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You are here: Home / Recipes / Appetizers / Sweet Bacon & Broccoli Salad

Sweet Bacon & Broccoli Salad

5 Oct

Broccoli. A vegetable that is really difficult to eat raw. Have you ever noticed that the grocery store is NEVER out of broccoli? It’s not coincidental – it’s because most (normal) people don’t like broccoli. That is a fact. I struggle eating broccoli as a snack and grudgingly throw it in a salad because I feel like I have to – it’s so nutritious. So I pondered, how can I make broccoli a sweet, savory addiction? How about adding bacon, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a sweet date/honey/dijon dressing? DING DING!

Pin it!

An addicting, healthy broccoli salad - paired with savory bacon, honey dijon dressing and sunflower seeds

The hubs really hates broccoli (or anything green for that matter). So when he requested this dish again, the heavens opened, angels sang hallelujah, and I did some MAJOR fist pumping.

Side note: I actually ate this for breakfast one morning. Seriously. A word of caution, don’t try this with coffee. I mean, it’s delicious and all, but paired with coffee… BLEH! Kind of like having coffee RIGHT after you brush your teeth – worst idea ever.

Back to broccoli…

This sweet bacon and broccoli salad is a wonderful combination of crunchy, sweet, and savory. It makes powering through a serving a broccoli so easy. In fact, I could eat bowls upon bowls of this in no time flat.

Plus, it’s one of those dishes that gets better with time, so make a few hours or even a day ahead. Bring it to your next get-together, but don’t tell anyone you are bringing a broccoli salad (you might get dis-invited). Just show up, encourage everyone to try it, and be prepared to be invited to a lot more foodie gatherings.

To start, cut a head of broccoli into small, bite-sized florets and set aside. In a large pan, cook bacon on medium/high heat until slightly crispy. Remove the bacon from that pan and set on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up excess grease. Set aside to cool, then cut into small pieces.

Bacon adds a salty, savory element to the best broccoli salad you'll ever taste!
Next, pour ½ cup water into saucepan and set on high. Once the water is boiling, add the dates and reduce the heat, bringing the water to a simmer. The dates will begin to soften in approximately 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the remaining dressing ingredients to the pot. Transfer to a small food processor or blender and puree until well combined. Add a dash more water if the mixture is too thick. Set aside to cool.

Boiled dates and honey dijon make a perfect dressing for a sweet bacon & broccoli salad
Homemade dressing for a healthy, tasty, sweet bacon & broccoli salad
In a large bowl, add the broccoli florets, bacon bits, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over the broccoli mix and stir to coat.

Sweet bacon & broccoli salad

This sweet bacon and broccoli salad is free of refined sugar and preservatives, it’s paleo, and can even be a great vegan dish if you simply omit the bacon. The best part? It’s delish. Like husband-approved delish. So you know it’s a winner!

Crunchy broccoli, savory bacon and sweet dressing make an amazing, healthy broccoli salad

Time Saver Tip

Cut broccoli florets ahead of time and pre-cook and chop the bacon. Store in the refrigerator for easy assembly once you are ready to make.

Print

Sweet Bacon & Broccoli Salad

An addicting, healthy broccoli salad - paired with savory bacon, honey dijon dressing and sunflower seeds

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

  • Yield: 6 cups 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 head broccoli, cut into florets (about 6 cups)
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 1/8 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:

  • 5 dates
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons light olive oil

Instructions

  1. Cut a head of broccoli into small, bite-sized florets. Set aside.
  2. In a large pan, cook bacon on medium/high heat, until slightly crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set on a plate covered with paper towel to soak up any excess grease. Set aside to cool, then cut into small pieces.
  3. Pour ½ cup water in to saucepan and set on high. Once the water is boiling, add the dates and reduce the heat so the water can simmer. The dates will begin to soften around 2-3 minutes.
  4. Turn off the heat and add the remaining dressing ingredients to the pot.
  5. Transfer to a small food processor or blender and puree until well combined. Add a dash more water if the mixture is too thick. Set aside to cool.
  6. In a large bowl, add the broccoli florets, bacon bits, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over the broccoli mix and stir, coating with the dressing.
  7. Store in the refrigerator at least a half hour before serving.

 

Sweetened with dates & raw honey and topped with savory bacon, this paleo sweet bacon & broccoli salad will knock your socks off!
Chrissa
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31 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes, Sides Tagged With: bacon, broccoli, dates, paleo[heart_this]

About Chrissa

I'm Chrissa - a lover of cooking, hater of spiders, fitness enthusiast, red lipstick wearer, mom and wife. Here you will find healthy recipes the family will love, step-by-step workout tutorials, meal planning guides and wellness tips.

