Healthy Eating
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Description
It’s a cliché, but clichés exist for a reason: bacon makes everything better. Case in point? Broccoli Bacon Salad. You’re going to eat your veggies with gusto when they’re paired with crispy, smoky bacon, sweet-tart cranberries, and a creamy dressing that pulls it all together.
Ingredients
- For the Salad
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cooked*
- 8 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets about 1 pound
- 5 small green onions or 3 large white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds or toasted pepitas
- For the Dressing
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt I used non-fat
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
Directions
- If necessary, cook the bacon according to one of my easy cooking methods listed below. Once cool, crumble and set aside.
- Blanch the broccoli: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Add the broccoli florets and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from the hot water with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately into the ice bath to stop the cooking and set the green color. Drain, spread on a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry. Transfer to a large kitchen bowl, then add the green onions and cranberries.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, rice vinegar, pepper, salt, and 1 tablespoon honey. Taste and add a little more honey if additional sweetness is desired. Pour over the broccoli mixture, then toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, top with crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.
