Guys, I need help. I am totally addicted to this broccoli salad. I don’t know why but it’s all I’ve been craving lately. In all seriousness, this broccoli salad is so good I have converted several people that hate broccoli into big fans of this dish. It’s a perfect balance of flavor and texture. I get asked for this recipe all the time.
The two ingredients that make this thing amazing are of course – cheese and bacon. I realized while writing this blog post that my pictures make the salad look like primarily toppings! Haha. I promise there’s a lot of broccoli under there!
Two things I believe very strongly in: Shred your own cheese and make your own bacon bits!! Seriously, these two things make all the difference in the flavor of not just this dish, but any dish! Store bought bacon bits taste fake and when you buy pre-shredded cheese, it doesn’t have as much flavor. Cooking your bacon in the oven is a 15-minute painless task that you can have rolling while you chop the vegetables for this dish and shred your cheese.
The sauce is really quick to pull together and it has a zippy, creamy flavor that helps to tone down the crunchiness of the vegetables.
This would be great for a cookout because it makes a large portion and anything with cheese and bacon is usually a crowd pleaser. This recipe will trick you and your family into enjoying vegetables. I think my favorite part of this salad is the crunch and flavor from the chopped pecans. It really just adds another dimension to the dish. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Loaded Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 5-6 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small florets
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 small or medium red onion, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup Duke’s Mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3-4 tbsp granulated white sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and like a baking sheet with foil. Lay out bacon on the foil covered sheet and cook for about 15 minutes until bacon is crisp, turning once halfway through.
- While the bacon is cooking combine broccoli florets, pecans, shredded cheese, chopped onion, and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce: mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Once the bacon is done, crumble and add to the bowl of vegetables. Pour the sauce over the bowl and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes before serving.
