Pavlina's Broccoli Salad with Cheese and Bacon

You'll never see raw broccoli the same way again once you make this salad! Raw broccoli is so dry and hard to eat, but the simple dressing that goes into this salad makes it feel almost like the broccoli is partially cooked, but it's not! I'm addicted to this salad!

You can also make this with different cheeses. How about adding some croutons? It'll be like a broccoli Caesar! When Pavlina first brought it over, she used a white cheese. The second time I made it I added some Frenches fried onions, but if you're using those, you need to add them at the last minute or they'll get soggy. 

Above: Pavlina's broccoli salad with cheese and bacon from Christmas 2022. She added apples this time.

I always cook my bacon in the oven on foil, then bake at 425F until crisp.

Set it on paper towel before breaking it up. No messy stove!

 

Here's one I made with crispy fried onions on top.

Pavlina's Broccoli Salad with Cheese and Bacon
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar (you can also use balsamic)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• black pepper
• 1 head of broccoli, washed and cut into bite size pieces
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
• 3 strips of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• Frenches fried onions or croutons (optional)

Directions

1. Mix the mayo, vinegar, brown sugar and pepper in a large bowl until combined. You shouldn't need salt if your bacon is already salty. Taste it and decide for yourself.
2. Stir the broccoli into the dressing and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Make sure the broccoli is dry first. I place mine on paper towel for a bit once it's washed and cut up.
3. Next, stir in most of the bacon and cheese (reserving some for the top if you want). Refrigerate until ready to serve. The sooner you serve it the crispier the bacon will be, but I like eating it the next day too!