Roasted Broccoli tossed in olive and sesame oil make it a quick-and-healthy salad. Coated with flavors, this fantastic warm broccoli salad goes perfect with any of your favorite appetizers.

Broccoli is a healthy and hearty veggie resembling a small tree. This great vegetable is packed with dozens of nutrients and vitamins. In my kitchen, broccoli is an all-star veggie that I usually try to make as a great side dish. I try to make it in many ways: from raw thrown in salads to steamed or fried. It is a low-calorie veggie with essential vitamins and yummy if mixed with different herbs or other veggies. Also, broccoli tastes great in different kinds of dishes, so this is why I try to make it very often. There are times when I make some pause from broccoli, but there are days when I crave for it, either roasted, grilled, or steamed.

Definitely, you can make it heartier and more delicious by adding some meat or fish. But sometimes I want it just warm as a simple salad. We love this bright green salad recipe and I try to make it any time of the year, especially for picnics or potlucks. I have to say that when I was younger, my mom was always trying to delight me with broccoli, however, I never loved it. Or at least I didn’t understand its taste. Yet, when I grew older, I understood how healthy it is and how perfect it can complete some of my appetizers.

In this recipe, I will try to share with you some of my hints on how to make this broccoli salad taste fresh, crunchy, and truly flavorful. This is a great mix-in with other veggies tossed in one of the best dressings, sesame oil.

How to make roasted broccoli salad?

This recipe is so simple but so flavorful and tasty.

For this recipe, I have used 2 fresh broccoli. Today, we have this fresh broccoli so much that you can skip using a frozen one. But, it already depends on which one you have available.

Heat the skillet and pour some olive oil (3tbsp) by adding 3-4 minced cloves of garlic. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes until the oil has absorbed the garlic’s aroma. Add the cut broccoli and fry it for 7-10 minutes more, or until it has a light golden color, smooth but not too soft. The broccoli has to remain firm and a little crunchy in order to maintain all its healthy vitamins. When the broccoli is fried, add all the amount to a bowl and pour over 3tsp of sesame oil and sesame seeds. I simply adore this simple, but so flavorful aroma from the sesame ingredients. Also, I have to admit that the sesame oil I use is made of roasted sesame seeds. The aroma is more pronounced, more aromatic, and more savory.

This hot salad is ready in just minutes and worth any ingredient. You can either serve it cold, but this broccoli salad served hot is out of this world. It is a great side dish and a great twist on the classic salad. It is a versatile recipe that can’t go wrong with any additional ingredients. Sometimes, I opt for feta, some cranberries, or other veggies like tomatoes that only makes it taste better.

Is broccoli healthy?

Definitely, yes. Broccoli is considered one of the healthiest veggies loaded with vitamins and lots of health benefits. It is packed with vitamin K, C, natural folate, proteins, and fibers. It is a low-calorie veggie truly healthy and hearty. This salad makes it an ultimate side dish to many other meals for cookouts or just for dinner.

What to serve with roasted broccoli salad?

Broccoli salad is an ideal side dish for many appetizers. It will balance any of your meat dishes, fish recipes, or even garnitures. For example, it makes a great serving next to baked codfish, Crispy duck, or even smashed potatoes. Sometimes I want some vegetarian dishes and try to make some balance between them by adding green veggies. This healthy and hearty broccoli salad is paired with many other entrees and the result is just unbelievable.

How to roasted frozen broccoli?

You can easily use frozen broccoli florets if you have in your refrigerator. The only thing you have to do is to defrost it at room temperature in a colander in order to leave out the water. However, in case you are in a hurry you can still fry the broccoli frozen. I don’t know if you will obtain the same yummy taste as from a fresh one, but you can always experience it.

Can you freeze broccoli salad?

Of course, you can store or freeze this easy and simple broccoli salad. Cooldown before storing or freezing it. Put the salad into an airtight container and store this salad for some days. This salad loses its quality when being frozen, this is why I advise you to make it fresh and eat it immediately. I never freeze any of my salads, because it never remains. :)

Recipe tips:

Use either raw or frozen broccoli.
Use tomatoes and some greenies to make it tastier.
Season with olive oil only if you don’t like the taste and the aroma from the sesame oil.
Use feta.
Substitute the sesame seeds with pine nuts.
Cooldown completely before freezing this salad.
Kalamata olives can be an option, as well.

Broccoli, is such a great and easy veggie, that nicely and perfectly pairs with any other ingredients. This recipe is one that my family adores and a different type of salad to enjoy broccoli.