Romaine, Kale, and Broccoli Salad
on Dec 16, 2019, Updated Jul 29, 2024
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This fully loaded green salad is absolutely delicious and filled with fun textures, and packs a big nutritional wallop.
I love mixing some chopped hardier vegetables into a lettuce salad. The contrast between densities and textures adds immediate interest to the salad. It definitely the most common way I use up a small amount of leftover cooked vegetables. Here you are intentionally making a small amount of broccoli to work into this attractive and very healthy salad. The cheese is optional; the salad is vegan without it (if you also sub in agave for the honey, or just leave it out).
This recipe comes together super fast. You can whip it up while you boil pasta for Penne Alla Vodka or bake some salmon filets.
Table of Contents
Kale, Romaine, and Broccoli Salad: This fully loaded green salad is absolutely delicious and filled with fun textures, and packs a big nutritional wallop.
Ingredients for Kale, Romaine, and Broccoli Salad
- Broccoli – Cut the broccoli florets into little pieces, and don’t throw out the stems. Peel them and then slice, and you’ll get much more bang for your buck.
- Olive oil – Forms the base of the dressing.
- Balsamic vinegar – The sweet acidity of the vinegar is a great foil for the broccoli.
- Dijon mustard – The mustard stabilizes the dressing so the vinegar and oil don’t separate.
- Honey – The sweetness balances out the other strong flavors.
- Garlic – Finely minced garlic cloves blend nicely into the dressing.
- Romaine lettuce – The fresh crunch of romaine contrasts with the heartiness of the kale.
- Kale – I like to use lacinato kale — it’s one of my favorite kale varieties for salads with its slightly smoother texture than regular kale. You can also use baby kale in its place and give it a rough chop instead of slicing it.
- Goat cheese – The goat cheese adds a nice tang, but you can leave it out if you have anyone who can’t have dairy for any reason.
- Pumpkin seeds – I skipped the optional pumpkin seeds for these photos, but they would add a nice crunch. If you love nuts (not me; allergic), a handful of slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts would be good instead of the pumpkin seeds.
Kitchen Smarts
Pat the broccoli dry with a clean dish towel or paper towel before adding it to the salad. Otherwise, the dressing won’t stick to the vegetables.
How to Make Romaine, Kale, and Broccoli Salad
- Prepare the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in boiling water, then shock the broccoli an ice bath.
- Make the dressing: Mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble: Slice up the romaine and kale, then add them to the dressed broccoli and toss.
- Serve: Top with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, then serve!
How to Use Broccoli Stems
Many people toss the broccoli stems and use the tops or florets. This is a shame, not to mention a waste. I actually love the texture of the stems at least as much as the florets, and if you peel off the tough outer skin, you will find the inside to be tender and quite sweet, relatively speaking. Just cut the stems into bite-sized pieces after peel them, and make sure to discard the very end of the stem, which is usually hard and tough.
Tips & Variations
- Try 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon in addition to or instead of the minced garlic.
- Make the dressing while you’re waiting for the water for the broccoli to boil. Slice up the lettuces while the broccoli is cooking and sitting in the ice bath.
- Think about adding cubes of pear or golden beets for another level of texture and flavor.
More Kale Recipes to Try
- Kale Quinoa Salad with Honey, Lemon, and Dijon Dressing
- Kale Pesto Recipe
- Romaine and Slivered Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Kale Crunch Salad
- Kale, Cabbage and Mint Salad with Peanut Dressing
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Romaine, Kale, and Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small head (about 10 ounces) broccoli (stems peeled and stems and florets cut into bite-sized pieces)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 large heart of romaine lettuce
- 1 bunch (about 8 ounces) kale (preferably lacinato)
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and return to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Add the broccoli to the pot and cook for 2 minutes, until bright green, but still crisp-tender. Drain in a colander.
- Plunge the drained broccoli into the bowl of ice water and let sit until completely cooled. Drain well. Place the florets into a clean dry dish towels or several paper towels, and roll it up to absorb excess moisture.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the drained broccoli and toss.
- Slice the hearts of romaine crosswise into 1/2-inch ribbons. Cut the ribs from the kale leaves and slice them into 1/2-inch strips. Add the lettuce and kale, along with the drained broccoli, to the bowl and toss so that the vegetables are coated with the dressing.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, if using, and serve.
Notes
- Try 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon in addition to or instead of the minced garlic.
- Make the dressing while you’re waiting for the water for the broccoli to boil. Slice up the lettuces while the broccoli is cooking and sitting in the ice bath.
Delicious!! Used feta cheese,cranberries and glazed walnuts. Hot honey vs standard Added to my favorite salad rotation
Wanted something new to try with my abundance of red Russian kale ( next year I will make this when I have broccoli, too). It is a great intro to make for those who are skeptical of kale. I topped it with pine nuts and a fruit studded goat cheese because I had those on hand. I think apple chunks would be good, too