Cold Pork Roast and Vegetable Salad

Jeff the Chef

This recipe for Cold Pork Roast and Vegetable Salad uses a creamy, oil-free dressing that will knock your socks off. That, plus pasta, roasted broccoli, and last but not least bacon, and this is a serious salad!

Cold Pork Roast and Vegetable Salad
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Cold Pork Roast and Vegetable Salad

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Course: Dinner, Lunch
Makes

4

main dish servings

Use the processor to shred the carrot before using it to make the dressing, which you may want to double. Multitask the broccoli, bacon, and pasta.

Ingredients

  • For the dressing:

  • 2 green large green onions, whites and greens, snipped into 1/2-inch segments

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

  • 1 Tbs powdered fruit pectin for lower-sugar recipes

  • 1 Tbs vinegar

  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)

  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed

  • 1/8 tsp dry mustard

  • 1/8 tsp granulated garlic

  • 1/8 tsp pepper

  • For the salad:

  • 1 lb. cut-up broccoli

  • 1 Tbs herb-infused olive oil, or to taste

  • 1/4 tsp + 1 Tbs salt, or to taste, divided

  • 1 lb. thick-cut bacon

  • 1/2 lb. rotini

  • 2 cups cubed or bite-size strips cooked lean pork

  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot (1 medium), or more to taste

  • 8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

  • 8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

  • Make the dressing.
  • Blend all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the steel blade on high speed for 30 seconds. Stir thoroughly with a small, flexible spatula, to ensure that none of the dry ingredients are stuck to bottom or side of the bowl. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving. (Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Makes ½-¾ cup of dressing.
  • Make the salad.
  • Roast the broccoli: preheat the oven to 400°F. On a foil-lined sheet pan, toss the broccoli with a generous drizzle of oil. Add a confident 1/4-tsp salt and toss to evenly coat. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer. Slide it into the oven and cook until beginning to brown, 15 minutes. Open the oven and give them a thorough toss. Continue baking until done to your liking; for me that’s another 10 minutes. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile, cook the bacon. Use kitchen sheers to cut the bacon in half lengthwise, and then into 2-inch-wide segments. Place it in an unheated skillet, turn the flame to medium-high (setting 5 out of 9), and fry the bacon, stirring occasionally at first and constantly in the final 3 minutes, until crispy, 20 minutes total. Drain off the fat and reserve for another use. Place the drained bacon on paper towels; set aside.
  • Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, but add 1 Tablespoon of salt to the water just before adding the pasta; drain. Place cooked pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water; drain well.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, broccoli, pork, carrot, and mushrooms. Add dressing; toss lightly to coat. Cover and chil for 30 to 45 minutes or overnight. To serve, stir in the tomato and bacon.

Notes

  • Substitutions: 3/4 tsp snipped fresh herbs for the dried; thyme, tarragon, savory, or dill for the oregano and basil; 1 small clove of garlic, minced, for the granulated; unflavored olive oil for the herb-infused – in that case, add some dried basil along with the salt; melted butter for the broccoli’s oil; wagon-wheel macaroni or shell pasta for the rotini; and beef for the pork.

Social Learning

Use sharp, high-quality kitchen sheers to cut the bacon. Cut it into half lengthwise, three strips at a time: peel three strips away from the pack, all at once. Don’t separate them or try to align them. Just cut right through them all as they are, and then segment the two halves. Don’t even bother to separate the pieces as you put them in the pan; they’ll come apart as you move them around during cooking.

This is a great way to repurpose leftover pork roast. The window of time that it takes for a pork roast to go from juicy to dry seems small. A juicy pork roast will stay juicy even when refrigerated, but reheating it will almost certain dry it out in a most disappointing way. This helps you avoid that.

This dressing is really interesting, and would be good on any salad or as a veggie dip. It’s bold and flavorful, with a thick, creamy texture, but without a lot of density.

The amount of dressing that this recipe produces is enough for the salad, if you’re happy with a lightly dressed salad. If you tend to like a lot of dressing on your salad, I suggest you double the dressing, start by adding half to the salad, and then add more to your liking.

Adult Lunchbox

Like any salad, this makes a great lunch. However, cold roasted broccoli is one of those problematic smells that may be unwelcome to anyone who’s not eating it.

Cold Pork Roast and Vegetable Salad

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: “Beef and Vegetable Salad” and “Oil Free Creamy Onion Dressing,” in Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. (Des Moines, IA: BHG, 1996), 427 and 445. See also: Food Network. Make It Like a Man! has been ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs!

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44 thoughts on “Cold Pork Roast and Vegetable Salad”

  1. This looks perfect… for OUR Arizona weather! (Not so much for yours!) I wish I had some leftover pork now to make this. This is the downside of my not liking leftovers… maybe I need to rethink that.

    Reply

    • I didn’t know this about you! Not liking leftovers! Leftovers are my jam. The nature of my work hours means that during part of the week, there’s almost no chance that I’m going to be able to cook. So leftovers regularly get me though the week. I always cook with this in mind – making sure there will be some leftovers. I’m guessing you must do the opposite, and always cook in a way that avoids them?

      Reply

      • I have spoiled myself. I want new and different food every night! On the rare occasion, we do have leftovers, they will be lunches, but never dinner again. Does this make me high maintenance? I’ll let Mark answer that question. (That said, he has yet to complain that he has new in different food every day…)

        When I was working, cooking every night was my therapy, and got me through the day. Now that I’m retired, it’s just something I really look forward to.

        Reply

  2. I think I’d divorce my husband if he didn’t eat leftovers. I mean, I make a pot of chili or, like recently – cassoulet. I have to freeze some. Plus there’s some in the fridge. I can’t even imagine! Anyway, I love your salad. I just saw Nigel Slater make something very similar, although it was more of a slaw, and with roast beef. Like your dressing, too.

    Reply

  5. I like leftovers but TheHub is not a fan. He has them regularly without even knowing it. This is a great way reform the foods. Thanks. It sounds delicious.

    Reply

  10. What a fabulous salad, I just love how everything comes together. I could never understand how people can’t love most leftovers, they often taste better the day after they are cooked! And with the amount of food waste, it would be a crime not to eat them! I never thought broccoli has a questionable smell, I will have to check it next time I make it.

    Reply

  11. Haha – cold roasted broccoli does indeed have a potent smell. I’ll deal with it, though, as this salad sounds absolutely delicious! I mean you said it’ll knock my socks off. Time to test this out.

    Reply

  12. This cold pork salad sounds like a flavor fiesta! Imagine tender broccoli, crispy bacon, and juicy pork mingling with that tangy yogurt dressing – my taste buds are doing a happy dance already.

    Reply

  13. This is a serious salad Jeff, I would love to have this served up to me, but I might have to make it. I love leftovers, they get me through the week and improve in flavour. Thankfully my husband is happy eating them as well. Great work, thanks.

    Reply

  15. Now this is my kind of a pasta salad. I don’t eat pork, but I’m sure it would be just as scrumptious without that part of the recipe. This is the kind of salad that I keep in the fridge year round for a quick meal on busy afternoons and evenings.

    Reply

  17. Funny, I always think of chicken in cold salads, buy why not pork!? This salad sounds incredible and I especially like the dressing. I love that the onions get processed and blended into the other creamy ingredients. 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply

  19. ¡¡Hola Jeff!! Una ensalada de lo más completa. El aliño es fantástica y le tiene que dar un gran sabor a la ensalada. Creo que la tomaría como plato único al ser tan completa. Besitos.

    Reply

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