Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Salad with Basil Pesto Mayo

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:

1. Simple Cucumber Salad
2. Loaded Sweet Corn Salad
3. Quinoa Salad with Bacon, Mushrooms and Green Pepper
4. Super Green Salad with Parsley Lime Dressing

Broccoli Salad With Bacon

A simple recipe for the best Broccoli Salad with Bacon plus a bunch of other delicous fresh ingredients. Only 20 Minutes and 8 Simple Ingredients. Keto. Low-Carb. Gluten-Free.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 251kcal

Author: Roche Woodworth

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets (cut into small bite-sized florets)
• 6 bacon strips
• 1 green pepper (chopped small, approximately 1 cup)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2/3 cup medium cheddar (cut into small cubes)
• 2 cups spring mix lettuce (break bigger leaves into smaller pieces)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp basil pesto (use diet compliant pesto, or make your own)
• to taste salt and pepper

Instructions

For The Pesto Mayonnaise:

• Mix the mayonnaise and basil pesto together.

For The Salad:

• Bring a pot of well salted water to a rapid boil.
• While waiting for the water to boil for you can start by cooking bacon in a pan until crispy. Set aside on a papertowel to cook down.
• When the water boils, add the broccoli florets and cook for exactly 5 minutes. When done, use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli from the water. Set aside to cool.
• In the same pot of boiling water, add the frozen peas and boil for approximately 2-3 minutes (check instructions on the package).
• Chop the bacon in small pieces and then layer all the ingredients in a large salad bowl.
• Drizzle the pesto mayo over the salad. If you’d like - toss everything together before serving.

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Tips and Tricks:

1. It’s important to not over-cook the broccoli. They still need to have a slight crunch.

2. You can add a little bit of milk to the pesto mayo if it’s too thick to drizzle.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1512IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg

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