Let’s just absolutely butcher a traditional Caesar salad, shall we? Meet my Caesar-ish Kale and Roasted Broccoli Salad with Avocado and Toasted Walnuts.
First, we trade romaine for massaged kale, and croutons for deeply toasted walnuts. The kale allows you to make this Caesar-ish kale salad days ahead with no sacrifice in crunch. I prefer walnuts to croutons only because I’m almost always eating a salad like this with pizza or pasta. I’m all about carbs but also like to diversify my plate.
Next, we add in roasted broccoli and avocado because we love them. The caramelized broccoli florets capture the dressing so each bite is a little Caesar explosion. And everyone knows that all salads are better with avocado, right?
We keep the kicky flavor of raw garlic and just enough anchovy to make the Caesar-ish dressing taste unreal without any hunt of fishiness. And, of course, we keep the parmesan because it’s the king of umami. But, we are lazy about it and use a little mayo in place of the raw egg. No need to think about tricky things like “emulsification.”
How to Eat It
I hope you love this butchered rendition as much as I do.
- Order pizza tonight and serve this Caesar-ish kale salad alongside.
- Make it the center of your meal by
- Topping it with roasted chicken (store-bought is great), crispy tofu, drained and rinsed chickpeas or crispy chickpeas, a fried or jammy egg, or seared or roasted salmon
- Pairing it with farro or with a side of garlic bread.
Make Ahead
This salad can be made several days ahead with no sacrifice in flavor. Hold the avocado to the side so it doesn’t discolor and consider adding the walnuts each time you enjoy it so they don’t lose any of their crunch.
If you do make it, report back here and tag me @whatweeat.nyc on Instagram.
Happy cooking!
xo
CAESAR-ISH KALE AND ROASTED BROCCOLI SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND TOASTED WALNUTS
Salad Ingredients
- 4-5 cups bite-size broccoli florets (equivalent to 1 large or 2 small stalks)
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed and torn into bite size pieces (here is a video tutorial)
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted at 425 for 8-12 minutes until deeply golden and fragrant and chopped (you can add them to the oven while its preheating for the broccoli – check them at 6-8 minutes and use your nose to ensure they aren’t burning)
- 1 avocado, sliced into bite size pieces
- Parmesan hunk for serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Evoo
Dressing Ingredients
- 2 anchovy, rinsed and soaked if salt packed (typically they are oil-packed which doesn’t require soaking)
- 1 fat garlic clove
- 2 tbsp good mayo (Hellman’s girl over here)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lemon and zest of whole lemon
- 1/4 cup very finely grated parm (add 1/2+ cup if its “lighter”)
- Tons of freshly grated black pepper
Method
- Roast Broccoli. Preheat oven to 450. (Toast walnuts while it is preheating if necessary, see above.) Tumble broccoli onto a parchment-lined sheet tray. Drizzle with evoo and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes on the bottom rack until deeply golden on one side. Cool on sheet tray.
- Massage kale. Drizzle the kale with a glug of evoo (scant tbsp) and a small pinch of salt. Get your hands in there and squeeze the salt and evoo into the greens until they go from crisp to slightly relaxed (limp) in your fingers. It will take about a minute. Watch this video tutorial if massaging kale is foreign to you).
- Make vinaigrette. Finely mince the anchovy and garlic together with a small pinch of salt. They should practically be a paste by the time you finish. Swipe into a bowl and whisk in the mayo, mustard, worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, parmesan and tons of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Finish salad: Combine roasted broccoli, massaged kale, all of the dressing, toasted walnuts and avocado in a serving bowl and toss thoroughly. Use a vegetable peeler to peel large strips of parmesan over the top of the Caesar-ish kale salad to finish. Enjoy!
Serves: 4-6 people (or 3 people if at the center of the meal)