Nutty tahini, tangy lemon, crunchy pistachios, and little pops of pomegranate combine with slow-roasted broccoli to create an excellent Roasted Broccoli Salad that is sure to become a staple in your household.
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We eat a lot of roasted broccoli in my house. I love the way the edges on the florets get browned and a little crispy, and I may or may not have gleefully eaten a large bowl of broccoli for dinner on more than one occasion. Though it is great on its own with just some olive oil, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon, I wanted to kick it up a notch.
Enter the Roasted Broccoli Salad with Tahini, Pomegranate, and Pistachios, which has become a regular staple in our weekly menu plan. It is extremely easy to make, includes some of my favorite ingredients, and is a great side dish to roasted chicken breasts or seared pork chops.
The super star of this recipe is, of course, the roasted broccoli. Tossed simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper, the little florets spend a bit of time in the oven. Here, I am sure, there is some sorcery or magic that happens. If you claim to not like broccoli, but have only had it raw, blanched, or steamed to mush… try roasting it. (This applies to almost any vegetable, actually.)
The cardinal rule of roasting, whether it be broccoli, potatoes, or meats, is to make sure everything has enough room. If your food is too crowded, it will just kind of steam and turn to mush… not what you want here. Adding these half sheet pans to my kitchen tool arsenal was a total game changer. I purchased mine on Amazon, but kitchen supply stores (or even Costco!) should have them, too.
The same magic happens to thick lemon slices. The edges caramelize a bit, the juice concentrates, and the resulting dressing is incredible. The lemon I had on hand was pretty large, so I made 4 thick slices. A smaller lemon could just be cut in half or thirds — use your best judgement. This salad is best warm-ish or at room temperature, so let the broccoli cool for about 10 minutes after removing the pan from the oven. This also lets the lemon cool, so you can handle it safely to make the dressing.
I’m not sure why, but tahini defies the laws of physics. (No really! It does!) Adding lemon juice and olive oil to an already fluid substance somehow makes it… thicken? I’m sure there’s a perfectly plausible and scientifically sound explanation for this, but I’ll just continue to believe that it is magic until someone tells me otherwise. To make this dressing work, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to get to your desired consistency. Remember to season to taste!
Ingredients
- 1 lb broccoli florets chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 6 cups)
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 3 tablespoons pistachios
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roast the broccoli
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Toss the broccoli florets and lemon slices with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer on the lined sheet tray.
- Roast the broccoli and lemon for 30 minutes, stirring once at about the 15 minute mark. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Make the dressing and assemble the salad
- In a small bowl, combine the tahini, the remaining olive oil, and about 1 tablespoon of juice from the roasted lemon.
- Whisk together until thoroughly combined, then add 1-2 tablespoons of warm water (a little bit at a time!) to achieve your desired consistency.
- Place the roasted broccoli in a large bowl, then pour the dressing in, stirring to combine. Add the pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Toss together, test a bite, and season to taste.
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