I got a call from my friend who was planning my other friend’s baby shower. She wanted my help with some food and asked me to bring a side dish that was healthy and would serve several people. My husband and I are committed to staying on a budget, so I knew the recipe would need to be budget friendly as well. I decided to go with this Cranberry, Apple, and Broccoli Salad because I felt it met all the requirements. And the added bonus? It only took 10 minutes to make! I pulled it out of the fridge, put plastic wrap around the top, and transported it easily to my friend’s house. So this definitely tops my list for easiest, healthiest, budget friendly recipes!
Broccoli Salad
Start with 4 heads of broccoli and chop it up into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Then add in 4 diced green onions and 1 cup of dried cranberries.
In a separate bowl, dice up a large Granny Smith apple and toss it with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. I use the Granny Smith apple because it is more tart and balances the sweetness of the dressing and cranberries. Once the apple is tossed with the lemon juice, add it to the broccoli bowl.
Broccoli Salad Dressing
Using the same bowl from the apple, combine the ingredients for the dressing:
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Whisk the dressing until it is nice and creamy and then pour it over the broccoli salad.
Now toss it all together so that every nook and cranny gets covered with that delicious dressing. Chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. It tastes best if it has been chilled for atleast an hour.
The salad was a hit at the shower and there wasn’t any left! I told the guests that I got the original recipe from Spend with Pennies but made my own adjustments along the way. This will definitely be a potluck go-to recipe in the future! Then the other night I made the broccoli salad again, this time alongside a couple pieces of tangy marinated chicken and some cheese and multi-grain crackers. I was surprised at how well my kids liked the broccoli salad; I think it may have been because of the dressing. It is sweet but not overpowering. Have a potluck coming up?
Give this recipe a whirl or try out others from my 13 Best Summer BBQ & Potluck Recipes. Happy cooking y’all!
10 Minute Cranberry, Apple, & Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
- 4 heads broccoli chopped in bite-sized pieces
- 4 diced green onions
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 diced Granny Smith apple
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- For the Dressing:
- 1 cup light mayo
- 1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Chop the broccoli and dice the green onions.
- Toss them with the cranberries in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, dice the apple and toss with lemon juice. Add to the broccoli.
- Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl.
- Toss with the broccoli salad until thoroughly coated.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
I ate this at the cookout yesterday and it was so delicious!!!!!
I think this is one of my favorite side dishes for a cookout too! So light and refreshing.
The cranberry, broccoli, and apple salad is very tasty. It’s a perfect summer evening dinner side dish. I love the combination of the tangy broccoli and apple with the sweet cranberries. The dressing is very light.
Thanks Yvonne! I really like the dressing too!