The Easiest Broccoli Salad Recipe| All Things Mamma (2024)

FAQs

How to make brocoli salad? ›

Whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Toss salad ingredients with dressing: Combine broccoli florets, almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well.

The salad is better if you blanch the broccoli. “Blanching” is a cooking term that means dunking it in boiling water (or cooking it in the microwave) just briefly, so the broccoli turns bright green and loses its woody quality. It becomes softer, your mouth doesn't have to fight with it and the flavors meld better.

Chop the broccoli florets into ½-inch pieces and any remaining stems into ¼-inch dice. Peel any woody or course parts from the stem first.

Broccoli can be eaten raw, but blanching it quickly in boiling water helps give it a more crisp-tender texture and bring out its flavor. Broccoli can also be steamed, sautéed, and roasted. You could even throw long spears on the grill!

The bottom line. Broccoli is a nutrient-packed vegetable that can be eaten safely either raw or cooked. Cooking may enhance the antioxidant activity of broccoli, but it may also reduce its content of certain heat-sensitive nutrients, such as vitamin C and sulforaphane.

Yes, dogs can eat broccoli. Dogs can eat the vegetable both cooked and raw, as long as there are no seasonings or oils added. However, this vegetable should always be given in very small quantities, especially because the florets contain isothiocyanates, which can cause gastric irritation in dogs.

A recipe with broccoli isn't going to fail if you're off by a bit. (If you really prefer weight, this nutrition data says a cup chopped is 91 grams, so 8 cups might be a bit over 700 grams.)

Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins C, K, and A. It also contains several important minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and iron. Broccoli contains several antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, β-carotene, and various flavonoids [12,13].

You may find that frozen broccoli that hasn't been blanched doesn't have as good of a taste or texture in recipes. However, it's usually fine in soups and stews, especially blended soups where it's not as crucial to have florets with a specific texture.

How long do I blanch broccoli for? ›

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Carefully lower the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green and just barely tender. With a slotted spoon, remove the broccoli and immediately plunge into the ice water.

Once the water is boiling, add the broccoli florets to the pot. Cook the broccoli, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes. You'll know the broccoli is done when it's bright green and crisp-tender. Drain the broccoli into a colander, transfer it to a plate, and season it as you like.

Chop your broccoli after you cook it – not before

Even better, once it's been boiled for a bit, it's so easy to remove all the florets with just a single slice of a knife. To try this tip yourself, place the whole broccoli head, floret side down, in a large pan of boiling water, and cook for 10 minutes.

A vegetable salad can be made in many different ways – with raw vegetables, with boiled or steamed vegetable and also with grilled veggies. Whatever way you make it, a vegetable salad is absolutely great for your body as it increases the intake of your veggies.

Boiling will remove up to 90% of broccoli's nutrients, so prepare it a similar way, such as blanching. First, get a bowl of ice water ready next to the stove. Boil water in a pot, add salt, and cook broccoli florets for 1-1½ minutes until they're just tender. Quickly cool them in the ice water.