Broccoli and Olive Vinaigrette Salad
Valentina P
A no-lettuce salad with tender broccoli, tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, and a simple Italian vinaigrette coating everything. This salad actually tastes better as is sits and marinates in the vinaigrette, making it a great side dish for a picnic or potluck. Plant-based option.
How To MakeDiet Type: Low-carb
Shopping List
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For the Salad
- 2 cups broccoli, chopped
- 4 ounces fresh soft mozzarella, diced (substitutions, Note 2)
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 66666667/100000000 cup pitted olives, sliced Italian Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning blend
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Step 1: Stir all vinaigrette ingredients together. Set aside.
- Step 2: Fill a large bowl with ice water. This will be the ice bath for the cooked broccoli. Set aside.
- Step 3: Steam the broccoli for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the florets can be pierced with a fork. They should still be crisp and vibrant green in color. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and then place the cooked broccoli in the ice bath. Let site for several minutes and then drain and dry the broccoli. Chop the florets into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Step 4: Add the drained broccoli, mozzarella, olives, and tomatoes to a mixing bowl. Pour in the vinaigrette, to taste. Toss well to coat everything.
- Serve: Enjoy chilled, at room temperature, or warm.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Every 2 cups of chopped broccoli is equal to about 1 jumbo head of broccoli. Don't discard the stalks either - once they're peeled to remove the fibrous outer layer, they taste great in here alongside the florets. Note 2: The mozzarella can be substituted with 1 ear of fresh corn or 1 large diced avocado. If fresh corn is unavailable, measure out 3/4 cup canned drained corn. To cook the fresh corn, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the husks from the corn, dot with a little optional butter, and then wrap the corn in foil. Roast the corn for 20 minutes on a baking sheet. Once cooked, unwrap the corn and use a sharp knife the slice the kernels from the cob. Note 3: Switch things up by substituting the fresh tomatoes for sun-dried tomatoes and adding a scoop of cooked brown rice to bulk it up. You'll need 1/2 cup of chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in place of every 3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes.
Nutrition
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