This High Protein Broccoli Salad is perfect for meal prep – it’s so filling with lentils, bacon and quinoa in a creamy dressing!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Sour cream – you could also try using Greek yogurt.
- White wine vinegar – rice vinegar has a similar flavour.
- Mayonnaise – try using low-fat mayonnaise or Greek yogurt instead. You could also make your own mayonnaise using egg yolk, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
- Maple syrup – agave or honey would be the next best options here.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a flash.
- Broccoli – cauliflower is the next best alternative.
- Carrots – substitute for a vegetable of your choice like bell peppers or cucumber.
- Bacon – use turkey bacon for a lower-calorie option.
- Cooked green lentils – cooked green lentils are best but you can also use garbanzo beans or chickpeas.
- Cooked quinoa – try cooked couscous or cooked barley instead.
- Walnuts – almonds or pecans would also be good here.
- Dried cranberries – dried cherries or raisins would also work.
- Feta cheese – goat cheese would also be good, but it has a milder taste.
- Roasted sunflower seeds – double up on the pumpkin seeds or try using pine nuts.
- Roasted pumpkin seeds – add in more sunflower seeds or substitute for chia seeds or poppy seeds.
- Red onion – white or yellow onion can be used but they have a milder flavour.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make broccoli salad
- Make the dressing.
- Prep all the toppings.
- Toss all the ingredients together.
- Pour the dressing over top and serve!
What to serve with this salad
This salad is great on its own but you can also serve it with soups, sandwiches, wraps or main dishes like chicken or fish. Here are some of my favourite options:
- Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwich Appetizers
- French Onion Chicken Skillet
- Easy BBQ Salmon with Avocado Salsa
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This salad is full of fresh veggies with lots of great nutrients and is high in protein. You can make the recipe even healthier by using turkey bacon instead of pork bacon and swapping out the mayonnaise for low-fat mayonnaise.
There are 443 calories in this broccoli salad. It's a great high-protein meal option that you can meal prep and enjoy throughout the week.
This salad calls for six cups of raw broccoli. You could steam the broccoli if you don’t like raw broccoli, but it would change the texture of the salad and make it less crunchy.
Cut each of the florets off where they meet the stalk, then slice through the stems so that you have evenly-sized broccoli florets. You can also buy pre-cut florets at the grocery store to save time!
Storing and reheating
You can store this recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days in airtight glass containers. I recommend storing the dressing separately from all the toppings so that the salad doesn’t get soggy. You could also make the dressing ahead of time for up to 3 days. This salad is meant to be served cold, so you don’t have to worry about reheating.
Freezing components of this recipe
While this salad isn’t freezer-friendly, you can store some of the components separately in the fridge for up to 3 months. The cooked green lentils and cooked quinoa will both freeze beautifully in airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Thaw them in the fridge overnight then add them to your fresh salad and enjoy!
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More broccoli recipes
- Green Goddess Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Healthy One Pot Broccoli Pasta Alfredo
- Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche
More high protein recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this salad into leftovers.
- A Rice Cooker is invaluable for saving time, and it cooks quinoa, too!
Broccoli Salad {High Protein + Meal Prep}
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 head broccoli, finely chopped (about 5 cups)
- 2 carrots, grated
- 8 strips bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dry brown lentils
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
Instructions
- In a medium pot of water or a rice cooker, cook 1/2 cup of dry quinoa with 1 cup of water until the liquid has absorbed. Let cool. This can be done up to 2 days in advance.
- In another medium pot of water, cook 1/2 cup dry brown lentils with 2 cups of water until the liquid has fully absorbed. Let cool. This can also be done up to 2 days in advance.
- Meanwhile, bake the bacon on a large sheet pan in a 400 F oven for 25 minutes until crispy, or fry in a pan until crispy. Drain fat in a bowl/leftover can and set aside to cool before crumbling.
- In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, white wine vinegar, mayonnaise, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and black pepper and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine the broccoli, carrots, bacon, lentils, quinoa, walnuts, dried cranberries, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and red onion. Toss the salad to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- The salad can be served immediately. For best flavor, cover the bowl and chill for 1-2 hours to let the flavors mingle before serving.
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