Loaded Cauliflower Salad

If you’re not sure what the “loaded” part of this Loaded Cauliflower Salad is, the name comes from loaded baked potatoes that are piled high with Cheddar cheese, bacon, chives, and sour cream. This recipe doesn’t have a potato, but dang it’s good. I know, I’ve been making a lot of salads lately, I really love them!

For The Love of Cauliflower

As the name implies, I used cauliflower for this salad. I’m not a cauliflower bandwagoner. In fact, I get a little crazy when my favored vegetables have a moment—supply and demand always jack up the price. Very annoying.

What I love about cauliflower in this salad is that it has such a neutral flavor, a little like potatoes, but with a crunch. It’s the PERFECT potluck salad. One, because it’s delicious, and two because cauliflower stays crunchy, even with salt. Unlike cucumbers or tomatoes, which get soggy when they are salted, cruciferous veggies, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower keep their crunch.

Ranch Anyone?

I guess you could use a bottled ranch, but with a few ingredients that you probably already have, you can make your own, and it’s crazy good. It’s actually the reason why this is so delicious…oh and there’s bacon.

Don’t worry about the bacon in this. I use bacon sparingly. Since the flavor of bacon is so strong, you don’t need a lot to have a ton of bacon flavor.

Mix this up tonight as a BBQ side, a light lunch, or for your next potluck! Let me know how you like it in the comments.

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