Tasty Cold Salad Recipes - written by Patrick Carpen

A cold salad is great as either a side dish or a chilled meal or snack. If you're short on ingredients or budget, you might find that a cold salad is a just the trick! In this article I am including several easy cold salad recipes that you can whip up in a matter of minutes, plus the leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days. I hope you enjoy them!

Bacon and Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
2 lbs bacon, cooked and chopped
1 large head fresh broccoli, chopped
3/4 cup of chopped celery
1/4 cup of diced red onion
1 1/2 cups of seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup of white sugar
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 cup of mayonnaise

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar, then set aside. In a large bowl, combine the bacon, broccoli, red onion, celery, and grape halves. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the broccoli mixture and toss well. Chill for a few hours, then serve.

Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) bag of coleslaw mix
2 tbsp diced onion
2/3 cup of Miracle Whip
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the coleslaw mix and the diced onion. In a separate bowl, blend together the Miracle Whip, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, vinegar, and poppy seeds. When the dressing mixture is well blended, pour it over the coleslaw vegetables and mix until thoroughly coated. Chill for two hours before serving.

Restaurant-Style Potato Salad

Ingredients:
5 potatoes
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup of chopped celery
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup of sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the potatos. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, but firm. Drain the water and let the potatoes cool. Once they have cooled, peel and chop them into chunks. Chop the hard-boiled eggs. In a large bowl, combine the potato chunks, chopped eggs, relish, celery, onion, celery salt, garlic salt, pepper, mustard, and mayonnaise. Blend the mixture well and refrigerate until the salad is chilled through.

Rainbow Salad

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package tri-colored pasta assortment
2 large tomatoes (diced)
1 large cucumber (peeled and sliced)
1 red onion (chopped)
1 (16 oz) bottle Italian dressing

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is fully cooked. Drain the pasta and rinse well with cold water. In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and salad dressing. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
4 cucumbers (thinly sliced)
1 small white onion (diced or thinly sliced)
1 cup of white vinegar
1/2 cup of water
3/4 cup of white sugar
1 tbsp dried dill, or to taste

Directions:
Mix the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. In a sauce pan, mix the vinegar, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then pour over the cucumber and onions. Stir in the dill. When the mixture is well blended, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.