Best Ever Broccoli Salad

Best Ever Broccoli Salad:

Crisp broccoli, salty bacon, creamy cheese, sweet fruit, and crunchy cashews, onions, all tossed in a tangy dressing makes this the best ever broccoli salad!

Serve this broccoli salad with a tasty summer fruit salad, or to accompany a great marinated chicken breast.

You guys, have I told you there are 10 kids in my family? Well there are. But besides having a ton of siblings, I also have a lot of extended family. Both of my parents came from large families, and many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins live close to me. Especially growing up, we used to have a lot of family parties and gatherings. And I loved being able to hang out with my cousins.

Now that we are all older and have our own families, the gatherings are less frequent, but just as enjoyable.

Anyway, I have this lovely aunt–Kathy! She makes a lot of amazing salads. All growing up I remember really looking forward to the family gatherings because I could enjoy her amazing broccoli salad. Eventually I got sick of waiting for family functions, and called her to ask for the recipe. And lucky for me, she isn’t a recipe hoarder, and was more than willing to share her recipe, and her tips for making it awesome.

Best Ever Broccoli Salad Tips:

• Let it sit overnight: The key to perfect flavor is letting it sit overnight. You want to give everything a chance to meld, and get delicious.
• Don’t overdress your broccoli salad. If you feel like there is too much dressing, go lighter. And if you accidentally put too much on, add in more broccoli. You want the broccoli to stay nice and crisp.
• Cut things uniformly in size. Try to get everything to be around the same size for easier eating.
• Lighten it up with Avocado Oil mayo if you are looking for a healthier version, or cut down on the sugar.
• Use turkey bacon. It is my favorite substitution. There is less fat, and so much flavor.
• Use your favorite dried fruit. Cranberries are the go to, but I also love prunes.

Best Ever Broccoli Salad: A good broccoli salad recipe is a must in any self-respecting cook’s arsenal, and the thing I love about this particular broccoli salad recipe is the key is really in that tangy sauce. It is so flavorful and yummy. But the rest, is totally customizable. Of course the listed ingredients are a perfect combination. But if you have an aversion to something, swap it out. Sometimes I trade out the cheese to use whatever I happen to have on hand. Or I swap out one dried fruit for another.

Best Ever Broccoli Salad, no matter how you make it, just remember this side dish is excellent for BBQ’s and summer gatherings, and you are not going to regret making it. While it is best to make it a day ahead so the flavors can meld, I would be lying if I said I always think ahead like that. So just give it some time to refrigerate. And you should be good to go—go with the best ever broccoli salad.

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  Best Ever Broccoli Salad

  Crisp broccoli, salty bacon, creamy cheese, sweet fruit, crunchy cashews, and onions, all tossed in a tangy dressing combine to make this delicious broccoli salad.

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  Course: Salad

  Cuisine: American

  Keyword: Broccoli Salad

  Prep Time: 25 minutes

  Total Time: 25 minutes

  Servings: 6

  Author: Rachael Yerkes

  Ingredients

  Dressing

  • 2/3 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbs vinegar
  • Drizzle of lemon
  • 1 tsp onion powder

  Salad

  • 1 cup cheddar or colby cheese squares
  • 1/3 cup red onions
  • 1/2 cup bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries or prunes
  • 5 cups chopped broccoli

  Instructions

  • Mix together dressing ingredients.
  • Cook the bacon.
  • chop the vegetables and cheese.
  • Mix salad ingredients
  • Coat salad in dressing
  • Refrigerate overnight
  • Next day, moisten salad by spritzing with lemon or adding in a little mayo.
  • Enjoy

  Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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