This broccoli and bacon salad is a potluck classic. Brimming with crisp vegetables, smoky bacon, shredded cheese and coated in a tangy dressing, you can expect this to be a crowd pleaser!
I have bad news for those of you working hard on the Fox Valley Foodie for President 2020 PAC: I can't be President. No, it isn't because I am not constitutionally qualified, but rather I can't withstand negotiating with my daughter during a temper tantrum, making it unlikely I can be trusted to stand up to terrorists.
It's too bad I already printed my "Burgers Not Bombs!" bumper-stickers.
I figured at my inauguration, we could have a big potluck social and everyone could bring a dish to pass. I'd probably bring this broccoli and bacon salad since it is pretty much a staple at every potluck I've ever been to.
What is Broccoli and Bacon Salad
Broccoli and Bacon Salad is a hearty salad option featuring broccoli florets as the main filler rather than lettuce. This cold broccoli salad features an exceptional range of textures from crunchy onions and almonds to creamy shreds of cheese. The crumbled bits of crispy bacon really infuse the salad with a smoky flavor that you can taste in each bite.
Suffice it to say, it is a crowd pleaser.
Dressing for Broccoli and Bacon Salad
The creamy dressing for my Broccoli and Bacon Salad is easy to whip up from scratch. It consists of a mixture of mayo, red wine vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. There aren't any cooking skills needed to craft this tangy dressing, it simply needs to be mixed together.
How to Make Broccoli and Bacon Salad
The only cooking required for this recipe is the bacon. Pan fry the bacon until it is crisp, then remove it from the grease and crumble it once it is cool enough to handle. The remaining ingredients just need to be chopped, or shredded and combined together. Feel free to customize this recipe to fit your tastes, for example, making this a broccoli cauliflower and bacon salad would be a fantastic modification as well.
Whenever I have vegetables to chop I reach for my Wusthof Classic Ikon Chef's Knife. This is my favorite knife in my kitchen. It is wickedly sharp, which means fewer tears while chopping onions, and it really holds an edge. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good chef's knife for their kitchen.
Potluck Recipes
As stated, this broccoli and bacon salad makes a great dish to bring to your next potluck, however, if you are looking for more ideas try a classic macaroni salad, or chicken liver pate (don't knock it till you try it!). If you are looking for another fresh alternative, try my avocado black bean salad, or go in a different direction and bring a dip like my Cheddar dill pickle dip.
Broccoli and Bacon Salad with Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices Bacon
- 9-10 cups Broccoli florets (2 heads)
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mild Cheddar cheese
- ½ large Red Onion chopped
- ½ cup Sliced Almonds
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook bacon until crisp, drain from fat and crumble. Add to large bowl.
- Add broccoli florets, cheese, chopped onion, and sliced almonds to the bowl.
- In a separate dish, mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Add dressing to the bowl with salad and toss to combine.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com January 12, 2017.
If you enjoyed reading my Broccoli and Bacon Salad with Cheese recipe then you should probably like me on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest too. That’s what I would do at least, because if you don’t get to know me but you still use my recipe it is kind of like taking candy from a stranger, and your mom taught you not to do that. Don’t disobey your mom, subscribe to Fox Valley Foodie today!
Judy
This has been my second most fave salad of all time for over 20 years!! My potato salad is #1!! BTW, not having a grip on negotiating is no excuse not to run for POTUS, you're married, trust me you've been negotiating for a while!! Get a few bumper stickers to me, I'll put them next to Bernie's!!
Judy
Years ago a friend gave me her recipe for fresh broccoli salad with bacon and my kids LUVED it!! They still love broccoli and most veges raw or cooked and they're adults now!!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
You can't beat a sharp knife. Hubby swears by it and I tell him that I didn't dull his precious Wusthoff opening my Amazon packages. That tape is knife friendly!! Now I could see if he objected when I used his chef knife to pry open a drawer that was stuck. The knife was just a little bent - I'm sure it will still cut whatever he wants. This salad reminds me of a salad my daughter would make when she worked a summer for a catering company. Only it didn't have quite as many good fresh ingredients like yours. That recipe relied on Ranch style dressing. Don't get me wrong it was great but I'd like to try yours with all the nice fresher tasting ingredients. On a finishing note, if you can survive children you can survive politicians.