Some of these old fashioned recipes I find from old church cookbooks contain far too much sugar. I tend to forget this while cooking, and then get overwhelmed by the sweetness when I go to taste-test things.
Salads tend to be the main culprit in the Too Sweet category. Half the time, the only salads in these cookbooks are fruit salads. I don’t know how people in mid-century America got enough nutrients if all they were eating were Jello molds and mashed potatoes!
I spotted this broccoli salad in my recipe box, and decided I finally needed to give it a try. I see broccoli salads all over the place when I go to potlucks or parties, and yet I have never made one myself. I know, shocking, right? They always have everything that I like in a salad—crisp raw veggies, fruit, nuts, something salty, and something sweet.
This recipe is a little different than ones I’ve tried, though. There are no fruits, no nuts, and chunks of cheese and salty bacon instead. I’m okay with that, though. Cheese and bacon? That’s pretty much my favorite combo.
The dressing was something special, though. Mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk…and sugar. Of course. I get it. It’s a sweet-ish dressing. However, I made the mistake of following the precise measurement off the sugar, and it was wayyyy too much! So for the below recipe, I cut that amount in half. I think this salad would be perfect that way.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still absolutely wonderful, and it really hits the spot on a hot summer day. I can almost guarantee that you’d be the hit of a barbecue if you brought this dish with you!
Southern Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
A creamy, tangy & sweet broccoli and cauliflower recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
- 1 head of broccoli, coarsely chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 lb. block cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
For the dressing:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/8 cup sugar
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, bacon, cheese and green onions. Stir well.
- In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix well—until everything is well coated.
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, bacon, cheese and green onions. Stir well.
In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix well—until everything is well coated.
I too never understood the idea of adding so much sugar to salads. You’re definitely right in cutting the amount in half. I can also see this combination with a simple vinaigrette as well.
I bet a vinaigrette would work wonderfully. And I was wrong! I cut the recipe in half when I made it and it was still too sweet! So this recipe is 1/4 of the original amount 😬
Wow, hard to believe it was even sweeter! Good call on your part. 🙂
We used to make a similar salad when I was a kid, and yes, the recipe called for way too much sugar. It’s been ages since I made it, so I can’t remember how much we actually used compared to what the recipe called for, but it was significantly less.
How weird! I’m glad I cut the sugar down in this one, but it definitely needed less.
We do a broccoli salad a lot, but I like the idea of adding cauliflower. And I tend to agree about the sweetness in salads being overwhelming. I start with just a tinsy bit.
I should’ve done that. Cutting it in half was not enough! The cauliflower is probably my favorite part of this salad…but I looooove raw cauliflower.