Broccoli and White Bean Caesar

Name: Broccoli and White Bean Caesar
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian American Inspired
Ingredients: 2 broccoli crowns (about 1½ pounds); ½ baguette; 3 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini, drained and shaken dry; ½ cup avocado or olive oil; Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving; ¼ cup grated Parmesan, divided; 4 anchovies packed in oil; 1 medium lemon; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

By Kristina Felix

Published March 17, 2026

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

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Ready In: 30 min
Rating: (0)
Comments: Read comments

With components of both panzanella and Caesar salad, this meal gets extra heft from charred broccoli and a couple cans of white beans. The beans do double duty here: Some of them get smashed into a creamy, lemony, and anchovy-rich Caesar dressing, made right in the serving bowl, while others are tossed with broccoli and bread cubes that roast together in the oven until golden, charred and crunchy. This is a salad for people who think they don’t like salads.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2 broccoli crowns (about 1½ pounds)
½ baguette
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini, drained and shaken dry
½ cup avocado or olive oil
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving
¼ cup grated Parmesan, divided
4 anchovies packed in oil
1 medium lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 425 degrees.
Step 2
While the oven heats, cut the broccoli crowns into spears by cutting through the large stem lengthwise and through each floret so at least one side of the floret is flat. Place them in a large salad bowl as you go, along with any bits that might fall from the broccoli.
Step 3
Crush one of the garlic cloves with the side of your knife and rub it all over the outside of the baguette, then roughly chop the garlic clove and place it in the bowl. Tear the baguette into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Toss with ¼ cup oil, 1½ teaspoons salt, the crushed red pepper and half of the Parmesan, until the broccoli is evenly coated.
Step 4
Divide the contents of the bowl between two sheet pans, making sure to get all the bits, and distribute ingredients evenly in one layer (set the bowl aside for making the dressing). Roast until the broccoli is charred and the bread is very crispy, 12 to 16 minutes, swapping the positions of the pans on the racks and rotating each pan halfway through.
Step 5
While the broccoli roasts, make your dressing. On a cutting board, crush the remaining garlic cloves with the side of your knife and sprinkle them with ½ teaspoon salt. Stack the anchovies on top and chop the garlic and anchovies together until you make a paste. Scrape the paste into the large bowl. Zest the lemon into the bowl, then cut it in half and juice it through your hands to catch any seeds.
Step 6
Add the mustard to the bowl and whisk in the remaining ¼ cup oil vigorously until the dressing turns creamy, about 2 minutes. Add half of the beans to the bowl and mash them into the dressing. Taste for salt.
Step 7
When the vegetables come out of the oven, scrape them into the bowl, making sure to get any crunchy Parmesan bits, add the remaining Parmesan and beans, and toss everything until well combined. Taste for salt. Serve in shallow bowls with more crushed red pepper, if desired.