Broccoli Salad

Imagine a robust salad that’s simultaneously colorful, crisp, creamy, salty, and sweet. That’s what this dish delivers – a glorious commingling of fresh broccoli, smoky bacon, chewy-sweet cranberries, and crunchy sunflower seeds – all bathed in a tangy, mayonnaise-based dressing.

This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.

Classic broccoli salad is welcome anywhere. There’s no season when broccoli salad is shunned. It’s just as welcome at a summer picnic as it is a fall tailgate, neighborhood potluck, and festive holiday table. And since broccoli salad is best when made in advance, it’s the perfect dish for a busy schedule.

Easy to make but show-stopping every time. Broccoli salad requires no fancy ingredients, or lengthy prep work. In fact, there’s no cooking involved! You’re just 8 ingredients away from a lively, full-bodied salad your friends and family will adore.

A few tips

• Cut your broccoli into small pieces. This not only ensures that every inch gets coated with the creamy dressing, but you’re also guaranteed to get a little bit of every ingredient in one bite!
• Wash and drain your broccoli florets in advance. The broccoli for this salad doesn’t need to be cooked, but it does need to be rinsed well to remove any dirt (and potential critters). I suggest immersing your fresh florets in a large bowl of cold water, then lift the florets from the water with your hands, leaving the dirt in the bottom of the bowl. Transfer the florets to a colander or salad spinner and thoroughly dry to ensure you don’t dilute the dressing. Note: You can use pre-cut florets for this salad, but I find the cut ends are often dried out. I suggest using fresh broccoli heads or crowns.
• Use real bacon. Crispy bacon adds a salty-smoky quality to this salad, which partners beautifully with the sweet cranberries. I strongly suggest you use real bacon, not imitation bits. Pro tip: Speed up cooking time and avoid a greasy cooktop by roasting your bacon. To roast your bacon, spread the strips out on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until crisp. Drain on paper towels before chopping.
• Red onion is classic, but you can use green onions. Both red and green onions (scallions) add a wonderful, sweet onion flavor. Green onions will also add a fresh, grassy note.
• Cranberries are traditional in this salad, but you can use raisins. Both dark and golden raisins will work in this recipe so use them instead of cranberries if desired.
• Sunflower seeds add great crunch, but you can swap in nuts. Great options include chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts. Pro tip: Toast the nuts in a dry skillet before adding them to the salad; toasted nuts add much more flavor than raw.
• Use your favorite mayonnaise. I prefer an olive-oil based dressing for this salad, but feel free to use your favorite mayonnaise variety, including Miracle Whip.

• Shed a few calories and fat grams by replacing some mayo with Greek yogurt. Let me be clear, broccoli salad is not considered diet food, especially because we add a copious amount of bacon. That said, you can make the salad healthier by replacing half of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt and by eliminating half or all the bacon.
• Add extra vegetables if desired. Adding vegetables to broccoli salad is a great way to stretch the salad while adding varying flavors and textures. Great options include chopped carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, celery, and bell peppers.
• Allow your salad to marinate for at least 3 hours. This gives the ingredients time to marry and evolve, while giving the broccoli a chance to soak up the dressing.
• Save leftovers. The great thing about broccoli salad is that it lasts (assuming you have leftovers)! Store leftover broccoli salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Broccoli Salad

Robin Miller

A glorious commingling of fresh broccoli, smoky bacon, chewy-sweet cranberries, and crunchy sunflower seeds – all bathed in a tangy, mayonnaise-based dressing.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Ingredients

 

½x1x2x

• 8 cups broccoli florets, about 3 pounds of broccoli crowns, or 3 to 4 heads of broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup chopped cooked bacon
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, salted or unsalted
• 1/3 cup diced red onion

For the Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, combine broccoli, bacon, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and red onion,. Toss to combine. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the dressing to the broccoli mixture and toss to coat.
• Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Suggestion: Stir the salad and season to taste with salt and black pepper before serving.

Calories: 432kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 405mg, Potassium: 423mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 600IU, Vitamin C: 82mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1mg

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