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This simple but delicious Bacon & Cheddar Cauliflower Salad is the perfect side dish for your next picnic or potluck. (Hint: make it for the Fourth of July next week!) Throw some meat and veggies on the grill and mix up this easy cauliflower salad and you’re good to go! The dressing reminds me of the type of dressing you’d find on a potato salad, but it also has a bit of a honey mustard vibe goin’ on. Combined with shredded cheddar cheese and real bacon bits? You can’t go wrong. THM S and low carb.
This recipe is actually a no-special-ingredients recipe if you use a bit of your favorite locally-sourced low-glycemic sweetener (to taste) in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend! You just need a little bit to balance out the flavors.
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Can I Make This Ahead?
After mixing it up, I like to let the cauliflower salad “marinate” in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before serving. Leftovers will keep a day or two in the fridge, but the salad gets softer. If you want to prep this for an event, chop the cauliflower and mix the dressing up in advance; but keep the cauliflower, dressing, cheese, and bacon separate. It’ll take all of 2 minutes to mix it up an hour or two before serving.
Tip: Repurpose the Dressing!
The dressing for this cauliflower salad might make a good lettuce salad dressing or veggie dip! I would use less salt (to taste) and thin it down if desired. It’s sort of like honey mustard!
To Clarify…
I’ve been getting some questions so I thought I’d clarify here that YES, the cauliflower is raw! It softens a bit in the dressing, but it has a nice crunch to it. It’s like a broccoli salad, but with cauliflower. It’s not really meant to be a potato salad (obviously, since it’s made with cauliflower), or even a low-carb mock of a potato salad. I’ll leave that to the Picnic Radishto Salad on page 224 of Convenient Food. That one was specifically formulated for that purpose, and the radishes are cooked. This Bacon & Cheddar Cauliflower salad is a raw cauliflower salad with bacon and cheddar and a yummy dressing.
So tell me…
What’s YOUR go-to picnic or potluck favorite that you can count on to please healthy eaters and the average Joe alike? Comment below – I’d love to hear what you bring!
You may also enjoy:
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STARTING THM
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MY RECIPE INDEX
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RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
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Traditional Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
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Bri’s Better-Than-Ranch Dressing
Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
- 8 cups chopped fresh cauliflower (approx. 1 large head of cauliflower)
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon THM Super Sweet Blend
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon each smoked paprika, salt, black pepper
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- ⅔ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons real bacon bits
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together. In a large bowl combine the chopped cauliflower, dressing, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. Mix well. Garnish with additional bacon bits if desired.
- I like to let the salad “marinate” in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before serving. Leftovers will keep a day or two in the fridge, but the salad gets softer. If you want to prep this for an event, chop the cauliflower and mix the dressing up in advance; but keep the cauliflower, dressing, cheese, and bacon separate. It’ll take all of 2 minutes to mix it up an hour or two before serving.
- PS: I've been getting some questions so I thought I'd clarify here that YES, the cauliflower is raw! It softens a bit in the dressing, but it has a nice crunch to it. It's like a broccoli salad, but with cauliflower. It's not really meant to be a low-carb mock of a potato salad. I'll leave that to the Picnic Radishto Salad on page 224 of Convenient Food, which was specifically formulated for that purpose.
-Nutrition info calculated with Duke’s Real Mayonnaise and low-fat sour cream (although full-fat is fine to use too).
ALLERGY INFO:
-Gluten Free (use non-contaminated ingredients)
-Nut Free
This cauliflower salad is fantastic!
I had to stop myself from eating the whole dish by myself.
Hi Briana! I’ve been living the THM lifestyle for 5 years now and I use a lot of your recipes, none of them have failed me! I’m saving up to buy your book 😁. Anyway, all that to say, I just made this cauliflower salad and it is another winner! Thanks for all the great yummy recipes. I hope you find much joy in your cooking journey. Be blessed this beautiful January day!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Jerina! Happy cooking!
Is it ok to use light mayo and sour cream? Also, can I add some chopped pickles and olives too?
Light mayo usually has added sugar, so I’d stay away from that. 🙂 Light sour cream is usually fine. Chopped pickles and olives would be great!
Just made this salad with what I have and there is none left. I was told I can make that again. Thank you
Well that’s a good sign! So glad it was a hit!
This sounds very good, and I will definitely try it. Lately I have made an Italian salad where I replace the pasta with chopped cauliflower. I really like it, so this should be tasty, too! My hubs prefers regular pasta, so I make some for him, and use cauli for me. Then I split the rest of the toppings and dressing into both. It works for us, and is better than having two separate dishes, or caving in and eating pasta.
That’s such a great idea, Jeanette!
Delicious! My husband said this is his new favorite salad!
Made this for the Fourth and it was a hit! Absolutely delicious and tasty 😊
Hi Briana!
Have you tried this with frozen cauli? Thanks! This recipe looks great!
Hi Bekah! I wouldn’t make it with frozen cauliflower because it’ll be kind of soggy/mushy instead of nice and crisp. 🙂
I have read that it is not advisable to eat cauliflower raw because it is harmful to the thyroid gland.
Deborah, I had not heard that, and was curious. Here is an article from Mayo Clinic, which basically says that it is OK to have raw veggies with hypothyroidism. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-hypothyroidism-spinach-and-kale/