Name: Easy & Healthy Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 3 small heads); 3 slices center-cut bacon; 1 cup [Light Buttermilk Ranch Dressing| https://lifewithbrooke.com/light-buttermilk-ranch/]; ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese; juice of ½ a lemon; ¼ teaspoon salt; black pepper (to taste)

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Looking for an easy & healthy Broccoli Salad with Bacon recipe? This is not only a delicious recipe for a healthy broccoli salad, but it also has bacon! Once you make it, it will become a family recipe that you make often.

Many broccoli salads with bacon recipes that you find online are calorie and fat heavy. While these recipes might have their place, it isn’t something you want to eat often when you are following a healthy lifestyle.

How do you make broccoli salad creamy?

Once you make the Light Buttermilk Ranch Dressing add it to the salad ingredients, the salad has a creamy dressing. The dressing is a lighter version of traditional ranch dressing to help maintain a healthy broccoli salad.

Variations to Healthy Broccoli Salad

When it comes to a salad, adding anything you love to eat is the way to go. A salad is a great way to add in extra vegetables.

Carrots – Carrots are always good in a salad. Broccoli and carrots are great together and carrots work well with the creamy dressing.
Raisins or Cranberries – The raisins and cranberries add a nice contrast in flavor and texture. The raisins and cranberries will also soak up some of the dressing and it gives it a great taste.
Sunflowers – Sunflowers add a nice crunch to the healthy broccoli salad

What dressing goes on broccoli salad?

For this easy broccoli salad, we are making our own light buttermilk ranch dressing. It comes together easily in a food processor. Using this lighter version of ranch dressing, it gives the broccoli salad with bacon a creamy taste while still being lower in fat and calories.

Ingredients to make Easy & Healthy Broccoli Salad with Bacon at home

fresh broccoli florets about 3 small heads
bacon
Light Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Parmesan cheese
lemon
Salt and black pepper

How do you make easy broccoli salad?

Preheat the oven to 400° F and evenly spread the broccoli on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the broccoli is soft and slightly charred. Line a second rimmed baking sheet with foil, and place a cooling rack on top of the foil. Lay the bacon strips on the rack and bake for 10-15 minutes, until desired crispness. The bacon will be done before the broccoli. When cool enough to touch, crumble the bacon and set aside. When the broccoli is finished, cool it in the refrigerator and wait to use it until it is completely cooled.

Meanwhile, make the ranch dressing by combining all of the ingredients together in a food processor and mixing until smooth. (Halve the existing recipe!). When the broccoli is cool, mix it together in a large bowl with the ranch dressing, Parmesan, and bacon. Squeeze the lemon juice over it, season it with salt and pepper, and toss gently to evenly coat.

Recipe

broccoli salad with bacon served in dish

Recipe

5 from 2 votes

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