Have a family picnic or a potluck that you need to bring the perfect quick side dish too. Broccoli Cheddar Bacon Salad is the answer. This salad makes all of those other broccoli salads, and potato salads seem sad in comparison. This broccoli salad is packed with bacon, cheese and cranberries. Together mixed with the tang of the sauce its sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients for Dressing:
- 1 1/4 cups Miracle Whip OR mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Broccoli Cheddar Bacon Salad is so simple just mix together all of the ingredients for this dressing together. I personally prefer to use miracle whip in this recipe but mayonnaise will have a very similar effect. The only real difference between mayo and miracle whip is the seasoning and the level of sweetness. Mayonnaise is richer in flavour due to the use of egg and olive oil.
Ingredients for Salad:
- 10-11 strips bacon, cooked
- 2 heads broccoli, about 1 and 1/2 pounds or 5-6 cups
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
- 1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion, or more to taste
Tips & Tricks:
- Bacon: Use scissors to cut your bacon up into small pieces its a lot easier than a knife. If you are planning on making this salad in advance wait to put the bacon in so that it doesn’t get soggy.
- Broccoli: Cut the broccoli into small enough pieces to easily bite.
- Broccoli Stalks: To eliminate waste use a peeler and remove the tough skin. The chop the stalk into same pieces and add it to the mix.
- Sauce: Add the sauce slowly until the ingredients are evenly coated. Don’t keep adding sauce because it will sink to the bottom and make it soggy.
- Storage: This salad is best eaten the day it is made. But can be stored for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Broccoli Cheddar Bacon Salad
Course: Quick Recipes, SaladCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasyKeep the screen of your device on
8
servings20
minutes300
kcal20
minutesIngredients
10-11 strips bacon, cooked
2 heads broccoli, about 1 and 1/2 pounds or 5-6 cups
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup chopped red onion, or more to taste
- Dressing
1 & 1/4 cups Miracle Whip OR mayonnaise
1 lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
- Begin by cooking your bacon so that it can fully cool before assembling the salad. Cook 10-11 slices of bacon to your desired level of crispness, then set aside on paper towels to cool. Once cool, chop into bite size pieces (I like to cut the bacon with a pair of scissors).
- While the bacon cooks, mix together the ingredients for the dressing. In a large bowl add Miracle Whip, the zest from 1 lemon, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, sugar, 1 and salt, black pepper, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
- In a separate bowl add the ingredients for the salad. Start by chopping your broccoli into bite size pieces. I like really small florets, so you don’t get any bites that are just giant broccoli. You can even save the stems, peel them, chop them up, and add them into the salad.
- Add all the broccoli to the large bowl. Add cranberries, sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese, and chopped red onion. Add in most of the bacon, reserving some to sprinkle on top for serving.
- Stir it all together. This salad can be served room temperature or chilled. If you chill it first, let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge! This salad will keep for about 5 days.
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