This broccolini salad is packed with flavor! It pairs the unique vegetable with mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and a tangy vinaigrette dressing.

Broccolini salad

If you’re a broccolini lover, hold onto your hats. Here’s the recipe for you! Meet this epic broccolini salad. It stars those sweet, tender elegant florets that look so much fancier than regular old broccoli. Pair that with baby bella mushrooms, red onion, and the punch of fresh dill, and cover it all in a tangy vinaigrette dressing. Wow, is this good! It’s so unique and a total crowd pleaser. It’s lightly based on a salad we had in Spain a few moons ago…and we’re truly over the moon for it. Here’s what to know about this salad!

What is broccolini, exactly?

Before we start, let’s talk about broccolini. It looks like a baby version of broccoli, but this veggie is not quite that. And it’s got a history that might surprise you! Here’s what to know about broccolini:

  • Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It has both the long stems of Chinese broccoli and the florets of broccoli, and has a milder flavor than broccoli.
  • Broccolini was invented in 1993! Wait, what? We would have guessed it was an ingredient Italian grandmothers cook with. Nope, it’s not even 20 years old.
  • How to find it: It’s not available at all grocery stores, but it’s becoming easier to find. Look for the small bunches of broccoli with long stems.

More ways to prepare this veggie? Try Roasted Broccolini or Grilled Broccolini.

Broccolini salad

Ingredients in broccolini salad

This easy broccolini salad tastes like more than the sum of its parts. It’s got just a few fresh ingredients, and the rest you can probably dig out of your pantry. Here’s what you need:

  • Broccolini: 3 bunches, to be exact. Bunches can vary in size, but they’re typically quite small (about 8 ounces each)
  • Red onion
  • Baby bella mushrooms (aka cremini): the mushrooms are raw in this salad, which brings a delightful texture contrast to the crunchy broccolini
  • Fresh dill: you can substitute another herb like oregano in a pinch, but dill adds just the right flavor (or see these other dill substitutes)
  • Parmesan cheese: you can omit for vegan, but it adds a great savory note
  • White wine vinegar
  • Dijon mustard
  • Maple syrup or sugar: either works, use maple for a naturally sweet dressing
  • Olive oil & salt
Broccolini

Tastes best fresh!

This healthy broccolini salad has the best flavor when it’s freshly made. However, you can store leftovers refrigerated. Unlike this broccoli salad, the flavors don’t intensify over time: they actually dull a bit. So if you do have leftovers, revive them by adding a pinch of salt or a splash of white wine vinegar.

Summer salads

More great salads to pair

There’s nothing better than a few salads to make a summer salad dinner! We served this broccolini salad with a sampling of other salads with the best produce summer has to offer. If you do make it a meal, we recommend incorporating a protein element with a bean salad or black eyed pea salad. Try some of these zesty recipes:

How to make broccolini salad

This broccolini salad recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the Parmesan cheese.

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Broccolini salad

Simple Broccolini Salad


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 18 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

This broccolini salad is packed with flavor! It pairs the unique vegetable with mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and a tangy vinaigrette dressing. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 pounds or 3 bunches broccolini
  • 1/4 small red onion, sliced into slivers
  • 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms (aka cremini)
  • 1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large sprigs fresh dill
  • ¼ cup Parmesan shavings
  • Lemon zest, optional

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Chop the broccolini into florets, keeping the stems long. 
  2. When the water is boiling, add the broccolini and cook it for 2 minutes. Remove it from the water with tongs and place it in an ice bath for a minute or so until cool. Pat the florets dry. 
  3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the red onion into slivers (you may want to rinse or let it soak in water ot remove some of the bite, then shake it dry). Thinly slice the mushrooms.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup or sugar, and kosher salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time. 
  5. In a large bowl, mix together the broccolini, red onion, raw mushrooms, dill sprigs, Parmesan shavings, and vinaigrette dressing. If desired, garnish with lemon zest. Serve immediately. The flavor is best fresh, but you can store leftovers refrigerated. (You may need to add a bit of salt or a splash of white wine vinegar to revive the flavors after refrigerating.)
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Raw
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Broccolini salad

More broccolini and broccoli recipes

Here’s another broccolini recipe, plus a few more broccoli recipes to enjoy this healthy family of vegetables:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

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