> Skip to content

Recipe  •  21 April 2023

 

Broccoli salad with crispy bacon, sunflower seeds and cranberries

A tasty and rewarding simple dish.

For a salad that can consistently surprise and delight you, look no further than this simple, unassuming broccoli salad. It may be easy to make, but this salad recipe is loaded with flavor. It’s simultaneously crispy, creamy, sweet, and savory. And did I mention bacon is involved? The mayonnaise-based dressing ties everything together, and I “up” the creaminess factor by adding a little yogurt. It adds just the right sweetness and tang.

serves: 6

Ingredients

  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 large head of broccoli, florets sliced into bite-size pieces
  • ⅓ cup (43g) diced red onion
  • ½ cup (60g) dried unsweetened cranberries
  • ½ cup (62g) shelled raw sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup (28g) crumbled goat cheese
  • ½ cup (110g) mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup (57g) plain Greek yogurt (dairy or dairy-free)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange the bacon slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate to drain and cool.

  2. While the bacon is cooking, in a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli florets, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and goat cheese.

  3. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and yogurt. Add the bacon and dressing to the mixing bowl and toss to combine.


Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Dietary Swaps

The beauty of a broccoli salad is that it’s easy to customize. Bacon, dried fruit, cheese, and seeds are usually involved, and you can tweak each of these to your dietary preference. Feel free to use raisins instead of dried cranberries or slivered almonds instead of sunflower seeds. You could also make this salad dairyfree by eliminating the goat cheese and using a nondairy yogurt. Feel free to remove the bacon to make this dish vegetarian.

Helpful Tip

If you’re wondering what to do with the broccoli stem, spiralize it! You can spiralize it just as you would a zucchini. It’s delicious!

Serving size: 2 cups (203g)
Calories: 352
Fat: 27g
Saturated fat: 6g
Carbs: 18g
Fiber: 6g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 11g
Cholesterol: 27mg
Sodium: 299mg

Feature Title

Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep
Discover an easier, more balanced way to meal prep as you whip up 100 fresh and healthy dishes that happen to be gluten-free, from the creator of the popular blog and YouTube channel Downshiftology.
Read more

More features

See all recipes
Recipe
Lemon oregano roasted chicken legs and potatoes

A classic, hearty and simple meal.

Recipe
Orange pistachio overnight oats

A healthy breakfast you can tailor to your own tastes.

Article
Eat like a Matildas player with these 5 easy recipes

Discover a few dishes Matildas players love and learn how to make them yourself.

Recipe
Stanley Tucci’s Christmas Cocktail

Ring in the festive season with Stanley Tucci's Cosmopolitan-inspired cocktail, complete with bright pomegranate seeds and a sprig of mint.

Recipe
Epic Tarragon Roast Chicken

With juicy meat, crispy golden skin and a ton of moreish tarragon and mustard cream sauce, this appropriately named 'epic' chicken will impress at your next Sunday roast.

Recipe
Upside Down Fish Pie

Fish Pie is one of those wonderful family meals that everyone can tuck into and a great way to encourage kids to eat more fish.

Recipe
Tahini and Gochujang Noodle Broth with Turkey

This rich and creamy tahini noodle broth with turkey from Dr Rupy is packed with powerhouse flavours and over 40 grams of protein.

Recipe
Aubergine & Fava Beans with Eggs

Bitinjan w Ful ma’ Beyd.

Recipe
Recipe
Parmesan and Herb-Crumbed Chicken Burgers

The sauce is really the star of the show in this burger recipe – it is so full of flavour, creamy and delicious. Serve as burgers or use the same ingredients (minus the buns) to make wraps or bun‑less burgers (use some iceberg lettuce leaves as the bun).

Recipe
Hoisin Salmon Sesame Cucumber Salad

Smashing the cucumbers gives them maximum surface area to absorb the delicious dressing in this salad. Topped with falling‑apart baked salmon, this dish is light, quick and tasty.

Recipe
Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Welcome summer into your kitchen with these moreish tacos. The mango salsa is the perfect balance of sweet, zesty and flavoursome (try not to eat it all before it gets to the table!)

Looking for more recipes?

See all recipes
penguin pop image
penguin pop image