Healthy Broccoli Salad (with Greek Yogurt!)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings:

Calories: 215kcal

Author: Lauren

This Healthy Broccoli Salad is packed with crunchy broccoli, salty bacon, sunflower seeds, sweet raisins and the most delicious creamy greek yogurt dressing. This fresh and flavorful salad is lightened up from the classic mayo-heavy side dish and will be your go-to dish all summer long.

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Ingredients

24- oz. broccoli florets cut into bite-size pieces ~8 cups
5 strips bacon (60g) cooked & crumbled ~1/2 cup
1/2 cup raisins (80g) or dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (60g) roasted & salted
1/2 cup finely diced red onion (60g)
1/2 cup light mayo (120g)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (120g)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (60g)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (15g)
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Cook the Bacon:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up!) Add the bacon slices and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until crispy. When done, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Then crumble into small pieces.

Blanch the Broccoli:

(Optional but recommended step!) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt. Once boiling, add broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Then immediately transfer broccoli to a colander with ice and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Use a paper towel to dry the broccoli completely.

Making the Dressing:

To a small bowl, add the mayo, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, vinegar and black pepper. Add a pinch of salt and whisk to combine.

Make the Broccoli Salad:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli, raisins, red onion, and cooked bacon. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and stir until everything is well combined. Best if chilled in the fridge for at least an hour before serving!

Notes

Target has the BEST pre-cut broccoli to save time!

VARIATIONS:

Cheese: add shredded cheese or goat cheese
Fruit: grapes, blueberries, cranberries
Different nuts!

SAVE TIME: with pre-cut broccoli florets instead of whole heads of broccoli and make your bacon in advance or use the real bacon pieces (not bits!) available in the salad dressing section at your grocery store.

FOR BEST RESULTS:

Blanching the broccoli is totally optional, but I highly recommend it! I love broccoli with a tender, crisp bite (versus just straight raw taste) so we’re only cooking it for a minute! However, it’s more than fine to skip that step and just use raw florets.
Make the salad in advance so the flavors have a chance to come together. At least 1-2 hours of chilling but can be made up to a day in advance.

Nutrition