If you’ve never tried crispy CHEESY roasted broccoli, you’re in for a treat.
Especially when it’s paired with crispy roasted chickpeas, citrus-massaged kale (yeah, we said it), and our 5-minute SMOKY Chipotle Dressing!
Friends, let us show you how easy this 30-minute dish is!
The first step is to roast the broccoli and chickpeas on a large baking sheet.
The broccoli is seasoned with avocado oil, salt, and pepper, then topped with nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor!
Chickpeas get coated in avocado oil, salt, and a blend of smoky spices (cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder). Next, into the oven they go for about 20 minutes or until crispy and browned!
While the chickpeas and broccoli are cooking, the kale is massaged with lime juice, sea salt, chili powder, and maple syrup. This helps it soften and infuses it with flavor.
Then you’re ready for assembly! The roasted chickpeas and broccoli are added to the massaged kale along with carrots for sweetness, avocado for richness, and sunflower seeds for a little crunch.
For dressing, you can choose either our 5-Minute Smoky Chipotle Dressing or Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing. Both are delicious, but we especially love the smokiness of the chipotle with this salad!
We hope you LOVE this kale salad! It’s:
Cheesy
Crunchy
Flavorful
Fresh
Smoky
Customizable
Hearty
& Satisfying!
It’s delicious as a standalone meal. Or, for more protein, top with smoky tempeh, black bean falafel, or chicken. We also think it would pair well with our Smoky Grilled Eggplant.
More Kale Salad Recipes
- Easy Massaged Kale Salad (15 Minutes!)
- Abundance Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing
- 20-Minute Asian Kale Salad
- Curry-Roasted Vegetable & Lentil Kale Salad
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Cheesy Roasted Broccoli & Chickpea Kale Salad
Ingredients
BROCCOLI
- 1 large head broccoli, chopped into medium florets (~3 heaping cups)
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
CHICKPEAS
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder (chili powder should contain a blend of spices, such as chili powder, oregano, cumin, and garlic)
GREENS
- 1 large bundle curly or dinosaur kale, chopped (large bottom stalks removed)
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 healthy pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (chili powder should contain a blend of spices, such as chili powder, oregano, cumin, and garlic)
- 1 tsp maple syrup
THE REST
- 1 cup shredded carrots (~2 carrots)
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup roasted or raw sunflower seeds (or sub other nut or seed)
DRESSING (choose one)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the broccoli and drizzle with oil and top with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Toss to combine and move to one side of the baking sheet.
- Add the rinsed, dried chickpeas to a mixing bowl and top with oil, salt, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Toss to combine (they should be very well coated). Then add to the other side of the baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until broccoli and chickpeas are browned.
- In the meantime, add chopped kale to a serving bowl and top with lime, salt, chili powder, and maple syrup (trust us — we know it sounds weird). Massage for 1-2 minutes to infuse the spices and acidity into the greens. This paired with sweetness from the maple syrup makes the kale irresistible!
- Next, prep carrots and dressing of choice. We highly recommend the smoky chipotle dressing, but both options are delicious! Set aside.
- To assemble salad, top the kale with the shredded carrots, roasted broccoli and chickpeas, sliced avocado, and sunflower seeds. Toss with dressing or serve on the side.
- Best when fresh but leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days (dressings will keep 4-5 days stored separately). No freezer friendly.
Molly says
So yummy! I added cherry tomatoes and loved this dish.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yum, that addition sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Molly! xo
Donna F says
This salad is fantastic! I made it with the chipotle dressing which I look forward to using with other salads/bowls. I anticipate this salad wiill make it into our regular rotation.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Donna! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Michelle says
Made this tonight and it is absolutely delicious! Definitely making it again.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thank you for the lovely review, Michelle! xo
Kaelyn says
This is beyond delicious. I’m obsessed and will be making very often!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thanks, Kaelyn!
Maggie says
I’ve made this like once a week for the last 6 months! I love it!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
AMAZING! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Maggie! Thank you for sharing! xo
Jean says
So many flavours! Now and I know what to do with this huge bed of kale that my husband has grown…massage it.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yes! Love that! Thank you for sharing, Jean! xo
Jean says
Oh, I should also mention that I used butter beans instead of chickpeas and they were really fun. Yes; a big, fat, white bean was ‘fun’.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Haha, we get it! Thanks for sharing, Jean!
