Cue to Father’s Day probably 15 years ago. It’s pool party time with several friends and neighbors for our annual BBQ. Sometimes the number of people change but one thing remains the same; really good food. The guys cook for us on Mother’s Day but Mark insists on manning the BBQ for Father’s Day. Okay, rock on man. The party is always potluck style with everyone bringing something to share. On this day way back, our dear friend Deb brought broccoli salad. Mark had this hurt look on his face because he despises broccoli but I was jumping for joy. I love me some broccoli. It was all I could do to not grab a fork and eat the entire bowl. As the hostess I had to share. I should have set some aside and hid it in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator because it was gone in a flash. There would be no leftovers for me.
Not to worry because she made it again for a pool party on July 4th. She added extra bacon just for Mark. He was really brave and tried this awesome dish with something green in it. Guess what? He liked it! Not a lot, but he ate it. Small victories. Best of all, she gave me the recipe. Love that girl.
I’ve probably made this a hundred times since then. It is a great side dish for a BBQ. It’s super easy to make, can be doubled to feed a crowd and is great the next few days as leftovers. Plus, it’s also good just by itself for lunch.
The recipe comes from her husband Bill’s Nana Ruth and Deb has modified it a bit, using frozen chopped onions instead of cutting only part of an onion. The frozen onions are great to have on hand when you don’t need an entire onion. The recipe calls for 8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp. In a pinch I’ve used the Hormel fully cooked bacon. Since those slices aren’t super thick, I use ten instead of the eight the recipe calls for.
It only takes a few minutes to put together; the longest part is cutting the florets. First I cook, cool and cut the bacon. I cut the broccoli while the bacon cools.
Stir the onions, mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved.
Toss the bacon and broccoli in a large bowl. Pour the dressing on and toss it all together. I like to let it chill for a couple hours and give it a good stir before serving. You could add some cashews for extra crunch.
Deb’s Broccoli Salad
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped onions
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (can use light)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (one bunch)
- 8 slices crispy cooked thick bacon.
Cook, cool and chop the bacon. Mix the first four ingredients together until sugar is fully dissolved. Rinse and drain the broccoli, cutting up the large florets if you’d like. Blend/toss together and chill well.