Our favorite broccoli salad recipe is a mix of broccoli, bacon, cheddar cheese, walnuts, and golden raisins topped with a creamy and sweet mayonnaise yogurt dressing. It's the best easy and healthy summer BBQ side dish!
I love broccoli.
I love it raw, baked, boiled, drenched in cheese, and splashed with balsamic vinegar.
I've never met a broccoli dish I didn't like.
When Joe and I were thinking about adding a vegetable dish to our beloved Thanksgiving feast, we both thought of broccoli, but neither of us had a recipe in mind.
Suddenly, it was the night before our feast, and we still hadn't decided on a recipe.
I took matters into my own hands. I was glad to have a couple of bags of pre-cut broccoli and used them to make my favorite cold broccoli salad.
My broccoli salad was the biggest hit of the meal. There were only 3 or 4 little broccoli pieces left over, not even a small bowlful.
I was sad about that. I wanted to have it for breakfast the next day. There wasn't enough left over even for breakfast.
This recipe came out so well that I made it again for our second Thanksgiving feast with Old Grandma, and this time, I doubled the recipe. It lasted a little longer, but not much.
How to make our favorite broccoli salad
- Cook bacon over medium high heat. Drain it well and pat dry to remove as much of the grease as possible. Crumble the dried bacon and set it aside.
- Pour broccoli into a large mixing bowl. Add to it a large handful of golden raisins (my sister says that's a cup but I think it's more than that) and a large handful of walnuts. Add the crumbled bacon and two big handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, and mayo. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and toss it well. Make sure it's all blended and well-coated.
- Refrigerate the salad for a couple of hours to overnight to let the flavors blend.
Can you boil the broccoli for broccoli salad?
Of course you can! This time, we made our broccoli salad using raw broccoli, but if you'd prefer yours to be a little more tender, feel free to boil or blanch it according to these instructions.
Try these other delicious salads while you're here:
- BLT Salad with the Best Homemade Lemon Mayo Salad Dressing
- The Best Keto Broccoli Salad with No Mayo
- Our Favorite Broccoli Salad Recipe (with mayo)
- No Crunch Potato Salad Recipe
- Oriental Salad with Ramen Noodles (Chinese Coleslaw)
- Cucumber Pasta Salad - A Healthy Alternative to Creamy Pasta Salad
- Egg and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette Dressing
- The Best Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs
Recipe
Our Favorite Broccoli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon
- 1 pounds broccoli
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1-2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar garlic flavor (a little more than ⅓ cup)
- 1 cloves garlic or 2 if they're small
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup mayonnaise I wouldn't recommend Miracle Whip in this recipe.
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Cook bacon over medium high heat. Drain it well and pat dry to remove as much of the grease as possible. Crumble the dried bacon and set it aside.
- Pour broccoli into a large mixing bowl. Add to it a large handful of golden raisins (my sister says that's a cup but I think it's more than that) and a large handful of walnuts. Add the crumbled bacon and two big handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese. Don't worry about mixing it up yet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, and mayo. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and toss it well. Make sure it's all blended and well-coated.
- Refrigerate the salad for a couple of hours or overnight, to let the flavors blend.
joni says
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/280475191316975617
dolniaks at consolidated dot net
Patty says
rice&broccoli,fresh ingredients from Sam's of course.
Crystal F says
I'd never even heard of broccoli salad until this past Friday night. My hubby tried it for the first time and we have been looking for recipes for it every since so thanks for the great recipe.
The only time I normally eat broccoli is raw with ranch dressing. I'm not a fan of cooked broccoli. thank you!
BILL H says
broccoli cheese soup
Marti B says
I like to make loaded broccoli and cheese soup with bacon and all the trimmings.
Breanne says
I like steamed broccoli with cheese sauce
Patrick Dyal says
I like chicken broccoli alfredo. It's really good and easy to make.
Tammy S says
My favorite recipe is Twice Baked Potatoes stuffed with broccoli and cheese. They are amazing.
Patrick Dyal says
https://twitter.com/ps_yoga_pants/status/280548295699476480
Tammy S says
Tweet
https://twitter.com/CouponTammy/status/280548316914282496
Danica says
im a simple person so steamed with lemon pepper is what i love
Michelle says
My favorite is when my husband makes his stir-fry..........i love it
Rebecca Graham says
I like broccoli and rice casserole.
Amy Green says
Mine is a rice bowl I make, with layers: cooked, frozen broccoli on the bottom, melted cheese slice, white or premium, rice, shredded turkey or chicken lunch meat, topped off with another melted cheese slice!
joseph gersch jr says
i love broccolli, turkey, pasta and chicken with cream of mushrooom soup baked as a casserole
joseph gersch jr says
tweet https://twitter.com/jtwark/status/280608275135868930
Melanie K. says
I actually love broccoli and velveeta. It's delicious just like that 🙂
Ellie W says
Broccoli cheeses soup.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-cheese-soup/
Thanks for the giveaway!
eswright18 at gmail dot com
Ellie W says
tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/280694001705824256
Mary Cloud says
I love Broccoli Rice and Cheese casserole
annabella @ centurytel dot net
Deb C says
My favorite is Broccoli Cole Slaw
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/broccoli-cole-slaw-recipe/index.html
Deb C says
I tweeted:
twitter.com/Kismetchris/status/280699422449491968
Pauline M says
I make alot of the Shrimp & Broccoli from the Campbell's website: http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/recipedetails?recipeid=24438&fm=internal_search
when I need something quick and something that my kids enjoy!
Debra Pauley says
Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews
Rachael E says
https://twitter.com/bogen7/status/280729760999559168
Rachael E says
I love a good stir fry with extra broccoli. My favorite is when you use tofu instead of meat with a little bit of spicy stir fry sauce. It's amazing!
stephanie l. says
Yum broccoli salad sounds delicious!
mell says
I like broccoli cheese casserole with bread crumbs and bacon bits on top.
mell says
https://twitter.com/mm1411/status/280751836611362816
tweeted.
Leslie L. Stanziani says
I like to make broccoli,bacon,and cheese soup.Thanks!
lstanziani(at)yahoo(dot)com