I had it from a grocery store deli. The Best Salad in the World. Seriously, that’s what it was called – and I agree!

The Best Salad in the World. A mixture of almost everything! Broccoli, Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Cheese & Salami. So good!!
The Best Salad in the World is a total mish-mash of everything good and a few unexpected pleasures. To tell the truth, I might not have tried it if I had looked at that salad closer…
Packed in that little tiny container ($7.49/12 ounces – that was a tired, hungry mistake!) was broccoli, red pepper, red onion, shredded carrot, cheese & some kind of sliced sausage. Yeah, salami, I think! There’s the ingredient that would have thrown me off!
It was actually a very nice change up from a lot of the bacon I see in salads. And it was delicious. So here’s my attempt at recreating that salad. And feel free to leave out, add or substitute to your heart’s desire!

The Best Salad in the World. A mixture of almost everything! Broccoli, Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Cheese & Salami. So good!!
I made huge salad for far less than that tiny 12 ounce package, by my rather loose calculations. Do beware of deli salads, and prepackaged veggies. They’re likely to cost 4 to 10 times the amount prepping your own. (I didn’t use the stems of the broccoli – they’ll go in my Cream of Broccoli Soup.)
A great price on a local Dakota summer sausage kept my price under control & I used it instead of the Salami. Being open to changing up ingredients & not always going with the big brand is a great strategy for savings. Admittedly, I was a bit stingy with it, because what I didn’t use in the salad means Cheese & Crackers! (Maybe that’s a Minnesota thing?)

The Best Salad in the World. A mixture of almost everything! Broccoli, Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Cheese & Salami. So good!!
The Best Salad in the World
Dressing:
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise or use short the mayonnaise and use heaping tablespoon of Greek yogurt or sour cream for more body
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (this is peppery, not a typo)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or more – enough to reach consistency of just pourable)
Mix all ingredients and taste. Adjust for salt, sweetness & tangy flavors by adding a little more of this or that.
The Salad:
- 1 head broccoli, in very small pieces, stems reserved for another use.
- 1 bell pepper, diced small
- 1/4 red onion, diced small
- 1 – 2 carrots, shredded
- 1/2 cup or more of cheese, Cheddar or your choice (large grate preferred over fine)
- 2 to 4 ounces good Salami, Summer Sausage or similar cured sausage, cut into slices, then into quarters
Toss all ingredients together. Drizzle with dressing mixture and toss to coat. Best if it sits for at least 20 minutes. Just as good the next day or longer but dressing may thin out.
Note: How thin or thick the dressing for a salad like this should be can vary with the vegetables, depending on how fresh or how dry they are. I generally err towards a thicker dressing knowing there will be some thinning as it sits.
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Be sure to join us at Fiesta Friday, an ongoing weekly link party where bloggers post their best creations each week. This week, the co-hosts are Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Nimmi @ Adorable Life.
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