Home ยป Roasted Broccolini Salad with Lemon, Apricots, and Kale

Roasted Broccolini Salad with Lemon, Apricots, and Kale

roasted broccolini salad recipe

Calling all veggie HATERS! This is the dish to try if you’re trying to eat and/or enjoy more vegetables but have terrible flashbacks of soggy, overcooked, bland broccoli every time you hear someone say “eat your veggies!

Been. There.

Which is why I created a Roasted Broccolini Salad with Lemon, Apricots, and Kale that contains some incredibly nourishing ingredients but tastes really good.

I mean it! This veggie packed dish is a delicious combo of hot and crispy, cool and crunchy, sweet and savory and it’s smothered in an easy to make oil-free vegan dressing that you’re going to want to make in large batches to keep on hand for everyday use because it’s heaven!

I wanted to prove once and for all that veggies can be lick-the-plate-going-back-for-seconds scrumptious and I think this recipe does just that ๐Ÿ˜Š I can’t wait for you to try it!

So, what’s in it?

Roasted broccolini tossed with lemony marinated kale, zingy red onions, crunchy sliced almonds, and sweet and chewy apricots. It’s all tossed together with the kind of homemade salad dressing that you’ll want to put on absolutely everything – salads, roasted potatoes, hash browns, nourish bowls, veggie wraps and sandwiches…I could go on ๐Ÿ™ƒ

what is broccolini
Broccolini is a cross between Broccoli and Chinese Broccoli also known as Gai Lan.

Can I use Broccoli?

Yep! Broccoli, broccolini, or even cauliflower will work for this recipe. I think it’s best to use what you have on hand and what you like ๐Ÿ˜Š

But if you’re new to broccolini or you’re looking for some new ways to serve it, I would definitely recommend using it for this. So tasty and it cooks quickly too!

oil free vegan salad dressing recipe
This is Smokey Maple Mustard Dressing just too good. Creamy, savory, slightly sweet, slightly smokey and completely oil free!

THE DRESSING

This oil-free salad dressing is creamy, savory, salty, sweet, a little spicy and a little smokey. You’ll taste the umami richness from Djion mustard and get a whisper of smokiness from the smoked paprika. It’s freshened up with the brightness of apple cider vinegar and balanced out with some maple syrup.

Well rounded, creamy, and deceptively easy to make since all of the ingredients just get added to a blender with some cashews and whipped until creamy smooth.

Wine Pairing

I recently created a video with four vegan recipes and paired each dish with a vegan wine. It was really fun to put together so check it out if you’d like to learn more about pairing vegan friendly wines with dishes like this one.

In general, green vegetables, roasted vegetables, and salads pair nicely with a Gruner Veltliner or Sauvignon Blanc. This one and this one from Kind of Wild Wines are certified vegan, organic, and totally delicious.

See below for a discount code if you want to try it out!

Click to Watch Me Make This Recipe!
roasted broccolini salad recipe with smokey maple mustard dressing

Roasted Broccolini Salad with Lemon, Apricots, and Kale

Nicole Vranjican
This light and fresh recipe is my favorite way to enjoy brocolini! It's tossed with a sweet and tangy Maple Djion dressing and bursting with flavor thanks to some added lemon zest, chewy dried apricots, and crunchy sliced almonds.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American, Plant Based, Vegan
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 bunches broccolini
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 bunches kale
  • 1 large lemon
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 20 dried apricots
  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Smokey Maple Mustard Dressing

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 4 tbsp Djion mustard
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions
 

Make the Dressing

  • If you have time to soak the cashews in the water overnight, that's great. If not, cover the cashews with boiling hot water and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
    Once softened, drain the water and add the cashews to a blender with the Djion mustard, apple cider vinegar,water, maple, and smoked paprika. Blend until smooth and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to use.

Roast the Broccolini

  • Preaheat the oven to 375 degrees.
    Chop the broccolini into bite sized pieces and place on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until softened and charred around the edges.

Make the Salad

  • While the broccolini is roasting, zest the lemon and set the zest aside.
    Then de-stem and chop the kale into small pieces. I like to cut the kale into thin ribbons.
    Transfer the kale to a large mixing bowl and add the juice of the lemon you just zested on top along with a and a pinch of salt. Massage for 1 minute until the kale turns bright green and softens slightly.
    Next add the onions, apricots, sliced almonds, and warm roasted broccolini. Toss with the 1/3 of the Smokey Maple Mustard Dressing and divide between four plates.
    Drizzle with the remaining dressing and sprinkle with lemon zest. I like to add a little black pepper on top too!
    Enjoy!
Keyword broccoli, broccolini, broccolini nutrition, broccolini recipe, how to cook broccoli, kale, what is broccolini, what is broccolini good for, whats the difference between broccoli and broccolini
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Click to Shop This Post: Stackable dinner plates from Our Place. Photo credit: Our Place

I recently worked with Kind of Wild Wines over on my YouTube channel and I fell in love with their range of certified vegan, organic, eco-friendly wines. Click the video below for more info and click here to browse Kind of Wild Wines Use code BEWILD15 to save 15% off your order. 

If you like this recipe please leave a comment and rate this post below! And if you’re on Instagram, tag me in a pic so I can see your recreation! @nikkivegan  

For more free vegan recipes, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel here.

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Nicole Vranjican

Hey! I’m Nicole and I make practical vegan recipes for REAL life. I cook with simple, easy to find ingredients and I’m passionate about creating delicious plant-based meals that everyone will love!

I hope you enjoy my recipes and videos :) Happy Cooking!

Find me on: Instagram

2 Comments

  1. August 18, 2021 / 8:16 pm

    5 stars
    This was incredibly good. Iโ€™ve made it twice now. I used the extra dressing I had left for a simple potato salad. Wowza! Thanks so much!

    • Nicole
      Author
      August 24, 2021 / 9:06 pm

      That’s genius! I bet it’s delicious with potato salad! I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for letting me know that you liked this recipe. I really love this salad so I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it. Thanks Alice ๐Ÿ˜Š

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