Skip to main content

Broccoli-Quinoa Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

4.3

(7)

Image may contain Plant Cabbage Food Vegetable Kale and Produce
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott

If you're ever cornered by a bland bowl of vegetables or whole grains, throw a handful of herbs on it. They instantly make the meal more beautiful and flavorful—without adding any salt, fat, or sugar.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

Buttermilk dressing

¾ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (or more) fine sea salt

Salad

1 shallot, finely chopped
2 small heads of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
Kosher salt
1 cup white, red, or black quinoa
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
¼ cup coarsely chopped tarragon
¼ cup coarsely chopped pistachios

Preparation

  1. Buttermilk Dressing

    Step 1

    Whisk buttermilk, olive oil, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, rice vinegar, pepper, and 1 tsp. sea salt in a medium bowl. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

    Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.

  2. Salad

    Step 2

    Stir together shallot and 2 Tbsp. buttermilk dressing in a small bowl and set aside.

    Step 3

    Cook broccoli in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain and place on a kitchen towel–lined baking sheet.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, return water in pot to a boil and cook quinoa until slightly al dente, about 12 minutes; drain. Toss quinoa and 2 Tbsp. buttermilk dressing in a large bowl to coat; season with salt. Let cool.

    Step 5

    Add dressed shallot, broccoli, parsley, tarragon, pistachios, and 2 Tbsp. buttermilk dressing to quinoa and toss to combine. Season with more salt if needed.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 380 Fat (g) 22 Saturated Fat (g) 3.5 Cholesterol (mg) 5 Carbohydrates (g) 37 Dietary Fiber (g) 6 Total Sugars (g) 6 Protein (g) 11 Sodium (mg) 660
Read More
Stable enough to last days in the fridge (and hearty enough to sate a breastfeeding mom).
This dinner salad combines decadent burrata cheese with a spicy tahini dressing that clings to every crinkly leaf of Napa cabbage.
This vegetarian bowl is as colorful as it is hearty: brown rice and quinoa, roasted tofu and broccolini, avocado, cabbage slaw, and a turmeric-spiked dressing.
A flavorful one-pan meal featuring baked pierogies, roasted beets, and a poppy seed dressing. Frozen pierogies and pre-cooked beets make this extra easy.
Roasty, bright, sweet, and pickly, this sheet pan salad—a vegetarian main OR ample side dish—checks all the flavor boxes.
Charred chicken breasts coated in a tangy dry rub sit atop a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumber, and onions.
Cooking risotto in a rice cooker makes quick work of the famously fussy recipe. And this hands-off version is as creamy and comforting as any stovetop version.
This weeknight-friendly chicken dinner—made with pomegranate molasses and a toasted walnut relish—is inspired by the flavors of Persian fesenjan.