Broccoli Salad
Servings 8 servings
Calories 436kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnut pieces
- Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Broccoli Salad:
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets stems trimmed and florets separated
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins [optional]
- 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper or one 2 oz jar of pimentos, drained
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped green onions or 1 Tbsp snipped chives
Instructions
- To Toast the Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread chopped pecans on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 6-8 minutes until fragrant, set aside to cool.
- Clean the broccoli and separate the florets into bite-size pieces, removing most of the stem.
- Dressing: In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, granulated sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, granulated garlic, onion powder and black pepper.
- To the bowl add broccoli florets, shredded cheddar cheese, red onion, bacon, raisins (or cranberries), toasted pecans, red bell pepper and green onions.
- Gently toss to evenly coat with the dressing reserving a small amount of bacon and pecans for garnishing. Cover and chill for at least 4-6 hours before serving.
- To Serve: Mix well then pour into a serving dish and garnish with reserved bacon and pecans.
- Store broccoli salad chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Use Raw Broccoli Florets - You can't use frozen broccoli for this recipe nor do you need to steam the broccoli. A through cleaning is all you need to make this fresh broccoli salad. I've never found it necessary to blanch the broccoli prior to assembling with the remaining ingredients.
- Fruit - You can make this broccoli salad with classic raisins, golden raisins or broccoli salad with cranberries. You can also make broccoli salad with sunflower seeds. Either way it's delicious!
- Tomatoes - You can add sliced cherry tomatoes especially in the Summer when fresh produce is in abundance.
- Lower Carb Tips - To make broccoli salad low carb use full fat mayonnaise, perhaps less cheddar cheese and onion and omit the raisins or dried cranberries. For the dressing use an alternative sweetener in place of white sugar. It's fine to use any sweetener to your taste, that you already enjoy.
- Nuts - You can use walnuts or slivered almonds in place of pecans, if preferred. Some broccoli salads are made using sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead of nuts. You can also omit the nuts altogether.
- Cheese - You can use another variety of cheese to suit your personal taste. I highly recommend that you shred your own cheese for the best flavor. You could use mild or medium cheddar or colby jack cheese in the same amount called for in the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 640IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 1mg