Vegan Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad | Last Ingredient (2024)

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There are infinite interpretations and creations.

At its most basic, a salad is a mix of cooked or raw vegetables, sometimes fruit, and maybe grains or pasta all tossed in a dressing or vinaigrette.

Yes, you can include some leafy greens, but don’t feel obligated.

This is especially true during fall and winter, the half of the year I consider roasted vegetable season.

Lately my oven has been going strong with sheet pan after sheet pan of everything from sweet potatoes to cauliflower to any variety of squash.

Just tonight I made my go-to roasted sweet potato chickpea kale salad with goodies from my weekly fruit and veggie box.

Broccoli is also in my regular roasting rotation.

The end result can vary from broccoli orzo to an electric green broccoli spinach soup.

There are so many ways to use this vegetable including in a roasted broccoli quinoa salad that goes light on lettuce and big on broccoli.

You’re still getting your greens, just in a different form.

To start, I preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

I toss broccoli florets in the usual olive oil, salt and pepper, spreading them out on a pan.

It’s important to give the florets some space. That encourages them to brown at the edges instead of steaming as they would if the pan is too crowded.

With the heat up that high, the broccoli only takes about 8-10 minutes to roast.

While the broccoli is in the oven, I make the quinoa on the stovetop.

After that, I whisk together lemon vinaigrette in a small bowl.

When the broccoli and quinoa are have finished cooking and have cooled down for a few minutes, I combine them in a large bowl.