Broccoli Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Meet your new favorite way to eat broccoli: Broccoli Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas and Toasted Breadcrumbs.

I can’t get over how good this salad is. It’s packed with flavor.

Roasting broccoli already makes it so delicious. I dk what it is about freshly roasted broccoli but it’s gotta be up there as one of my favorite foods.

Then, add in some crispy chickpeas. They add a perfect crunch to the salad.

Toasted breadcrumbs and freshly grated parmesan cheese add even more flavor. I’m telling you – each of these components on their own is delicious, but together, they’re out of this world.

While this isn’t a “traditional” salad, I love that it adds different components and flavors to make it fun and exciting.

It has carbs. It has cheese. Delicious dressing. The whole shebang.

Because it’s okay if food doesn’t look “traditional.” And it’s definitely okay to add anything you can to meals to make them taste good, satisfy you, and keep you feeling full.

Prep ingredients

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare two baking sheets, lining one with parchment paper.

Roughly chop the broccoli. Note if you’d like, you can chop parts of the stem to use as well (just make sure to avoid the rough bottom of the stem).

Roast the broccoli

Add to the baking sheet without parchment paper and drizzle with 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Roast the chickpeas

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dry well, removing the outer layer of the skin that may come off while drying.

Add to the baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Place both baking sheets with the broccoli and chickpeas into the oven for about 20 minutes, tossing both halfway through, until the broccoli is soft and lightly charred and the chickpeas are darker brown and crispy.

Toast the breadcrumbs

While the broccoli and chickpeas are in the oven, prepare the breadcrumbs.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble the salad

Prepare the salad. Add broccoli and chickpeas to a large bowl and toss with dressing.

Add the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan.

Mix

Mix the salad in a bowl or serve on a plate

Toss in dressing

Toss well in Caesar dressing of choice

Serve

Serve for dinner or lunch!

Notes

• Broccoli: If you’d like, you can use the whole broccoli stem – not just the floret. Cut off the tough bottom and peel the tough outer layer. Cut into small (about 1-inch) pieces and roast until soft.
• Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are such a great staple. Make sure to drain and rinse and dry them well before roasting. Note that this recipe only uses about half the chickpeas. You can add more if you’d like, or store them in airtight container at room temperature to snack on.
• Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are best for a slightly thicker texture, but regular will work as well.
• Parmesan cheese: The more, the better IMO 🙂 Freshly grated parmesan cheese is ideal!
• Caesar dressing: Make your own or use your favorite store-bought dressing. Because this recipe already has a few steps, I preferred to keep it easier to with store-bought dressing. Some of my favorites are Marzetti and Brianna’s.
• Make ahead: To make this salad ahead of time, roast the broccoli and parmesan and toast the breadcrumbs. When you’re ready to serve or eat, combine all the ingredients and mix with the dressing. You can also broil the broccoli and chickpeas for a few minutes to make them crispier.
• Storage: Store roasted broccoli and chickpeas, plus toasted breadcrumbs separately before assembling the whole salad in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can eat it cold from the fridge or broil it for a minute or so to crisp it back up. Add extra fresh parmesan before eating!

Course: Lunch, Salad

Broccoli Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas and Toasted Breadcrumbs

4.34 from 3 votes

Sammi Brondo

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients  

• 2 small head broccoli, 2 heads about 4 cups chopped florets
• 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 3 tablespoons Caesar dressing of choice
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare two baking sheets.
• Roughly chop the broccoli florets. Note if you’d like, you can chop parts of the stem to use as well (just make sure to avoid the rough bottom of the stem). Add to a baking sheet and drizzle with 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
• Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dry well, removing the outer layer of the skin that may come off while drying. Add to a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Place both baking sheets with the broccoli and chickpeas into the oven for about 20 minutes, tossing both halfway through, until the broccoli is soft and lightly charred and the chickpeas are darker brown and crispy.
• While the broccoli and chickpeas are in the oven, prepare the breadcrumbs. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Prepare the salad. Add broccoli and about half of the roasted chickpeas to the chickpeas to a large bowl and toss with dressing. Add the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan. Toss well and serve.

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