Super Crunch Salad Recipe With Creamy Paprika Parmesan Dressing (15 Minutes) by Donna John

My kids joke that I always have stuff for a salad in the fridge. "Do you want a salad?" is a phrase my husband still hears multiple times a week. Usually they are lettuce, spinach or kale salads, but then I ran across a recipe for a crunch salad made with crunchy vegetables and a homemade creamy dressing. After some tweaks to the ingredients, this super crunch salad recipe was born.

This healthy salad gets its crunch from cauliflower (check out the health benefits of cauliflower), broccoli (check out the health benefits of broccoli), red onion, celery and sunflower seeds. To break things up with a bit of creaminess, there's also grated sharp cheddar cheese. The creamy salad dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, finely grated Parmesan cheese, sugar, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika and black pepper. The flavors dance in this crunchy vegetable salad!

This easy cauliflower and broccoli salad recipe is a wonderful side dish with chicken, beef, pork, lamb, turkey or seafood. The salad holds up very well, so it's also great for cookouts and potlucks, or when you need to bring a dish for a holiday or family get-together.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cups broccoli florets, cut small
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped small
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• black pepper, to taste

Recipe Notes

• You can stir in some torn romaine lettuce into the salad right before serving.

• Add any other ingredients you would like! Grape tomatoes would be a nice addition.

• You could use regular paprika instead of smoked paprika.

• For some heat, stir in some ground cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes.

• For a pretty presentation, serve the salad in a trifle bowl.

• If you don't like sharp cheddar cheese, use your favorite cheese. 

• Finely ground Parmesan is best for this recipe vs. shredded. You could use the stuff in the green can.

• Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge.

Here's how to make it:

1. Put all the salad ingredients into a bowl.
   
2. Toss.
   
3. Put all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl.
   
4. Stir well to combine.
   
5. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients.
   
6. Mix well to coat all the vegetables.
   
7. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
   
   

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