Broccoli Slaw With Cranberries and Bacon

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If you love crunchy broccoli salad, you are going to love this broccoli slaw. It has all of the flavors you love with a slightly sweet dressing, dried cranberries and bacon but in a lower prep and easier to eat form.

Broccoli slaw is the perfect make ahead side dish. It has big flavor, takes very little time to put together and is actually better if it has had a chance to chill for a few hours.

That means there is no work when you are ready to get the rest of the meal on the table. It still has great crunch and a fun mix of flavors.

It is perfect served with grilled meat or even a holiday ham. Plus it is perfect for picnics and potlucks as well.

All Things Slaw

We have been loving making different variations of coleslaw lately. It all started with the classic creamy coleslaw.

It starts with a bag of prepared shredded cabbage and carrots and adds a creamy homemade coleslaw dressing. It is perfect served at fish fries, with BBQ or even as a sandwich topper.

If creamy coleslaw isn’t your style, maybe a vinegar based coleslaw is more your thing. I sized down a recipe from a family friend who makes it in bulk for local club fundraisers.

We have even made a coleslaw dressing with condensed milk, because why not? It is actually a great way to make a great dressing and the rest of the can of condensed milk can be used to make a batch of easy cookies and cream fudge!

But slaw doesn’t have to be limited to to cabbage. Most grocery stores actually stock bags of broccoli slaw as well.

Instead of shredded cabbage, they shred the stalks of raw broccoli. It is a great way to reduce food waste and eat your veggies.

The Flavors in this Slaw

This version of broccoli slaw brings in the flavors of broccoli salad in an easier to make and eat format. I always love it when there is a bowl of broccoli salad at an event. t

There is just something about the mix of crunchy broccoli, sweet and tart cranberries, salty bacon, and a creamy dressing. It is really such a tasty flavor combination.

However, cutting the broccoli florets small enough takes a fair amount of time. If you rush and leave them too big, the salad is hard to eat gracefully.

So, I thought it would be fun to use broccoli slaw instead of fresh broccoli. It gets you the same flavor and crunch, but with quite a bit less work.

The dressing is super simple to put together too. Just add a little bit of Miracle Whip, or similar salad dressing spread, some vinegar and a tiny bit of sugar.

When you add the broccoli, it is going to seem like there isn’t quite enough dressing for everything. That is a common theme when making slaws.

As the salad chills, the vinegar and salt will draw some water out of the vegetables and wilt them down slightly. When you stir it again a couple of hours later, all of the sudden there is plenty of dressing to go around.

Great Additions for This Salad:

The recipe as written is sort of a base to get you started. There are so many great things you could add to make it your own.

I love blue cheese with bacon and dried cranberries. Add crumbled blue cheese adds creamy richness along with a bit of funk.

If blue cheese isn’t your thing, try adding crumbled feta or even shredded cheddar. There are a lot of great cheese options that would be tasty in this broccoli slaw.

Alternatively, roasted sunflower seeds add salt and crunch. So would chopped pecans or slivered almonds.

The dressing as written is only mildly sweet. You can add an extra teaspoon or two of sugar if you like a sweeter dressing.

If you are worried the red onion might be strong, try soaking it in the vinegar for a bit before stirring in the remaining ingredients. Or leave it out if you prefer.

Can you make your own shredded broccoli for slaw?

Of course! You can use the broccoli florets in something like yummy chicken alfredo, then grate the stalks for slaw. Using the large shredding blade on your food processer would make it super quick and easy to shred your own.

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