Bodacious Broccoli Salad (with Bacon and Chipotle Mayo Dressing)

Your (grand)ma's broccoli salad gets a bold flavor update in this Bodacious Broccoli Salad with a homemade chipotle mayo dressing and the addition of Tex-Mex ingredients.

Broccoli salad was one of those sides that I always politely ignored, despite its near-inevitable appearance at almost every potluck I’ve ever attended.

Because AGAIN with the mayo.

No one knows more about defeating the purpose of eating a vegetable by coating it with mayo than a Minnesotan does. I kid, I kid! If I didn’t poke fun at my fellow Minnesotans, how else would they know that I like them?

But seriously, broccoli salad is pretty damn good. It’s one of those minimalist salads that has surprisingly more flavor than you’d anticipate. I mistakenly judged the broccoli salad book by its cover for far too long.

Jump to:

• What is broccoli salad?
• What ingredients do I need to make a Bodacious Broccoli Salad?
• Instructions
• Variations
• Substitutions
• Bodacious Broccoli Salad (with Bacon and Chipotle Mayo Dressing)

What is broccoli salad?

Broccoli salad is made with broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces, and dressed with a mayo-based dressing. Sort of like a broccoli coleslaw if you will, but with broccoli florets. It also typically contains a few other ingredients, like sunflower seeds, bacon crumbles, minced onions, shredded carrots, etc.

I was flipping through an old church cookbook (one of the many in my collection) recently and came across my grandma’s recipe for broccoli salad.

How cute is this!? Circa 1993 and spiral-bound!

The recipe calls for just seven ingredients, including the dressing. Easy.

Of course, that got me thinking. How amazing would this salad become by adding some south-of-the-border flavors?

Rhetorical question. The answer, of course, is very. Why not a Broccoli Salad with a Chipolte Mayo dressing? 

I didn’t want to complicate things too much, as the beauty of broccoli salad lies in its simplicity. Pretty impressive really how you can transform the flavor of raw broccoli with just a few ingredients.  

Some broccoli salad recipes call for the addition of apples or dried cranberries, something to give it a hint of sweetness. Mini sweet peppers provide a subtle hint of sweet and a lovely crunch (and red and orange peppers give a beautiful pop of color). I decided to added shredded cheddar cheese to the mix, because, well, cheese. And instead of sunflower seeds, pepitas lend a Mexican flair.

What ingredients do I need to make a Bodacious Broccoli Salad?

For the base ingredients in this broccoli salad you will need:

• Broccoli
• Bacon
• Pepitas
• Red onion
• Sweet peppers
• Cheddar cheese

As for the dressing, chipotle en adobo peppers impart a beautiful smokiness with a touch of heat. While my grandma’s recipe doesn’t specify the type of vinegar, I’m assuming white. Though I opted for the mellower, slightly sweet tang of apple cider vinegar for this recipe. And should you have some Mexican oregano lying around, toss in a pinch or two to add a subtle earthiness.

Chipotle Mayo Dressing Ingredients

• Mayo
• Apple cider vinegar
• Sugar
• Chipotle en adobo pepper
• Mexican oregano (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Chipotle Mayo Dressing

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender, and process/blend until combined.

Bodacious Broccoli Salad

1. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Add about half or so of the dressing and stir.
2. Assess the level of dressed-ness, and add more, a bit at a time, until you achieve the dressing level desired. Stir until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In my opinion, Bodacious Broccoli Salad is best eaten the day of, but it's also fantastic the next day.

And with those few additions/modifications, I present to you this Bodacious Broccoli Salad. Slightly more effort than my grandma’s recipe, but worth it for the bold chipotle flavor twist.  

Variations

• You can easily make this Bodacious Broccoli Salad vegetarian-friendly by leaving the bacon out.
• If you don't like the idea of using a mayo-based dressing, I feel you. This Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette would be PERFECT on this salad.
• Leave out the bacon, the cheese, and use this Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette to make a vegan-friendly broccoli salad.
• Fire it up by adding jalapeno peppers or red pepper flakes.

Substitutions

You can make several substitutions and still wind up with a simple yet stunning salad. Here are a few you can make:

• Broccoli is of course the star here, but it can share the spotlight with cauliflower if you'd like to add it in.
• I like the flair of pepitas here, but you can use trusty sunflower seeds or slivered almonds.
• Yellow or white onion, spring onion, or shallot can be used instead of red onion.
• Go ahead and swap any type of bell pepper for the sweet peppers.
• I kept it simple with cheddar cheese, but you could also opt for pepper jack or Colby, or use a crumbly cheese like feta.

You might also like these savory salad recipes:

• Corny Quinoa Salad with Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette
• Cruciferous Crunch Salad
• Tuna Tortellini Salad
• Jalapeno Top Ramen Salad
• Spicy Watermelon Feta Salad

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