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Whether it’s for a backyard barbecue or a church potluck, it’s hard to go wrong with a broccoli salad. We’ve made quite a few different versions over the years, but the recipe we have for you today just might be our new favorite. There are few things that don’t taste good with a creamy peanut sauce and it turns out broccoli is no exception. This Broccoli Peanut Salad is inspired by our favorite Asian flavors and is sure to be a hit with all who try it (dare I say, even the veggie haters!).
The peanut sauce really is the star of the show here, so we had to go with homemade. It comes together with just a handful of ingredients: peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil. The consistency the sauce will vary a bit depending on the type of peanut butter you choose to use. If your sauce is too thick to pour then add one teaspoon or so of hot water at a time until the sauce is thin enough to pour. Sneak a taste at this point and add a little salt or sriracha if you want to kick things up a notch.
We wanted to maintain a good amount of crunch for this salad, so we’ve opted to blanch the broccoli. If you aren’t familiar with blanching it’s quite simple. You’ll want to bring a pot of water to a rolling bowl and then add the broccoli for about 30 seconds. At that point, you’ll transfer the broccoli to a prepared ice bath to immediately stop the cooking process. This technique eliminates a bit of the starchiness and makes the broccoli easy to chow down on, all without losing out on flavor. Toss the blanched broccoli together with the rest of your ingredients and sauce, then dig in!
Peanut Broccoli Salad
Yield(s): Serves 6
15m prep time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 large broccoli crown, chopped
- 1 cup edamame, shelled and cooked
- 4 greens onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, garnish
Peanut Dressing
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoons warm water
Peanut Dressing
- In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the peanut sauce. If the mixture is too thick (this will vary based on your peanut butter), add one teaspoon of warm water at a time until the dressing can easily be poured. Set aside.
Preparation
- To blanch broccoli: Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the chopped broccoli. Cook for 30 seconds then use a slotted spoon to transfer the broccoli to the ice bath. Let cool for 5 minutes, then drain.
- Add the edamame, green onions, and peanuts to the bowl of broccoli. Dress with the peanut sauce and toss until evenly coated.
- Top with sesame seeds and additional peanuts if desired. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Recipe adapted from Gimmesomeoven.com