Grilled Broccolini Salad With Basil-Walnut Vinaigrette
Caroline Wright
Photo by Ty Mecham. Food Stylist: Amelia Rampe. Prop Stylist: Amanda Widis.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep Time
- 5 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 Minutes
This warm salad is the perfect side dish, a favorite in our house alongside simply grilled salmon seasoned with salt and pepper; I just add the protein to the grill next to the grill basket in the last 10 minutes or so of cooking. If you don't want to grill right now or don't own a grill pan to do so indoors, feel free to roast your broccolini in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until charred at the edges and cooked through, but still crunchy.
The real star, anyway, is the basil-walnut vinaigrette. Favorite ways to eat this vinaigrette in our house include: as a sauce for broccoli (the OG use!), an amazing dressing for a caprese or any other salad, a spread for sandwiches, spooned onto a vegetable soup, spooned over eggs at breakfast, or just generally by the spoonful.
Ingredients
Broccolini salad
- 2 bunch broccolini, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 small red or green cabbage, cored (about 8 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (about 8 ounces)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup Basil-Walnut Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Basil-walnut vinaigrette
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil (I use a mixture of olive and avocado, but all of either would be fine)
Featured Video
Grilled Broccolini Salad With Basil-Walnut Vinaigrette
Directions
Broccolini salad
- Step 1
Heat grill to medium (about 350°F) with a grill basket resting on grates. Cut cabbage lengthwise into 1-inch wedges; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Combine broccolini, cabbage, and walnuts in a medium bowl; toss with olive oil and generous pinches of salt and pepper until well-coated.
- Step 2
Add salad ingredients to grill basket; cover grill and lower temperature to medium-low. Grill, covered, until vegetables are slightly charred around edges but crisp and nuts are a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. Return cooked vegetables to bowl.
- Step 3
Drizzle salad with vinaigrette and serve warm.
Basil-walnut vinaigrette
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Scatter walnuts over a baking tray in a single layer and toast, tossing once, until fragrant and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- Step 2
Combine walnuts, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper and about 1/4 cup oil in a blender jar; blend until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in remaining olive oil. Scrape dressing into a jar or other airtight container and store, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks. (It will become solid when refrigerated.) To loosen dressing, set it out at room temperature for a few hours or place sealed jar in a mug of hot water for 10 minutes.