Description
Creamy, crunchy broccoli salad delights taste buds with its perfect blend of textures and tangy dressing. Crisp vegetables and smoky bacon create a summer side dish that brings zesty freshness to your plate.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 8 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup bacon bits
Flavor Enhancers:
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Crunch and Texture:
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Chop broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces, ensuring uniform size for consistent texture and even flavor absorption.
- Finely dice red onion to provide sharp, pungent undertones without overwhelming the salad’s delicate balance.
- Crisp and crumble bacon until it reaches a golden-brown, crunchy consistency, creating textural contrast within the dish.
- Scatter sunflower seeds and dried cranberries across the broccoli mixture, introducing nutty crunch and sweet-tart notes.
- Whisk mayonnaise with cider vinegar, blending until a smooth, creamy dressing emerges with balanced tanginess.
- Incorporate sugar, salt, and pepper into the dressing, adjusting seasoning to enhance the overall flavor profile.
- Gently fold dressing into the broccoli mixture, ensuring each ingredient is thoroughly and evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate the salad for minimum 60 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and develop a harmonious taste.
- Before serving, give the salad a final gentle toss to redistribute the dressing and reinvigorate the ingredients.
Notes
- Swap bacon bits with smoky tempeh or coconut bacon for a vegetarian version that still delivers rich, umami flavor.
- Reduce sugar content by using honey or maple syrup as natural sweeteners that enhance the dressing’s complexity.
- Toast sunflower seeds briefly to intensify their nutty crunch and release deeper, more aromatic notes.
- Introduce Greek yogurt into the mayonnaise base for a tangy, protein-rich dressing with lower fat content.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg