On top of it being full-blown summer, the USA is also experiencing a heatwave at the moment. Yep. Lucky us! Scorcher of a summer indeed. When stepping outside the house feels like stepping into an oven, the only solution for a hungry tummy (in my opinion) is salad. Crisp and cool veggies is the one and only thing that satisfies my tastebuds at times like these and this kickass Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Salad with Pesto Mayo is currently #1 on my go-to list – whether as a big-ass-salad for lunch or an accompaniment to dinner.
Mr. Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Salad here is inspired by one of my aunt Deidré’s signature recipes and trust me, it’s always a BIG hit at family get-togethers and dinner parties. Although we’ve made one or two minor changes – it’s still her magical creation. So, let’s all take a quick moment to say “Thank you, Deidré, for allowing Living Chirpy to share this marvellous creation with the world!”. 😄🙏🏼
Quick steamed broccoli is left to cool down and then mixed with crisp spring mix lettuce, green peas, green peppers, crisp chopped bacon and cubed mild cheddar cheese. Finally, toss it together with an easy Basil Pesto Mayo and you’re left with is a simple, but gobble-down-good salad. As a person that loves herself a big ol’ salad, even I can admit that salad in general doesn’t really qualify as “gobble-down-good” (a description usually given to things smothered in cheese sauce or melted chocolate).
This salad here is different though, and yes, I know that everybody likes to think that their salad is different, but this one really is and you’re just going to have to take my word for it (and the word of our baby who gave me a lot of little kicks after I ate this and I’m pretty sure we’ll all agree that in universal fetus language, this means “thank you for the delicious meal mom!”… right? 🤔).
Speaking of baby – there’s only about 4 months left in the oven for this little one, and it is…. *drum roll*, a boooyyy!! Pretty exciting stuff. I am sooo happy to finally be able to buy some adorable little outfits, and as hard as it’s going to be – I’m going to need to pace myself or this baby boy will have enough adorable outfits to last until he is able to feed himself this yummy salad. (It’s going to be his favorite, I’m pretty sure of it!).
If you’re looking for more fun salad ideas, check out these recipes:
- Simple Cucumber Salad
- Loaded Sweet Corn Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Bacon, Mushrooms and Green Pepper
- Super Green Salad with Parsley Lime Dressing
- 2 • cups broccoli [steamed for 5 minutes and left to cool down]
- 6 • strips of bacon [cooked crispy cooled and chopped]
- 1 • medium green pepper [small diced approximately 1 cup]
- 1 cup • frozen green peas [rinse under warm water until thawed]
- 2/3 cup • medium cheddar [cut into bitesize cubes]
- 2 cups • spring mix lettuce
- 1/4 cup • mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp • basil pesto
- to taste • salt and pepper
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For the pesto mayo: Mix the mayonnaise and basil pesto together.
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For the salad: Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and toss together with the pesto mayo. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
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Enjoy!
Pin it! Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Salad!
I would like to make contact with you so we could talk about S A. We have spent some time there in Alldays
This looks excellent, and delicious. Just the type of thing you want after a long hot day!
Thanks Matt! 🙂
How much cheese do I use? It’s not included on the recipe.
Hi, thanks for bringing that to my attention! I’ve just updated the recipe. I used about 2/3 cup of cubed cheddar. 🙂
can this be made ahead of time and chilled in the fridge? I wasn’t sure if the lettuce would get soggy, or if it would make it taste even yummier 🙂
Hey Katie! To be honest, I think the lettuce would definitely get soggy if you do that. I have a weird thing about soggy lettuce haha, but if you’re not too bothered by it, it could be worth a shot. Otherwise, I would just chill the salad and the Basil Pesto Mayo separately, then mix it up quickly before serving 🙂
Do you have the nutrition info for this recipe?