Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon, Cranberries, and Feta
This simple recipe for Broccoli Salad is easy and quick to make on full days when you still want something delicious to serve for a family meal or to bring to a potluck. The homemade mayonnaise-based dressing adds just the right blend of sweet, salty, and tart (thanks to the hint of red wine vinegar!) blended to perfection, and the crunch of the broccoli is enhanced with bacon bits, sunflower kernels, cranberries, and real bacon bits. Crumbled feta and sharp cheddar round out this lip-smacking Broccoli Salad. Dig in!
Equipment
- Large mixing and serving bowl
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 8 cups bite-size broccoli florets 2-3 crowns of broccoli
Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil
- ¼ cup sugar I like Moreno sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon diced dehydrated onion
- ½ teaspoon salt I like Pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Add-Ins
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup roasted salted sunflower seeds (or honey roasted)
- ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries (or raisins)
- ½ cup real bacon bits
Instructions
- Place the broccoli florets in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients until well blended. Then, pour the dressing over the broccoli florets.
- Next, add the add-ins to the bowl, and stir everything together until all the broccoli florets are well coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the flavors time to meld and the broccoli enough time to soak in the saucy goodness of the dressing.
- This salad is excellent to make ahead of time and keeps nicely for up to 24 hours before serving. Broccoli salad is my go-to potluck dish and is always a favorite for kids and adults.
Notes
A note on substitutions: Broccoli Salad is so flexible! Don’t have dried cranberries on hand? Swap in raisins. Want to keep it a meatless salad? Just leave out the bacon bits. Is Feta cheese not your thing? While I love the intense flavor of feta in this salad, you can leave it out and sub in Colby, Pepper Jack, or a bit more cheddar.
How to cut up the broccoli: Using a sharp paring knife, cut off the stem or trunk of the broccoli, leaving just the crown. Then, carefully cut apart the florets, and cut each one into individual bite-sized pieces. If pictures are your thing, I found a helpful tutorial for cutting broccoli here. Many people throw the stem away, but please don’t do that! Use your paring knife to remove the woody outer layer, and the inside of the stem is delicious to eat. You can chop it small and add it to the salad, cut it into sticks, eat it like it is, or dipped in ranch. Yum!