Nora and Simon gobble up their veggies IF I mix them into a casserole, soup, or stew. However, corn and broccoli are really the only vegetables they will eat without being mixed into something else.
And since corn is more starchy than most vegetables, I usually try to make broccoli SEVERAL times a week. Thankfully, Dave and I really like it too!
(Nora right around her 2nd birthday)
I was bummed to see that our local Meijer store recently increased broccoli prices and are now charging by the pound instead of per bunch (resulting in a higher price overall). However, about 2 weeks after the price increase at Meijer, we got a Costco membership — and wouldn’t you know, Costco sells huge 3-pound bags of already cut and washed broccoli for $4.49.
This is about $0.50 per pound cheaper than what my Meijer sells it for, PLUS I’m not paying for the weight of the stalk, I don’t need to cut it up, and I don’t need to wash it.
Win, win, win, win!
Anyway, we’ve been buying and eating A LOT of broccoli lately… and with spring just around the corner, I thought it might be fitting to share a super simple broccoli salad recipe that I’ve been making for years.
It’s one of my favorite ways to eat raw veggies!
Sometimes I eat it all on its own for lunch — maybe with some cauliflower mixed in and a hard boiled egg or something else small on the side. Other times, I’ll serve it as a side dish to any number of meals (it goes especially well with grilled meats).
Either way, it’s always a hit in our house — and now that my broccoli is already washed and cut up, I can make this salad in less than 5 minutes!
Recipe for Simple Broccoli Bacon Salad
serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 c. mayonnaise
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 T. vinegar (I’ve used white, apple cider, and red wine vinegar — all work just fine)
- 3 c. broccoli florets (or broccoli and cauliflower)
- 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 c. bacon pieces (about 5 strips cooked and crumbled)
- 1 small red onion; diced (optional — and I usually don’t add it)
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, mix mayo, sugar, and vinegar.
Add it the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for later.
See, I told you it was simple!
This is one of my go-to recipes for potlucks or other parties as it’s so quick and easy to make ahead (I usually make a triple batch for parties and rarely come home with any leftovers). It always seems to be the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, salty, and savory.
Also, as with almost all my recipes, feel free to tweak the ingredients and measurements to fit your taste buds. Add more or less cheese and bacon, more or less mayo and sugar, try a different type of cheese, use turkey bacon, add raw cauliflower, raw carrots, raw peppers, raisins, craisins, cashews, etc.
I feel like it would be very difficult to mess this one up!
What are your favorite ways to eat raw veggies?
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Carolyn Pritchett says
This salad looks and sounds great.
Thank You
Andrea says
it’s awesome! Hope you love it 🙂
Michelle says
This recipe is great! The only way I can eat loads of raw broccoli!
Andrea says
me too! I love raw veggies… but broccoli is not my favorite 🙂
Selena says
I make a really similar broccoli salad recipe, and add raisins. Their sweetness and chewiness really pairs well with this crunchy salad! Have you had the Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad made with broccoli slaw? It’s along the same lines, and delicious for get-togethers. And, like your layered salad (that we love!) you can eat it for days after the party and it’s just fine.
Andrea says
yes, I like adding raisins or craisins sometimes!
Tracie says
I love this recipe. Makes for a nice alternative to typical “salad” and side items. Also because you can make it ahead which allows for less stess when preparing to attend an event or function.
Kirsten says
My grandmother made a salad dip/dressing from 2 parts sugar, 2 parts mayo, and one part vinegar. This recipe sounds so similar! Add in the cheese and bacon and you really can’t go wrong.
Andrea says
you’re right, you really can’t go wrong with cheese and bacon 🙂
Jane says
Meijer got me! I saw the .99 cent price and thought it was per head, the way it has always been. I got three nice big heads and didn’t realize the price was per pound until I got home (should have checked the receipt before I left the store!). Lesson learned. We love to take the zucchini, radishes and cucumbers from our garden and shred them. We add red wine vinegar and a dash of sugar. Yum!
Andrea says
Well, I might just have to steal your zucchini, radish, cucumber salad recipe once our garden veggies start growing later this summer! sounds yummy!
Debbie says
This is almost like the layered salad recipe which I love. I don’t know what it is that makes mayo, sugar, and bacon mixed together so delicious. I just wish there was a healthier alternative to the mayo. We buy pre-washed spinach in bulk at Costco too and that’s our main daily veggie since I can make it as a salad, mix it with eggs for a veggie omelet, and my husband puts it in his sandwich for lunch at work. I’ll have to include this broccoli in our rotation of vegetables.
Melinda says
Have you tried the Miracle Whip with Olive Oil? I know it is not real Mayo but it is extremely low in calories and taste great!
Debbie says
I may have to check that out. Thanks!
Patti says
We’ve started replacing half of the mayo in all our recipes with plain Greek yogurt. We really have come to like them better that way.
Andrea says
I do this sometimes too — no one notices. I’ve also used plain greek yogurt in place of some of the sour cream in various recipes and it tastes just fine!
Andrea says
Yes, the dressing for both salads is very similar! And I’m actually making that layered salad for a party this weekend!
Elmira says
You can turn yogurt into mayo like dressing. I make all my salads with yogurt. A bit of celery salt and vinegar added to yogurt is enough for most dishes.
Andrea says
yes, I also use plain Greek yogurt for salads (like chicken salad). You can also use smashed avocado instead of mayo too — very yummy!
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says
I noted the same thing about broccoli prices! Just last week, Meijer had broccoli crowns on sale as part of the 10 for $10 and I couldn’t bring myself to pay a dollar for that little bit of broccoli! I’ll have to check at our Sam’s Club to see what the prices are, since they are often comparable to Costco, because I do love broccoli salad, too!
Karen says
I just discovered broccoli salad this year. I don’t know where I have been all my life. I prefer broccoli raw, so I thought it was brilliant. But, bacon, oh, yes please.
We’re going to try growing broccoli this year because of the shocking prices lately. Probably with row cover to keep the aphids away.
Andrea says
yes, the bacon is a good addition to this salad 🙂
As for growing broccoli — we tried it for a couple of years, but the plants took up so much room in our garden and we usually only got one tiny (seedy) head of broccoli so it was never worth it for us. Hope you have better luck!
Karen says
I think we have a similar climate to Michigan, zone 5/6. We got small heads too, utterly covered in grey aphids last time. Eww! I think it may have to do with the high heat in summer. We’re going to try a really early crop. But the row cover is still going on. Those aphids were really off-putting. Will probably still need a fair bit of luck, though, so thanks!
The kids got a huge charge out of the very space hungry brussels sprouts we planted once. Again, aphids, but the plant is just so weird!
Andrea says
I’ve thought about doing brussel sprouts in our garden this year — just because of how they look! Nora wants to do purple carrots because she saw them on Daniel Tiger 🙂
Karen says
Oh, do! There are also purple beans and little “ping pong” ball shaped carrots. We got a pack of mixed purple, red, yellow and white carrots last year at Walmart (not many seeds in the pack, though). And Easter Egg radishes. My kids aren’t little any more, but still love these.
ShellyL says
I have to try this! I love broccoli and hate onions, so I will just leave them out. My husband and kids love it too but the kids prefer raw veggies to any other kind, so this will be perfect. Question: When you make this dish to take somewhere, do you add the onions? I feel like most adults would prefer that, maybe. ? Thanks!
Andrea says
just leave the onions out — as long as you have the bacon in there, no one will be complaining 🙂
Christine @ The (mostly) Simple Life says
This is really similar to my mom’s homemade coleslaw recipe. It’s just all broccoli instead of a bag of cut coleslaw veggies. Yum!!