Cheddar Bacon Ranch Keto Broccoli Salad

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The perfect quick side dish for your backyard cookouts Cheddar Bacon Ranch Keto Broccoli Salad is loaded with deliciousness but light on the carbs.

Keto Broccoli Salad: Perfect Summer Side Dish

Memorial Day weekend is coming up and for me I love the side dishes almost as much as the Meats.

I always make my Famous Cauliflower “Potato” Salad but sadly a lot of my family doesn’t care for Cauliflower no matter what I do.

As a great substitution I prepare this easy to make Cheddar, Bacon, Ranch Broccoli Salad.

If you don’t like this salad I just can’t help you. Is loaded with cheese, bacon and ranch...who doesn’t like those ingredients.

The broccoli is just there to hold the dressing and add some bulk to the dish.

How to Make Keto Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

• 5 cups Broccoli Florets
• ¼ cup Sliced Scallions
• 1 cup Shredded Cheddar
• 10 Slices Chopped Crispy Bacon
• ½ cup Dill Pickle Relish

Dressing Recipe

• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Sour Cream
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 tbsp Ranch Seasoning
• 1 tsp Real Salt
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper

Garnish Ingredients (optional)

• 3 Thinly Sliced Radishes
• 1 Red Sweet Pepper (Thinly Sliced)
• 1 Yellow Sweet Pepper (Thinly Sliced)

Instructions

• Whisk together ingredients in the Dressing and set aside. Cook Bacon in the oven at 400 degrees F. for about 15-2- minutes until crisp. Let bacon cool then dice up.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cut fresh broccoli into bite size pieces then boil for about 2 minutes. then remove immediately from the pot and shock in ice water to stop the cooking process. 
• Once Broccoli is fully chilled combine broccoli, bacon, scallions, cheddar cheese and dill pickle relish in a large mixing bowl. Finally fold in the dressing so the broccoli is fully coated. Let chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Can I use frozen Broccoli???

It’s a free country so you can do whatever you like but I would recommend against using frozen broccoli.

Frozen broccoli has a ton of water in it even after you thaw it. It’s always pretty mushy from being frozen.

If it’s your only option I recommend thawing the broccoli then let it sit in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes. Then Pat the broccoli dry to remove any excess moisture.

Why Do you blanch the Broccoli for this Keto Broccoli Salad?

Blanching the broccoli does a couple things to make this recipe taste better and look more appealing.

By dropping the raw broccoli into boiling water we soften up the broccoli just enough to make it easier to chew but still leaving a good crunch.

The other reason blanching broccoli is important is to preserve that vibrant green color.

It’s very important to shock the broccoli in ice water as soon as you remove it from the pot or the broccoli will continue to cook and turn an ugly shade of swamp green.

It’s also important to add a healthy amount of salt to the boiling water so that the water has a similar salinity to the ocean.

This will help flavor the broccoli even after rinsing making the keto broccoli salad extra tasty.

More Keto Side Dishes

• Keto Kale Rockefeller
• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• Low Carb Cauliflower “Potato” Salad
• Low Carb Cauliflower Tabouli
• Keto Kimchi Coleslaw
• Grilled Spaghetti Squash Rings
• Keto Italian Hoagie Coleslaw Recipe

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