Broccoli Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
This is not your average side dish. My Broccoli Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette recipe came to play! This salad is crispy, fresh, savoury, tangy and couldn’t be more delicious! It’s loaded with broccoli florets, smoky bacon, tart cranberries and crunchy sunflower seeds and is tossed in a zesty mustard vinaigrette. Dressed to impress?! I think so! Who knew raw broccoli could taste this good!
My Broccoli Salad recipe starts off with a couple of heads or crowns of broccoli. This nutrient dense vegetable is packed with fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. Consuming it in its raw state maximizes its healthy properties. Broccoli florets are the star of the show when it comes to this salad recipe. They’re crispy, crunchy, fluffy and soften and tenderize when coated in vinaigrette. Waste not, want not! The broccoli stalks are reserved for later use and can be incorporated into a soup, stir fry or vegetable tray bake for an extra fibre boost.
The broccoli florets are then tossed into a large mixing bowl alongside an onion, cooked bacon, dried fruits and seeds. A red onion is added to the mix, giving this salad some added sharpness, spiciness, sweetness and little extra crunch. You can’t have broccoli salad without a generous portion of cooked bacon. It’s crispy, crunchy, salty, savoury and smokey and let’s be honest, bacon makes everything better! Dried cranberries and sunflower seeds give this salad a chewy and crispy texture and sweet, tangy and nutty flavour.
This Broccoli Salad gets upgraded with a bright, tangy and zesty vinaigrette. This easy salad dressing recipe includes rich olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and garlic powder. It’s all about the drizzle! The vinaigrette is drizzled over top of the broccoli salad, and the ingredients are tossed until fully coated. All the ingredients combine to create a crispy, crunchy, fresh, savoury, sweet, tart, tangy and satisfying bite! Refrigerate this salad for 60 minutes to allow the broccoli to soften and for the flavours to meld! Like a fine wine, this Broccoli Salad gets better with age!
This salad recipe proves that eating broccoli can be fun! My Broccoli Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette comes together with just 20 minutes of prep, uses a handful of simple and everyday ingredients and couldn’t be easier to make! Enjoy it for brunch, lunch, dinner or as a snack. It's meal prep 101! Simply refrigerate it and enjoy it for the next few days! So let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!
For more fun and exciting salad ideas, try my Crispy Feta Salad, Lentil Salad, Raw Carrot Salad, Autumn Brussel Sprout Salad and Asparagus and Snap Pea Salad recipes!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes (includes 1 hour of inactive time for chilling)
Serves: 8
Broccoli Salad
2 medium heads of broccoli (approx. 1 ½ lbs) (See Notes below)
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
10 slices cooked bacon, roughly chopped (See Notes below)
½ cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
Dijon Vinaigrette
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
Grab the heads of broccoli and cut or snap off the florets. Set aside the smaller florets and cut the medium florets in half and the larger in quarters. Rinse, pat or spin dry and set aside.
To a small mason jar or bowl, add the olive oil, rice vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover and shake or whisk until fully incorporated.
To a large mixing bowl, add the broccoli florets, onions, cooked bacon, cranberries and sunflower seeds.
Pour the Dijon vinaigrette overtop and toss until combined.
Refrigerate for 60 minutes to allow the broccoli to soften and for the flavours to meld and serve and enjoy!
Notes:
What to do with the Remaining Broccoli Stalks: If you’re looking to add a little more fibre to this dish, simply toss chopped broccoli stalks into the salad. But, before doing so, be mindful that the stalk’s outer skin can be fibrous and woody. To tackle this problem, using a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, remove the tough outer skin and discard and cut the remaining broccoli stalks into short and thin matchsticks. If you would like to keep this salad floret-based, reserve the broccoli stalks and add them to a coleslaw, stir fry, vegetable tray bake or blend them into a soup.
Don’t Go Bacon My Heart: If you love bacon but don’t enjoy the cooking or clean up process, then I’ve got a solution for you - my Simple Oven Bacon recipe. This recipe will teach you how to make the most succulent and crispy bacon in the oven in just 30 minutes. Follow the recipe, omitting the seasoning and hot honey, and you’ll have yourself perfectly cooked bacon in no time! Bacon slices come in all shapes and sizes - thinner slices require a shorter cook time while thicker cuts benefit from a little more heat. Be sure to keep an eye on the bacon during the last few minutes of cook time, as the colour changes quickly.
