
- Sesame soy dressing yields approximately 1 cup of dressing.
- Start with ⅓ cup for dressing the salad. Add more to taste.
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