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Comments

  1. Erica says

    October 5, 2015 at 6:24 am

    OMG yum!! I’m ALWAYS looking for healthy but delicious sides to brings to potlucks, and this would be absolutely perfect!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:19 pm

      Definitely would be perfect Erica! Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kat says

    October 5, 2015 at 7:01 am

    If my husband ever requests a healthy dish, I buy the ingredients in bulk and make that stuff till he hates it. No really…my husband wanting something healthy is a monumental experience in our lives 😉
    Im not a bacon fan [I know, I know…can we still be friends?] but everything else about this recipes sounds out.of.this.world! I love that the dressing uses dates as a thickener/sweetener. Sounds so stinking good!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:25 pm

      Sigh, yes we CAN still be friends. I’ll make an exception for you 😉 Our hubbies sound waaaaay too similar to not be friends! I hope you (and the hubby) love this Kat!

      Reply
  3. Melanie @ Nutritious Eats says

    October 5, 2015 at 7:33 am

    I love broccoli salad, but don’t like the mayo based ones. This dressing sounds perfect and we all know bacon makes everything better!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:28 pm

      Ditto Melanie! I am not a fan of salads with packaged dressings poured on them either. Bleh. Glad we can agree on this 😉

      Reply
  4. Blair @ The Seasoned Mom says

    October 5, 2015 at 7:55 am

    I love sweet broccoli salads like this — especially when they involve BACON. 🙂 Can’t wait to try your dressing. I love that you used dates to make it sweet. SO darn smart!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:31 pm

      EVERYTHING is better with bacon (and dates)!! Thanks Blair!

      Reply
  5. Cierra says

    October 5, 2015 at 7:57 am

    Bless you for posting this when you did.

    We have a bunch of broccoli in the kitchen, and I was going to use a good chunk of it to make general tso’s broccoli and fried tofu… But noooow…. I will be making this delicious-looking salad!

    Wow wow wow, and YUM!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:36 pm

      YAY use that broccoli goodness and save the General Tso’s for later 😉 But I’m just at tiny bit biased towards this sweet bacon & broccoli salad 😉 Thanks so much Cierra. Let me know how it turned out!

      Reply
  6. Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen says

    October 5, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Ummm this looks amazing. I’m not ashamed to say I like me some bacon. Pinning for later! Sounds like a great “dish-to-pass” option 😀

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:40 pm

      Whoo hoo – thanks Ashley! Bacon makes everything just so darn awesome.

      Reply
  7. Ros Emely@stressfreemommies says

    October 5, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    This is such a great recipe, my kids love broccoli and I am pretty sure they will love this! Thanks for this deliciousness 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:42 pm

      Thanks so much Ros!

      Reply
  8. Leah says

    October 5, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Looks so yummy! I love a good broccoli salad, and with bacon? Yes, please!

    Reply
  9. Ashleigh says

    October 5, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    My family is going to love this recipe… in fact, I might eat it all before they get any! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe! I can’t wait!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:51 pm

      I so hope they love this Ashleigh! Keep me posted if this was a success in your house like it is in mine! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Jamie | The Kitchenarium says

    October 5, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    My family would LOVE this.

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:53 pm

      I hope they do Jamie! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  11. Shar says

    October 5, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    Invited to a friends home for dinner this weekend.. I know what I am bringing to share!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 5, 2015 at 7:53 pm

      Perfect idea Shar!

      Reply
  12. Jessie, FlusteredMom says

    October 6, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    Looks delicious Chrissa! My boys go crazy for anything with bacon but add broccoli and sunflower seeds and they’ll be ecstatic.

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 7, 2015 at 2:31 pm

      Oh my gosh, your boys love broccoli?! You must have done something right momma! Enjoy!

      Reply
  13. GiGi Eats says

    October 6, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    Bacon makes everything taste 2384923424932498x better – and that dressing, well that took it to a whole other level!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 7, 2015 at 2:37 pm

      No, bacon makes everything 2384923424932498 TIMES TEN better. We can go back and forth on the numbers, but at least we agree that bacon and this dressing is pretty amaze-tastic.

      Reply
  14. Kathryn With Going Zero Waste says

    October 9, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    Mmmmm! This looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 11, 2015 at 2:34 pm

      Thanks Kathryn. Wait till you try it – delicious as it looks!

      Reply
  15. Betsy @ Happily Ever After, Etc. says

    October 13, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    I absolutely love brocelli but my hubby isn’t that big of a fan. I never know what to do with it other than the traditional steam… this looks perfect! Thanks for linking up with us last week at the Welcome Home Wednesday Linky Party! Can’t wait to see what you share at our next link party tomorrow morning!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      October 14, 2015 at 6:55 pm

      Hopefully your hubby will covert to lover-of-broccoli like mine did after trying this Betsy! It’s amazing what a few dates and some bacon will do. Thank you for stopping by and hosting such a great link party!

      Reply
  16. Jessica says

    July 3, 2017 at 8:15 am

    Sorry if this is a stupid question, but do you drain the bacon fat before adding dressing ingredients?

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      July 8, 2017 at 9:42 am

      No a stupid question! You’ll use a bit of that bacon fat/grease for the dressing, discard the rest.

      Reply

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