Crunchy Bacon & Broccoli Salad with Creamy Orange Dressing
This Paleo Crunchy Bacon & Broccoli Salad with Creamy Orange Dressing is a healthy and delicious salad made with shredded carrot, red onion and bacon with an orange and red wine vinegar dressing. This salad is Paleo, Whole30, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and Grain Free.
I know what you are thinking….broccoli salad?? I am basically taking the two most hated words for anyone resistant to healthy eating, broccoli and salad, and putting them together in one dish.
It turns out that all you need is a handful of other ingredients to turn a boring broccoli salad into a flavour packed salad even the pickiest eaters will enjoy.
The first step to making a good paleo broccoli salad is blanching the broccoli. This quick and easy step maintains the vibrant colour and slightly crisp texture, while making the florets more flavourful and easier to digest.
Just a few simple ingredients including chopped bacon, sunflower seeds, red onion and shredded carrot really up the flavour and texture of the salad. Although the broccoli is a fantastic base for the salad, it’s the addition of all of the other ingredients that keep you going back for bite after bite.
I find that creamy dressings can either be delicious and highly addicting, or thick and gross. By thinning out the mayonnaise base with orange juice and vinegar, it remains creamy, without being sickly rich. I really like the sweetness that orange juice and zest bring to this Paleo Broccoli Salad.
Unlike a lot of other salads, leftovers are absolutely delicious! The broccoli florets soak up some of the dressing making them even more flavourful.
Here are a few other salad recipes you will love:
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad
- Grilled Zucchini & Asparagus Salad
- Grilled Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chorizo
- Carrot Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
- Greek Salad with Cauliflower Couscous
- Chinese Chicken Salad
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Crunchy Bacon & Broccoli Salad with Creamy Orange Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets (approx 1 large head)
- 200 grams cooked bacon or pancetta roughly chopped
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Dressing
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and create an ice bath by filling a bowl with ice cubes and cold water.
- Once the water is boiling add in the broccoli florets and cook for just 2 minutes (no longer!!). After 2 minutes transfer the broccoli to the ice bath and let completely cool. Drain the florets and allow to dry.
- In a large bowl add the broccoli florets, chopped bacon, red onion, shredded carrot and sunflower seeds.
- In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and add more orange juice (for sweetness) or vinegar (for acidity) until it meets your liking.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper before serving.
Nutrition
Really good. I added avocado as I can’t eat seeds at present.
Many thanks.
Wow… So simple but amazing! Used white onion instead of red and apple cider vinegar instead of red wine. I also added more orange juice and it was perfect!
I made this yesterday and it was great! I had to substitute a few things, as I didn’t have time to go to the store. I used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds. Also, I was out of carrots, so I skipped them. Otherwise, I followed the directions as written. The vinaigrette was really nice and light!
I bet pumpkin seeds tasted great in this salad. So happy to hear you liked it!