When you were a child, were you one of those little ones who only ate your vegetables with glee when they were served au gratin — smothered in cream and cheese?
This crunchy, creamy broccoli salad made me feel like that kid again. We happily ate it as a main dish on a warm evening because each forkful delivered the raw broccoli, yes, but with lots of goodies along for the ride.
The salad would be a suitable side dish to serve or take for your next grilling party, too.
The original recipe calls for Splenda, but we used honey.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. If you're not planning to eat the entire salad, add the dressing to the portion you plan to eat and store the salad and dressing separately.
Creamy Broccoli and Bacon Salad
- 5 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
- ¾ cup coarsely shredded white cheddar cheese
- ½ small red onion (about 2 ounces), thinly sliced
- 1 ounce chopped walnuts, plus more for optional garnish
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- For the dressing:
- ¾ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey OR Splenda
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Line a plate with a tea towel or paper towel and place it near the stove.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the prepared plate. Discard the bacon grease or save it for another use.
In a large bowl, toss together half of the bacon, the broccoli, cheese, onion, walnuts and sunflower seeds until combined.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon on top, with more walnuts, if desired. Let the salad stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Each 1 ¼-cup serving (prepared with sour cream and honey) contains 232 calories, 10 g protein, 17 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate (5 g sugar), 31 mg cholesterol, 321 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1
Recipe adapted from "Easy Keto in 30 Minutes" by Urvashi Pitre (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020)