Description
Creamy and crunchy broccoli salad with bacon elevates classic side dishes to a mouthwatering experience. Fresh ingredients and zesty dressing create a perfect balance that keeps you coming back for more delicious bites.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 4 cups (960 milliliters) fresh broccoli florets
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 3/4 cup (112 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Supplemental Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) sunflower seeds
Dressing Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Trim fresh broccoli florets into uniform, bite-sized clusters, ensuring crisp texture and easy consumption.
- Render bacon in a skillet until golden and perfectly crisp, then crumble into rustic fragments.
- Mince red onion into delicate, translucent slivers to distribute subtle sharp flavor throughout the salad.
- Whisk creamy mayonnaise with tangy apple cider vinegar and sweet granulated sugar until smooth and well-integrated.
- Layer prepared ingredients in a spacious mixing vessel: verdant broccoli, pungent onion, sharp cheddar cheese, jewel-like dried cranberries, and crunchy sunflower seeds.
- Generously drizzle prepared dressing over assembled ingredients, gently folding to ensure comprehensive and even coating.
- Allow salad to marinate in refrigerator for minimum 60 minutes, enabling flavors to meld and intensify, creating a harmonious taste profile.
- Before serving, give salad a final gentle toss to redistribute dressing and reinvigorate ingredient textures.
Notes
- Choose fresh, crisp broccoli with tight, green florets for the best texture and flavor in your salad.
- Crisp the bacon in a skillet or oven for maximum crunchiness, ensuring it’s not too greasy or limp.
- Balance the sweetness by adjusting the sugar in the dressing, using honey or a sugar substitute for healthier options.
- Make this salad vegetarian by replacing bacon with roasted nuts or tempeh for a protein-packed alternative.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 330
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 25mg