Nina says
Wow, this was one of the BEST kale salad recipes I’ve ever tried! The kale was amazingly tasty (as was everything else). For the sauce I subbed the cashew butter for almond and the adobo for chili powder – so good!! I will definitely be making this often!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Nina! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Erin says
Had a week of eating junk after a party we hosted and had too many leftovers. I desperately needed something green and delicious. This fit perfectly! I subbed almond butter for cashew butter in the dressing and upped the lime juice but this was a perfect meal and great for leftovers for 3 days. So good!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Aw, we’re so glad it hit the spot! Thank you for sharing, Erin!
Ashley says
Love this recipe! We make it often. I double the chickpeas to add a little more oomph. The recipe, with doubled chickpeas, makes enough for dinner for two adults with about a cup of leftover chickpeas (not 4 servings).
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing, Ashley!
Yana says
Delicious! Didn’t have adobo sauce for the dressing so substituted chili powder and still tasted amazing. The massaged kale was a game changer! Will definitely be making this on the regular!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Yana! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Amy says
Really loved this salad. Never liked raw kale but massaging it is genius! Completely transforms it. Love the nutritional yeast flavor. Would love a recipe/ratios to make my own chili powder (in Australia, can only fine plain chili powder, not mixed with garlic, oregano and cumin etc)
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Amy! Thanks for the lovely review and chili powder suggestion- we’ll add it our ideas list.
Rosalia Agioutanti says
This recipe tastes SO GOOD! I combined it with the Ginger Miso dressing and it came out like a dream! Thank you Minimalist Baker for bringing such healthy and tasty recipes into our lives!! <3
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Rosalia!
Jennifer says
This is so good I’ve had it twice in one week. Holy moly!!
Didn’t make the dressing as I didn’t have cashew butter but honestly didn’t even need it! I’m not a fan of sauces anyway but if you are I bet it’s fab too.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Ashley says
OMG!! This is salad just made my week, ya’ll! I set a goal to up my vegetable intake this week and the thought of eating heaps of raw veggies made me slightly miserable. But this salad has turned my frown upside down. I didn’t have the ingredients to make a dressing so used one I had on hand and it was still divine. I will be making this one regularly. Thanks again, Minimalist Baker, for a fantastic recipe!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ashley! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
CA says
I just made this delicious salad! I did not have everything on hand so I substituted… spinach for kale, parmesan for nutritional yeast, with the smoky chipotle dressing, using cashew dip instead of cashew butter. YUM! Such a great balance of flavor. Thank you for sharing delish recipes.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Zoe says
Just made this and it was sooo yummy. I added some heirloom tomatoes that I had on hand and didn’t want to go bad, which went with well everything. Thanks!!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Love the addition, Zoe! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Sinead Hartwick says
I made this tonight! Such a hearty and delicious salad. I doubled the chickpeas for extra protein. I am making an effort to eat more salads, and this one left me totally satisfied and full after dinner. The cashew dressing was amazing!!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sinead! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Camille Rancourt says
Delicious!!! All these ingredients blended so well together and the chipotle dressing made it even better
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing, Camille! xo
Jo says
So enjoyed this recipe! Fabulous flavours and great mix of textures too. Made the ginger miso dressing which was so good I just wanted to eat the whole lot with a spoon (but managed to refrain). Used half peanut butter and half tahini in the dressing. Loved it all. Will be making regularly. Great success. Thank you!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jo! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jess says
This was so delicious- packed with flavor! I made it with the smoky chipotle dressing-amazing. The salad was even better on day 2.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Carlie Roessle says
Amazing salad so delicious
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Carlie!
elisabeth says
Sooooooo good. Probably addictive.
elisabeth says
Also, I thought it was even BETTER the second day.
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
xo! Thanks, Elisabeth!
Alexandra Moody says
Made this dish recipe last night and the family really enjoyed it.
Easy to make as we had all the ingredients at home already. We took the advice and had the chipotle dressing. Yummy.
I’ll definitely be making this again and using the dressing for other salads or as a dip.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Alexandra! Thanks so much for sharing!
Alma says
OMG! This was absolutely FANTASTIC!!! I LOVED this!! I didn’t have cashew butter or carrots but used almond butter – WOW! I will also have the carrots next time… The Chipotle dressing was the BOMB! I too, went back for seconds! – lol! I will be using this dressing for my regular salads!
This is such a unique recipe I will be making it again! Thank you, Thank you!!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Alma!
Christine DeVries says
Awesome salad!!! It’s going to be in the weekly rotation!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Christine! xo
Anne says
This is fantastic! My only issue is that I can’t stop eating it! I do like it better without the maple syrup in the kale, the second time I made it I just used olive oil, salt, lemon and nooch on the kale, but that’s just a taste preference. I didn’t have all the items for either of the dressings, so I just made a simple tahini dressing and it was still delicious. This will become a new favorite.
