Broccoli salad is a crowd-pleaser and one of those dishes that will always be gobbled at any summer potluck or BBQ. This recipe takes about 25 minutes to prepare (and may be prepared ahead of time) to make a large quantity in no time. Try my Creamy Ranch Bowtie Pasta Salad and Barbecue Chicken Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Corn recipes! Cut broccoli florets into uniform, bite-sized pieces using a tiny paring knife or kitchen shears.
Remove the stiff outer layer of the broccoli stem and cut the sweet inside stem into an even dice if the stem is thick Broccoli is a vegetable that can be eaten fresh or cooked. It’s frequently served raw as an appetizer with a dip or mixed into a salad. Broccoli is terrific when cooked and served with lemon, butter, au gratin, or hollandaise sauce. Broccoli is a popular ingredient in soups, stews, Asian meals, and pasta dishes.
The creamy salad is a great side dish or light supper, and you may dress it up or down according to your preferences. This green-filled dish will appeal to even the pickiest diners with all of the additional components. Broccoli salad will keep in the fridge for about three days. Refrigerate the vegetables and dressing separately in the fridge to keep them tasting fresh.
Then, before serving, thoroughly combine all of the ingredients. Don’t worry if you have any leftover mixed salad. Your salad will last for 1-2 days if you cover it with plastic wrap (or use the lid if it has one). However, after a day, the bottom of the bowel may become mushy, and you’ll need to mix it thoroughly before eating for the most excellent flavor.
How to Make Broccoli Salad?
To create a broccoli salad, start by preparing the dressing. Whisk the sugar, white wine vinegar, and mayonnaise until smooth and creamy in a mixing bowl. After that, if you’re adding bacon, cook it according to your preference. You’ll crumble the bacon once it’s fried into bite-sized bits.
The broccoli and onions will next be chopped into smaller bite-sized pieces. Finally, in a large mixing bowl, combine all of your ingredients. You may serve the broccoli salad right away, but it tastes better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon
- Two heads of fresh broccoli
- One small red onion
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup white sugar
- Two tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Directions
Step 1
Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool and crumble.
Step 2
Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, and almonds and mix well.
Step 3
Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar until smooth to prepare the dressing. Stir into the salad.
Step 4
Let chill before serving, if desired.
What’s in Broccoli Salad?
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for broccoli salad. In reality, each home chef may prepare broccoli salad uniquely. However, there are a couple of elements in a broccoli salad that everyone can agree on: broccoli and a creamy, mayo-and-vinegar-based dressing. Any other ingredients are at the cook’s discretion.
Bacon, red onions, nuts (like almonds), seeds (like sunflower seeds), dried fruit (like raisins or dried cranberries), and cheese are all common additions to broccoli salads (usually Cheddar). You have complete control over which substances you use. This recipe, for example, has bacon, red onions, raisins, and almonds.
Mayonnaise, white sugar, and white wine vinegar usually make the creamy salad dressing.
Can You Make Broccoli Salad With Frozen Broccoli?
Broccoli salad can technically be made with frozen broccoli; however, it necessitates different processes, and the broccoli will be different in consistency than if you used fresh broccoli. In most broccoli salads, the broccoli is not cooked, so it remains raw and crunchy.
However, if you’re using frozen broccoli, you’ll need to boil it softly. To use frozen broccoli florets, toss them in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Remove the broccoli from the pot as soon as it begins to boil and shock it in a bowl of ice water. Before adding any additional ingredients, drain and dry your broccoli.
How to Cook Broccoli?
Please take a look at this video to learn how to cut broccoli into florets before cooking it. This method produces long, graceful broccoli sticks with fewer stems discarded. The Seasoning When broccoli is cooked for too long, the enzyme that breaks down chemicals into cancer fighters is destroyed. According to a nutrition expert, the ideal way to eat it is raw or steamed for two to three minutes.
Tips for Cooking Broccoli Perfectly
- Gauge cooking time by the size of your florets or spears. Size matters when cooking broccoli, whether you’re boiling it or baking it in the oven.
- Know your preference. Do you prefer crisp-tender or softer cooked broccoli? Use a small sharp knife to test for doneness as often as needed.
- Do not cover. Whether you’re boiling or roasting, there’s no need to cover the broccoli in the pot or the oven. To keep that bright green color, boil in lots of water and not cover the pot, turning the broccoli into a dull brown-green.
- Cook right on the sheet pan. For crispier edges, ditch the parchment paper and aluminum foil. You want to pan roast the broccoli against the bare metal of the sheet pan.
Is Broccoli Salad Good for You?
Yes! Broccoli is a total superfood, in my opinion, and this salad is loaded with broccoli. Broccoli is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts are among the other members.
When it comes to powerhouse vegetables, broccoli, along with other cruciferous crops, always takes the top spot in the hall of fame for having an excellent nutritional profile. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, carotenoids, a variety of phytonutrients, and a chemical called sulforaphane are all found in this vegetable.
So, I’m not going to give you a long lecture on how specific nutrients affect our health, but I will give you a little overview. This mystical vegetable may help you fight cancer and inflammation, protect your heart, boost your bone health, and improve your vision, among other things.
Do You Have to Cook the Broccoli for the Broccoli Salad?
Raw broccoli is a common ingredient in broccoli salads. Because the vinaigrette breaks down the broccoli a little, it doesn’t taste fully raw in this broccoli salad. Make an incredibly fresh broccoli salad by chopping your broccoli florets into tiny pieces. You can blanch the florets if you don’t like raw broccoli. To stop the cooking process, place the florets in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer them to an ice bath. Before using the cooled broccoli, make sure it’s scorched. This is the salad to make if you search for a portable, potluck-friendly side dish. I’ve also had a large bowl of it as a light dinner.
Adding the florets to quickly boiling salted water for a few minutes instantly changes the florets’ color and texture. The blanch and shock approach comes in handy when you need to get rid of a raw ch, and it also creates brilliant green color and ensures that the cooking process comes to a halt.
Conclusion
Everything tastes fantastic when coupled with this fresh summer salad, whether a regular dinner or a backyard BBQ. It’s crunchy and creamy, and it’s a terrific way to get extra greens into your diet. It complements any main course, particularly steak, chicken, and fish. If you’re seeking more healthy summer salad ideas, this shrimp salad dish might be a good fit. Broccoli salad is a perfect blend of savory, sweet, and creamy ingredients. The dish comprises blanched broccoli florets, bacon, and your choice of nuts, but the creamy and tangy dressing is the real star. It adds the perfect finishing touch to this salad, completing it. This broccoli salad recipe contains 243 calories per serving, and the nuts and bacon provide the majority of the calories.
Broccoli should be cut into small florets, tossed in oil, sprayed with cooking oil, then roasted in the oven, grill, or stovetop. The oven is ideal when roasting a large batch, but when roasting tiny amounts, like in this recipe, the stovetop grill pan is best. It’s quicker and doesn’t require preheating the oven for such a small amount of broccoli. Preheat the oven to 425 F and bake the broccoli for 20 minutes, flipping once in between, as I did for the roasted broccoli with chili vinaigrette dish. Broccoli is a nutrient powerhouse and a superfood. It’s high in fiber, antioxidants, iron, vitamin C, vitamin K, and calcium, to name a few nutrients. As a result, roasted broccoli salad is a nutritious and tasty side dish.
