Whenever we have potlucks or parties, my mom always brings a salad. That makes life super easy for me because then I don’t ever have to worry about making one. One of the best salads she makes is broccoli salad.

It’s a big hit every time she makes it. I mean, it’s a broccoli salad with bacon. Who wouldn’t love it?

We were heading to a party recently, and I was asked to bring an appetizer or a side. My parents were in Florida and the party was in North Carolina, so they weren’t coming. That meant no guarantee of a salad at the party. So I decided to make broccoli salad.

It was then that I realized I have never once made broccoli salad. Mom to the rescue. I texted her and she sent me her recipe and a few tips.

To make your life easier, I added her tips at the end of the post. That’s followed by a few answers to common questions 

Broccoli Salad

What You’ll Need:

• 2 heads broccoli (8 cups)
• 1/2 pound bacon
• Small red onion
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

What You’ll Do:

Cook your bacon. Then, set it off on the side to cool.

Wash and chop the broccoli. Put it in a large container.

Chop the red onion into small pieces and put the onion in the container with the broccoli.

Crumble your bacon and put the bacon in the container as well.

In a separate container, mix together the sugar, mayo, and red wine vinegar to create a dressing.

Drizzle the dressing on top of the broccoli mixture.

Stir until everything is combined.

Cover the container and let it sit in the fridge overnight so the broccoli absorbs the dressing’s flavor.

Tips For Making Broccoli Salad

My mom had two tips for the recipe.

– Mix the sugar, mayo, and vinegar to make the dressing in the bottom of the container first. Then mix the broccoli and onion in that same container. That saves you from having to clean up a second container.

– Reserve the bacon crumbles and put them on at the last minute. Basically, don’t mix the broccoli in until the next day. When I texted her back with an “oops” because I already had the bacon in the salad, she said that was fine. It gets soggy quick anyway and it will still be delicious, is basically the exact quote of confidence she gave me.

And she was right. As always, the salad was a big hit and there were no leftovers for us to take home for lunch during the week.

What Kind Of Container Should You Use For Broccoli Salad?

Broccoli Salad needs to be made in a large container with a lid. My mom has been using a Tupperware container to make this for as long as I can remember.

The closest equivalent that I can find to her container is this Tupperware Snack N Stor Keeper. Don’t worry about the fact that the container is plastic. It’s BPA free.

This container is 12 x 9 x 2.5, and it fits the Broccoli Salad perfectly. Any smaller container would require a smaller recipe. So just keep that in mind if you’re using a different container.

Do you need to cook broccoli for Broccoli Salad?

Broccoli Salad is best served with raw broccoli. There’s no reason to cook the broccoli, so save your time and energy.

The Broccoli Salad’s dressing with soften the broccoli a little bit overnight as the broccoli absorbs the dressing’s flavor. So the broccoli will still have a little crunch to it, but not as much as plain, raw broccoli does.

How should you cut the broccoli for Broccoli Salad?

You want a long, sharp knife to cut the broccoli for Broccoli Salad. Start by chopping off the stalk, right where the stems start growing out of the stalk. The stalk, by the way, is the long, thick piece that keeps the broccoli onto the plant. You can save it to make soup or something like that, but you don’t need it for broccoli salad.

After you remove the stalk, you’re left with the crown, also known as the head or the curd, of the broccoli. The crown has the stems, florets, and buds). Cut each floret separately, then give them all a once over with the knife. You want to chop them into small pieces. If you’re not that dainty with a knife, cut the floret in half, then cut each half into two or three pieces (depending on how large the floret was) and it’s good to go.

How long does Broccoli Salad last?

With our friends? Not very long. Broccoli Salad is basically done by the time our potlucks are. I always wished it lasted a little longer, as far as leftovers go, so we could enjoy this for an easy lunch. But that never happens.

But, as far as making this ahead of time, Broccoli Salad will last in the fridge for about a week, as long as it’s in the aforementioned air-tight container. If you are planning on making this early, then definitely follow my mom’s tip of leaving the bacon off until the last minute. The bacon will get really soggy if it’s sitting in the dressed Broccoli Salad for a week.

What else can you add to Broccoli Salad?

Broccoli Salad is perfect as it is. But if you want to add a little something to Broccoli Salad, here are a few ideas:

– Sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds add a nice crunch to the Broccoli Salad. Just be sure to add them at the last minute of they’ll get soggy.

– Dried cranberries. Adding dried cranberries can add a tartness to the Broccoli Salad. If you don’t like cranberries, dried craisins will work too. Any other dried fruit that is bigger than these will be too big for this salad.

– Don’t add nuts. Any sort of nut will be way too hard for this Broccoli Salad. The crunch of something like an almond will really take away from this salad. Even a soft nut, like a cashew just won’t mesh with this.

– Skip the cheese. Or not. Listen, I almost always think everything is better with cheese. But not always always. And this Broccoli Salad doesn’t need cheese. If you really need cheese, go with something like Feta Cheese. A really soft cheese can add something to this. But skip the cheddar. Something with a sharp taste will really detract from this.