You can serve broccoli salad as a main dish or as a side dish. 1) As a side dish broccoli salad works perfectly with grains, legumes, and tofu. You can cook any grains you like (quinoa, bulgur, couscous, rice) and serve it with broccoli salad. Fry some tofu and serve it with broccoli salad. 2) As a main dish. Broccoli salad can be served as a main dish. It contains croutons and a lot of vegetables. This makes it very filling.