Making a Broccoli Salad for a Holiday, potluck, or family gathering is one of my favorite salads to make. You can create a homemade dressing to go along with it and it can all be done within 15 minutes. The best part though is I can make it the day before. There are so many meals that can be made the day before, but they are not always better. In this case, I find this broccoli salad tastes better after it has been sitting in the refrigerator with the dressing for a day. Music to my ears!
I know that a broccoli salad is not the norm on this post, like many apple recipes you see or other sweets you may see published soon as I begin to write more posts, however, hang out with me for a moment as this broccoli salad is truly delicious. Bringing this item to a Holiday dinner, is your perfect opportunity to try it out because it can’t go wrong, and you can make it ahead of time. Who doesn’t love a quick side dish that can be thrown together whether you are in a busy season, just forgot to pull something together, or prefer to spend more time on other items? As I have made this in the winter, it can definitely be a perfect summer dish as well.
What ingredients go into this salad?
This is whatever you like best. With that said, I have found broccoli, bacon, cranberries, red grapes, sharp cheddar cheese, and a dressing are the perfect combination for this broccoli salad. A red onion, and sesame seeds can be a beautiful addition as well. The next time I make this I will probably omit the cranberries and add in just a bit of red onion and sprinkle a few sesame seeds to my broccoli salad.
How to store the Broccoli Salad?
Storing the broccoli salad in a tightly closed tupperware dish or a bowl with plastic wrap over the container. I have found that storing it for up to two-three days is best fresh and just gets better with time, however I would recommend consuming the broccoli salad within 5-7 days.
Can I freeze the Broccoli salad?
I would not recommend freezing the broccoli salad with or without the dressing. You will not get the same tastes of freshness. Broccoli salad is best consumed within 5-7 days from making it and storing it in the refrigerator.
Questions about cheese?
I prefer to use sharp cheese in my broccoli salad. I find I prefer the taste and I believe you can use less cheese if buying sharp versus the regular cheddar cheese. If you have the time and you are ambitious buy a block of fresh sharp cheese and grate away. I am all about having something taste better, but there is something about grating cheese that I absolutely dislike. And since I have not found block cheese that is cheaper than my grated store cheese you won’t see me buying the block cheese anytime soon. Now, with that said, if it is in some dish where you want the cheese to melt, then occasionally you may see me grating cheese, but NOT often! 😉
Blanching my broccoli?
I do not blanch my broccoli and I find it tastes good. However, if you would like to blanch it first you are welcome to throw it in a pot of salted boiling water for no more than one minute. Immediately after you should rinse in cold water, so that the broccoli does not continue cooking. Next, dry your broccoli well before continuing to the next step of combining your ingredients.
Which broccoli should I purchase?
You can buy pre-cut florets, however it is typically cheaper to buy a couple of heads of broccoli. I have bought pre-cut florets before, and I still find myself chopping all the pieces smaller anyhow. So, in the end I don’t find that I save much time buying the more expensive bagged pre-cut florets. With that said, if you are going for saving money then buy the heads of broccoli and if you are trying to save a little time then purchase the pre-cut florets. Usually we want both, and if that’s the case I have to leave you with you deciding on which you prefer. I have no magic answer here.
Is Broccoli salad a healthy option?
Hmmmm… Well it is a salad yes, however healthy maybe not. With that said, there are ways you can make this broccoli salad more of a healthy option. Make sure when are using bacon you do not use the imitation bacon. I like to use the pre-cooked bacon from Sams club; however, you can always cook it yourself as well.
If you put in red grapes you can definitely omit the cranberries. Also, in the dressing you can replace the mayo for Greek yogurt. Making your own yogurt is very simple and can be completed with very little hands-on time. I will work on a recipe to write up soon. However, until I do that, please check out this Instant Pot Yogurt here. It’s a good one to check out.
Broccoli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups broccoli florets
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup red grapes
- 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
Dressing
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar (optional) apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar would also work
Instructions
- Chop up your broccoli florets into bite size pieces ready to eat off of a fork.
- Combine broccoli florets, sharp cheddar cheese, cranberries, red grapes, and bacon in a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl combine mayo, sour cream, sugar, salt, and white wine vinegar until well combined.
- Pour dressing over broccoli combination and mix altogether well.
- For best results place in the refrigerator for a minimum of an hour, but up to a day or two. When ready to serve toss the salad one last time. Enjoy!
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