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it.
Danielle says
The most delicious bowl I’ve had in a long time! All of the flavors and textures were incredible together. Only change I made was swapping cashew butter for tahini in the dressing and it was delicious! Thanks for a simple yet amazing recipe!
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Danielle! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jen says
Absolutely DELISH! I’m on the Radical Metabolism eating plan right now and only had to make 2 small substitutions. I eliminated the nutritional yeast and added grated parmesan to the finished salad. And on the Garlic Miso Tahinini Dressing I sub’d Lankanto Maple syrup. So YUMMY! Can’t wait to make it again!
Timing on Recipe was correct too, about 45 minutes for me.
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jen! Thanks so much for sharing!
Bailey Fischer-Columbo says
Tasty, dynamic salad that is very easy to make! Will definitely make again.
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
xoxo!
Sarah says
Phenomenal! All my favourite things so I had everything on hand to make. I was nearing full but went back for seconds. I will be sharing this and making again!! Thank you 😊
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Vivian Walz says
I have been enjoying your recipes for years and in addition to your cookbook like to print recipes. The new print font doesn’t work as well for me — it takes too much paper and is hard to keep in a binder.
But the content is top-notch! My family loves it when I make your recipes.
Thanks!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks for the feedback, Vivian! We will look into it! xo
Gutopia says
Had this for lunch today. The wife and I loved it! Our avodcado wasn’t ripe so we went without, but I’m sure it would add a lot.
Excellent recipe!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
xo! Thanks for sharing!
Karen Bittinger says
I happen to have everything to make this tonight. WOW, delicious delicious!! Only thing I did different is put my Kale in my food processor. We find that finely chopped Kale is yummy. You can use more of the Kale (stems and green) and it’s easy to eat. I didn’t have Avocado oil so Olive oil worked fine. Will definitely make this again. Thank You, we enjoy A LOT of your recipes!!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
So great! Thanks for sharing, Karen!
Naomi says
Loved this and the interesting flavor combinations. Made with the black bean falafel as suggested. Didn’t think I’d ever see my 8 year old go for seconds of kale. (The maple syrup may have come in handy there ;-)
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Whoop! Yes, the magic is in the dressing :D Try this one next! It’s, dare I say, addictive?
Naomi says
Perfect! House is full of kale coming in from CSA now.
Terri says
This was really delicious but I had to make some changes just because of ingredients I was missing. I made the broccoli and chick peas according to the instructions. Delish!
I didn’t have any Kale so made brown rice and mixed in the cashew butter dressing as well as the shredded carrots and roasted pepitas.
I will make this again and will try it with the kale too
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Terri!
Lauren says
Loved this recipe! So easy and tasty, went down well with my omni family (served with halloumi). Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow :)
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Whoop! Thanks, Lauren!
Lauren Vaught says
Made this tonight and used frozen broccoli, and added snap peas. This was an easy and lovely recipe full of flavor. Thank you!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
SMART. Thanks, Lauren!
Natalie says
So good! I made this for lunch today. I didn’t have kale so I used a spring mix lettuce blend and it was so delicious!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
xoxo!
john duignan says
Hello Minimalist Baker
I love your site and the beautiful presentations you make . I wonder would it be possible for those who are watching their lipid intake ( just getting on in years or high cardiovascular risk ) to do a low fat version of your salads too. Based on the fat in this lovely salad , I make it to be 59% of total calories – even if much of it the healthier polyunsaturated kind. Easing back on nuts and avocado and removing the oil will work wonders and I am going to try that version but it would be worthwhile flagging this OR also trying the lower fat version too . With sincere good wishes and thanks for all your delicious ideas John
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi John! Great question. On this one in particular, I’d say water down the dressing so it’s thinner, and omit (or cut way down on) oil when cooking the chickpeas and broccoli. Also omit sunflower seeds. Hope that helps!
Michelle says
I made this last night and it is fantastic. I didn’t have kale so used a combination of beet greens and arugula. So very good and so easy. Once again Dana you nailed it
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thanks, Michelle!
Lizzie says
Made this recipe substituting cauliflower for broccoli. Super flavorful and filling! Loved it and would recommend
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thanks, Lizzie!
Holly says
This was so good! Made the salad for lunch today. My only subs were frozen green beans instead of broccoli and I used tahini for the chipotle dressing. I also left out the maple syrup in the kale and added extra lime juice. Super delicious combo of flavors and very filling. Thank you Dana!
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Holly!