The traditional broccoli salad recipe will delight you again and again! To make the ultimate year-round salad, blend broccoli, bacon, red onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and goat cheese with a creamy mayonnaise yogurt dressing.
BROCCOLI SALAD INGREDIENTS
The amazing thing about this salad is how simple it is to modify. So feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking. Here's what I have:
- Broccoli: Raw broccoli florets make up the majority of the salad. Make sure they're in bite-sized bits.
- Red onion: I like chopped red onion, although sliced green onion would also work.
- Bacon: Crispy bacon provides nutrition and a distinct salty taste to the salad.
- Dried Cranberries: I use unsweetened dried cranberries, although raisins or dried cherries would also work.
- Sunflower Seeds: I love sunflower seeds for a little crunch.
- Goat Cheese: A sprinkling of goat cheese provides incredible richness. Nevertheless, crumbled feta or grated cheddar cheese also works well.
BROCCOLI SALAD DRESSING
Broccoli salads typically have a creamy, mayonnaise-based dressing. I don't add any additional sugar to my dressing, but I "increase" the creaminess by blending in a small amount of homemade yogurt. It gives the perfect amount of sweetness and tang
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD
The bacon is the only item that has to be cooked in this salad. The rest is simple to put together! Here's how to do it:
- After cooking the bacon in the oven, wipe it dry with a paper towel.
- While the bacon is frying, chop the broccoli florets and place them in a mixing dish.
- Dice the red onion and combine it with the sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and goat cheese in a mixing dish.
- Once the bacon has been fried and cooled, crumble it into the bowl and combine it all.
- Make the dressing in a second small dish by combining the mayonnaise and yogurt. Then add it to the salad and mix it all together.
STORAGE TIPS
How to Refrigerate
It will keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
How to Freeze
To freeze broccoli, blanch it for two to three minutes in boiling water, then shock it in ice water to stop the cooking process. Rinse and pat dry the broccoli before storing it in an airtight container or freezer bag. Frozen broccoli may be preserved for up to eight months in the freezer.
MORE HEALTHY SALAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Need more quick, wholesome salad recipes? Check out a few of these timeless pieces; people love them for a reason!
- Chicken Salad
- Tuna Salad
- Waldorf Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Greek Salad
- Caprese Salad
CLASSIC BROCCOLI SALAD
Ingredients
BROCCOLI SALAD
- 8 slices bacon
- 5 cups broccoli florets (from 1 large head of broccoli)
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup dried unsweetened cranberries
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
BROCCOLI SALAD DRESSING
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Add the bacon slices to a parchment-lined baking tray and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until crispy. Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to dry and cool.
- Add everything to a bowl. Add the broccoli, red onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and goat cheese to a large mixing bowl. When the bacon is cool to the touch, crumble it on top.
- To make the dressing, add the mayonnaise and yogurt to a small bowl and stir together.
- Pour the dressing on top of the broccoli salad and toss to combine.
TIPS
- Make sure you’ve sliced the broccoli florets into small, bite-sized pieces. It makes it far easier to eat that way.
- If you’re wondering what to do with the broccoli stem, spiralize it! Yes, you can totally spiralize a broccoli stem, just as you would a zucchini. It’s delicious! And while I don’t show you how to spiralize a broccoli stem in my Spiralizer Beginner’s Guide video, you can still get a little inspiration from the video.
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