The Best Dang Broccoli Salad (High Protein, High Fiber, Meal Prep Gold)

Crunchy, creamy, and packed with fiber, this is the meal prep salad I make on repeat

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know one of my biggest success tips from losing over 90 pounds after 40: always have a hearty, high fiber salad ready to serve alongside lunch or dinner. It fills you up, keeps your blood sugar steady, and makes it so much easier to hit that 8 to 10 grams of fiber per meal without thinking about it.

This broccoli salad is the one I come back to again and again. It’s crunchy, creamy, a little tangy, a little sweet, and it holds up beautifully in the fridge, which makes it perfect for meal prep. I’ve even served it on Thanksgiving and watched it disappear before the mashed potatoes.

The dressing is where the magic happens. Instead of the mayo-heavy version you might remember from potlucks, I use Greek yogurt as the base. You get that same creamy tang, plus a nice little protein boost. Then the salad itself layers in fiber and healthy fats from every direction: sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, chopped dates for a mellow sweetness, and uncured bacon bits because life is better with bacon.

One note on the broccoli. I like to chop mine pretty finely so every bite gets coated in dressing, but I’ve shared this recipe with friends who keep it chunky and love it just as much. Either way works.

The Best Dang Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1/4 cup diced red onion

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup cooked uncured bacon bits

• 1/4 cup dates, chopped

• 2 tablespoons hemp hearts

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 teaspoons sweetener (I use monk fruit)

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

• Water, as needed if the dressing is too thick

Instructions:

1. Make the dressing. In a small jar, combine the Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, sweetener, salt, and pepper. Add a splash of water if needed to reach a pourable consistency.

2. Combine the salad. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the broccoli, red onion, sunflower seeds, bacon bits, dates, and hemp hearts.

3. Toss and chill. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated. Chill for at least 30 minutes so the flavors can meld. It gets even better after a few hours.

Why this works: between the Greek yogurt, hemp hearts, and sunflower seeds, you’re getting protein and healthy fats alongside all that fiber from the broccoli and dates. It’s exactly the kind of side that turns an okay meal into one that actually keeps you full until your next one.

Make a batch this week and let me know what you serve it with. I have a feeling it’s about to become a regular in your rotation.

xo,
Lolita

P.S. If you love simple, protein and fiber forward recipes like this one, paid subscribers get three exclusive recipes every week, plus my monthly meal plans. You can upgrade right here on Substack.