Charred Broccoli Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing, is your new go-to winter salad. Gorgeous charred (or roasted) broccoli with spinach, red onion, red pepper and matchstick carrots, tossed warm then topped with crunchy and sweet bits and finished with a fresh, bright yogart lemon dressing. A salad that actually improves with age!
Why This Warm-Meets-Cool Salad Works in Winter
Raw salads can feel a little punishing in cold weather. This one doesn’t. Charred broccoli brings depth, warmth, and a whisper of smoke, while the raw vegetables soften just enough from the residual heat to feel supple, not limp. The olive oil from the pan becomes the first layer of dressing, coating everything lightly before the lemony yogurt sauce ties it all together. It’s nourishing, textured, and deeply satisfying — without feeling heavy.
Larder Check / Shopping list:
Broccoli florets, about 4 cups
Olive oil
Spinach
Red bell pepper
Red onion
Carrots
Dried cranberries or raisins
Raw sunflower seeds and or pumpkin seeds
Almonds
Fresh mint (or parsley)
Plain yogurt
Lemon juice
Honey
Ground cumin
Fresh mint or cilantro
Fresh thyme
Salt & pepper
Charred Broccoli Meets Crisp Vegetables
Broccoli loves high heat. Being overly generous with the olive oil is not optional here — fat is how you get flavour, and that irresistible char. Roast or pan-char until deeply golden at the edges and just tender through the stem. The broccoli should be warm, not hot when it hits the bowl. That warmth gently relaxes the spinach, onion, peppers, and carrots, taking off their raw edge while keeping everything crisp and lively.
This is one of the reasons we use spinach, rather than lettuce, in this salad. Spinach will take the heat without ‘weeping’ and releasing a lot of water. Lettuce, not so much. Lettuce has a weaker cell structure, so it breaks down very easily, just with acid, never mind heat. So if you’re going to swap out the spinach in favour of another leafy green, think winter greens. Kale. Bok choy. Turnip greens. Beet greens. Arugula. Even Swiss chard could work.
A Salad You Finish with Your Hands
Sweetness and crunch come last: dried cranberries or raisins, raw seeds, and a handful of chopped nuts. Instead of tossing, gently scramble them into the top of the salad with your hands so they stay evenly distributed instead of sinking. A final scatter of mint or parsley mirrors the dressing and keeps the whole salad bright.
Salad That’s Even Better Tomorrow
This is one of those rare salads that improves overnight. As the vegetables mingle, they soften, sweeten, and become just a little more complex. Dried fruits become swollen, jammy, and deliciously chewy. It’s perfect for make-ahead for lunches or a fridge-purge side that actually gets better with time.
Borrowing Middle-East Flavour
Layering on some punchy middle-eastern flavour at the end really gives that smokey broccoli balance. Lemon, yogurt, cumin and honey are under scored with mint, and a touch of thyme. We’re going for harmony.
I’m using fresh herbs, because fresh sauce: fresh herbs. But it’s okay to use dried here. I would simply start with the dressing first. Or even the day ahead, to give dried herbs the time to hydrate and lift the flavour.
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Charred Broccoli Salad & Lemon Yogurt Dressing
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 to 6 1x
Description
Charred broccoli salad with spinach, crunchy vegetables, seeds, dried fruits and a middle-eastern lemon yogurt dressing that brings everything into harmony. A warm-meets-cool winter salad that’s even better the next day.
Ingredients
- Charred Broccoli Salad
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups raw spinach
- 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds and or pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
- Fresh mint or parsley, one small handful, chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- Lemon Yogurt Dressing
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced (option: finish with the zest)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint or cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425°f (220°c) or heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Toss the broccoli generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for fifteen minutes, turn, roast about 10 – 15 minutes – or pan-char until deeply golden and just tender.
- Make your dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients until smooth and balanced.
- Allow broccoli to cool on the sheet or in a bowl until just warm – not hot.
- Add spinach, red pepper, red onion, and carrots to charred broccoli. Gently toss so the warm olive oil lightly coats and begins to soften the vegetables, without wilting them.
- Add your crunchy and sweet toppings; dried fruits, seeds, and nuts, and ‘scramble’ lightly on the top of the salad with your hands, so they don’t sink to the bottom. Then add fresh mint and lemon zest if you like.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad. Do not toss. Serve extra dressing on the side. If you fully dress this salad it will wilt. So if you know you’re going to have leftovers, or if your prepping for lunch.
Notes
Resist the urge to toss this like a composed, fully dressed salad. It muddies the colour and makes it look pasty. You want all that beautiful colour, because we eat with our eyes first. Tasting good, job one. LOOKING good, job two.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: North American
