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Cauliflower Broccoli Pea Salad Recipe (With Bacon!)

Name: Cauliflower Broccoli Pea Salad Recipe (With Bacon!)
Prep time: 120 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower (finely chopped); 2-3 heads broccoli (finely chopped); 1/2 cup celery (finely chopped); 12-15 ounce package frozen peas (thawed); 1 pound bacon (cooked crisp and finely chopped); 1 1/2 to 2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip; 1/4 cup finely chopped onion; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 teaspoons white vinegar

4.59 / 5 ( 36 Reviews )

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Delicious and easy broccoli pea salad with cauliflower, celery, bacon, and a creamy dressing.

Apr 7, 2020 The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure

The Ultimate Brocolli Cauliflower Pea Salad

This pea salad recipe is a wonderful side dish option for a potluck, BBQ, or holiday gathering! It is delicious and pretty and has one of my favorite ingredients in it: bacon!

That’s not even all though! The other ingredients in this tasty pea salad include broccoli, cauliflower, and celery, and you’ll love the delicious and creamy dressing to top it all off (it has parmesan cheese in it – yum!).

Let’s learn how to make it, shall we?

chopped cauliflower

Step 1. Chop Chop Chop!

Get out your cutting board and knife! There is plenty of chopping and dicing to do for this salad recipe! Chop the broccoli, cauliflower, and bacon into small pieces – the size of peas or even a bit smaller.

My favorite chef knife – Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

You could probably put the cauliflower in a food processor as long as you’re careful to keep the pieces from getting too small. The idea is to get pieces of all of the different salad elements in each and every bite! This is especially important for the bacon…because it is bacon and bacon is delicious.

chopped ingredients for pea salad side dish recipe

Prep tips:

Once you have the broccoli and cauliflower rinsed and trimmed down to the florets, you can just lay each out and start slicing your knife across it in different directions until you have the little pieces.

For the celery, I cut a rib or two into thirds lengthwise, then slice it up.

An easy way to thaw the frozen peas is dumping them into a colander, then turning on the faucet and running water over them. It only takes a minute or so for them to defrost.

In the microwave is my favorite way to cook the bacon for a salad like this. Layer paper towels on a large microwave-safe plate (or you can try newspaper with a few paper towels as the top layers), then place the bacon in a single layer over the paper towels, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for 5-7 minutes.

You can cook the bacon while you are chopping veggies – quick and easy! Of course, you can also cook the bacon in the oven or on the stovetop, or buy bacon that is already cooked and crumbled. Whatever you prefer!

Step 2. Dressing & Serving

The dressing is simple and creamy. It is also flexible. You can try using red onion instead of yellow, cider vinegar instead of white, fresh grated Parmesan or the powdery grated Parmesan, mayo or Miracle Whip. Use what you have, use what you like, and I’m sure it will be great!

Once you’ve made your dressing the way you like it, pour it over the pea salad and gently fold it in. Let the salad chill for a few hours before serving and enjoy!

Cold pea and bacon salad

Final Thoughts

I have a confession to make…I normally don’t like frozen peas, mayo, or celery. BUT I was pleasantly surprised by this pea salad and will be making it again!

P.S. You will definitely want to use at least a 4-quart bowl for this salad. It can feed a crowd!

I got this recipe from my friend, Jessica, and she got it from her mom. It is one of their family favorites!

Cauliflower pea salad

More Salad Recipes:

Broccoli pea salad recipe