This vegan and gluten free roasted broccoli salad with pickled shallots comes together in about 35 minutes with minimal hands-on time. Broccoli is roasted until tender and caramelized then tossed with quick-pickled shallots, toasted pecans, and thinly sliced apple.
I’ve had the idea for this recipe swimming around in my head for a while after enjoying a charred broccoli and pickled kohlrabi salad while dining out a few weeks ago. The salad combined smokey broccoli and pickled kohlrabi and it was one of the best flavor combinations I’ve tasted in a long while. The bright tang of the pickled kohlrabi cut right through the deep smokey flavor of the broccoli perfectly. There were other components to the salad, but they were mostly supporting roles in the overall scheme.
Since enjoying the salad, I formulated my own simplified version of it in my head. I knew I wanted to combine roasted broccoli with some quick pickled shallots and toasted nuts. Tasting as I went, I decided to add a sweet component which is where the apple came in. It’s quite simple to throw together and is ready in about the time it takes to roast the broccoli. The salad can be served warm, at room temperature, or even chilled depending on your preference or what is easiest. I highly recommend giving it a try!
Roasted Broccoli Salad with Pickled Shallots (vegan)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan and gluten free roasted broccoli salad with pickled shallots comes together in about 35 minutes with minimal hands-on time. Broccoli is roasted until tender and caramelized then tossed with quick-pickled shallots, toasted pecans, and thinly sliced apple.
Ingredients
- 2 crowns broccoli
- olive oil
- 1 sweet/tart apple, thinly sliced
- 1 large roasted handful pecans, roughly chopped
- sea salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is pre-heating, chop up your broccoli into smaller crowns and the stem into rounds. Put the chopped broccoli onto a baking sheet then drizzle it with some oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then roast the broccoli in your pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes until tender and caramelized around the edges. Make sure to toss the broccoli about halfway through so that it is evenly roasted.
While the broccoli is roasting, make the pickled shallots. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit while the broccoli is roasting and you finish the rest of the prep for the salad.
When the broccoli is ready, toss the pickled shallots a few times then remove them from the pickling liquid. Add them to a bowl along with the roasted broccoli, apple, pecans, and a splash or two of the pickling liquid. Toss everything together then taste it and adjust with more salt, pepper, or pickling liquid if needed.
Notes
- An equal amount of cauliflower can be used in place of the broccoli if you prefer.
- If you don’t have red wine vinegar, you can use white wine or apple cider vinegar instead.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: salad
Courtney, you have done it again! This salad is perfect for lunch or dinner. It has a flavor all its own! Thank you for sharing! Your photos are very colorful and creative!