Creamy Broccoli Salad

A cooler way to enjoy broccoli.

Most of us are used to thinking of broccoli as a cooked vegetable. After all, a nice tender-crisp stalk of steamed broccoli (not one that’s cooked into mush) is a beautiful thing. And broccoli is part of lots of delicious hot dishes, like my Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Ham Cheese and Broccoli Quiche.

But there’s another side to broccoli, too. Served raw, it has a crunchy texture and a distinctive, earthy flavor that can make a wonderful basis for a salad. So, with the weather warming up, I thought this was a great time to play with the cooler side of broccoli.

This Creamy Broccoli Salad tames the faint bitterness of raw broccoli by pairing it with a creamy dressing that’s sweet and tangy at the same time. And it punches up the flavor with coarse shreds of sharp cheddar, the sweet-tartness of dried cranberries, the smokiness of crumbled cooked bacon, the zing of red onion, and the nutty crunch of sunflower seeds.

With its mixture of interesting flavors and textures, this salad will make you see broccoli in a whole new way. Serve it up with a simple main dish like grilled fish or chicken so the flavorful salad can be the star of the show.

How to Make Creamy Broccoli Salad

1. Combine broccoli, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl.
2. In a separate, small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and stir until well-combined.
3. Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss to combine. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

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5 from 2 votes

Creamy Broccoli Salad

This Creamy Broccoli Salad tames the faint bitterness of raw broccoli by pairing it with a creamy dressing that’s sweet and tangy at the same time.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour hour

Serves:6

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Calories:319

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Ingredients

Ingredients

• 6 cups broccoli florets about 2 heads of broccoli
• 1.5 cup sharp cheddar cheese (thicker shred)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
• 1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing

• 3/4 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 5 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

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Nutrition Information:

Calories: 319kcal (16%)Carbohydrates: 28g (9%)Protein: 17g (34%)Fat: 40g (62%)Saturated Fat: 12g (60%)Cholesterol: 58mg (19%)Sodium: 950mg (40%)Potassium: 390mg (11%)Fiber: 4g (16%)Sugar: 19g (21%)Vitamin A: 900IU (18%)Vitamin C: 81.2mg (98%)Calcium: 272mg (27%)Iron: 1.5mg (8%)

Nutrition Disclaimer

Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Course:Healthy, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine:American

Keyword:Creamy Broccoli Salad

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