Broccoli Salad with Cranberries

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Lighten up the traditional broccoli salad with light mayonnaise, light sour cream, almonds, and dried cranberries!

Need a healthier holiday side dish? Try my Lightened Up Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is here!   Over the past few weeks I’ve been working hard with my brother, sister-in-law, and husband to create a winning Thanksgiving menu.  My brother and his wife are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time ever so it’s a pretty big deal.   I’m so excited to enjoy our meal and will be sharing photos on Instagram and Facebook so make sure to follow along!

Cranberry Week

When we started planning the menu the one thing we worried about was oven space.    While I had several side dishes that had to go in the oven I wanted to come up with one that was a raw side dish so we wouldn’t have to cook it.  Plus, I feel like a lot of dishes at Thanksgiving are soft and a crunchy side side would be welcomed.

Everything you need to make Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

I wanted to do a broccoli salad but I’m not a huge fan of broccoli salad that is loaded with mayonnaise and has a ton of cheese.  It turns an otherwise healthy side dish into a calorie laden dish.   It also covers the flavor of the actually broccoli.  So I came up with a broccoli salad that is much lighter in both flavor and calories.

Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Almonds is a delicious holiday side dish

My Broccoli Salad with Cranberries is the perfect holiday side dish.  While we are having it tonight for Thanksgiving I think it would be fun for Christmas as well because it’s red and green.   I started with broccoli and red onion.  Then I made a sauce of mayonnaise, sour cream, and spices.    I combined everything in a bowl and tossed it along with almonds, the dried cranberries, and just a bit of cheese.

Looking for a healthier holiday side dish? Try this tasty and festive Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

It turned out really delicious.  The cranberries add just a hint of sweetness and color to the salad.  The cheese adds a touch of sharpness and the almonds add an additional crunch.  It’s a fresh side dish that is great alongside a heavy meal.

Need a healthier holiday side dish? Try my Lightened Up Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

Broccoli Salad with Cranberries

Yield: serves 10
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Lighten up the traditional broccoli salad with light mayonnaise, light sour cream, almonds, and dried cranberries!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/3 c. light mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. light sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 6 c. broccoli florets, chopped
  • 1/3 c. slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1/3 c. dried cranberries
  • 1/4 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Soak the red onion in cold water for 5 minutes then drain.
  2. In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix well.
  3. Add in the onion, broccoli, almonds, cranberries, and cheese. Mix well until combined.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving or overnight.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, May 2016.


Take a bite out of this Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Almonds! I love the sweet and tart fruit with the crunchy almonds.

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5 Comments

  1. Heather, I’m a huge fan of broccoli salads and make it two ways, one way similar to this. The tart-sweet cranberries are such a great thing to play off the slight bitterness of raw broccoli. And I think you’re right about it being a perfect no-cook side dish. I don’t care for salad with a traditional turkey dinner, but this is more side dish than salad in my book and goes beautifully. CommentLuv was hanging up the process, so I’ll just put the link here.
    http://www.delightfulrepast.com/2016/11/afternoon-tea-party-tips-le-creuset.html

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